Truancy agents to spy on children

EDUCATION Minister Xavier Darcos wants to recruit 5,000 truancy agents, who will tell parents when their children do not go to school.

He is expected to unveil an education action plan for the year today, with truancy one of his priorities.

In an interview with Le Figaro, he said: “More and more children are regularly absent, and everything links together – if children play truant their education is interrupted and they do not succeed in school, which leads to problems with work and social integration for young people.”

“When a young person no longer has a structure to their life, or aims, they spiral into every kind of failure. Truancy is a scourge and we the existing measures against it are not working,” he said.

Mr Darcos said at present some schools made an effort to contact parents rapidly – using phone calls or text messages. However this was not enough. The new agents would act as mediators between the parents and school, he said.

They are expected to be in action from March, he said, and will be recruited among people who know the local area well.

Photo:Service photo de Matignon