CoE Recommendations to Tackle School Absenteeism

School Absenteeism in Europe Reaches Concerning Levels: Council of Europe Calls for Urgent Action.

According to the report “Missing out: tackling school absenteeism in Europe’s communities” by the CoE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, school absenteeism has increased substantially in many countries since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to participants in the discussion at the CoE, this threatens pupils’ educational attainment, mental health, social skills and future employment prospects. The problem may also worsen shortages of workers with the skills European economies need.

Anita Sollie, Norway’s representative, highlighted the importance of adopting a common European definition of school absenteeism and collecting comparable attendance data. In her view, this would give schools and authorities a clearer understanding of the problem and help them take effective action.

Call for Action

The Congress stresses that education is a human right and that ensuring effective access to education and encouraging regular school attendance are obligations reflected in the Council of Europe’s human rights standards.

The Congress calls on the authorities of all 46 Council of Europe member states to act at every level of government. In particular, it recommends:

The Congress’s approach emphasises that school absenteeism cannot be addressed simply by requiring pupils to attend school. It is necessary to identify the causes of absence, provide timely support to children and coordinate the work of education and social services.