Administration problems
Under EMB guidelines, a school must file a report with the department if a student is absent for seven consecutive days.
A warning letter is issued to the parents of students who have been absent for two months.
If a student is absent for sixth months, the EMB will send an officer to issue an attendance order to the parents who will be prosecuted if their child remains absent from school.
Despite the strict guidelines, the EMB and schools have been criticised for not doing enough to help dropouts. A report released by the Audit Commission last month found delays in dealing with dropouts. Despite the rules, some schools have waited until the 20th day of absence to report cases.
Of the more than 12,000 dropouts handled by the EMB over the past two years, 350 cases involved investigation of up to seven months.
