they round up students wandering the streets during school hours.

Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith sounded this warning after The Royal Gazette revealed that Government was considering a "truancy sweep''.

Education Minister Tim Smith said he planned to meet shortly with Public Safety Minister Maxwell Burgess and school principals to discuss such a crackdown.

And while admitting that truancy was a serious problem, Mr. Smith said it was not "chronic''.

"It is a problem in some of our schools,'' he said. "It is more prevalent at the senior level. But it is virtually non-existent at the primary level.'' "Obviously non-attendance is a serious issue,'' he added. "An absent student is missing out on new knowledge.'' While noting that she was glad to hear an Education Minister "at last'' admitting that non-attendance is a serious issue, Ms Smith -- in a press release -- said: "I don't think we should wait until it is `chronic' before taking action.'' The Shadow Education Minister also stressed that "truancy is not a matter for the Public Safety Minister or the Police''.

She said Police were working hard to establish a non-confrontational relationship with students "and this should not be jeopardised when there are better solutions available''.

Pointing to one solution, Ms Smith recalled that the Progressive Labour Party had moved an amendment during the debate of the 1996 Education Act to define "attendance officer'' as "a person employed for the express purpose of assuring the attendance of children of compulsory school age''.

"Government didn't agree that truancy was a problem and the amendment was defeated,'' she said. Ms Smith also noted that the PLP had disagreed when the United Bermuda Party deleted the post of truant officer.

While Government's current practice of appointing guidance counsellors and principals as "attendance officers'' may ensure that a record of non-attendance is kept, she said it was not an effective deterrent to truancy.

"Since there is a compulsory school age and a provision making parents responsible for ensuring that their children attend school, Government through the Ministry of Education has a responsibility to ensure that students who are thus registered attend school,'' Ms Smith continued.

"I am concerned that while we as a country believe that adults know better than children what is best for them, when it comes to education we seem to allow children to decide whether they will attend school or not.'' See Editorial, Page 4 POLICE POL