THE Board of Education is proposing the extension of the compulsory school age for CNMI students from 16 to 18 to ensure that they finish their secondary education.
BOE Chairman Herman T. Guerrero said Gov. Juan N. Babauta has indicated his interest in extending compulsory education.
Guerrero said they are supporting the proposal, but BOE also wants the mandatory school age to be extended to 18.
“The compulsory age is 16 so anybody who is beyond that age, there’s nothing we can do to keep them in school,” Guerrero said.
“I think the governor is interested in extending the compulsory age from 1st grade to kindergarten, but I’m also recommending that if he’s going to do that, perhaps we should also extend the compulsory age up to 18,” he added.
He said the CNMI Constitution allows the government to set the mandatory school age but a law must still be passed to effect the changes.
Board member Esther Fleming said most high school students in the CNMI graduate at age 17. “If we keep them between 17 and 18, then they would be in classrooms learning something,” Fleming said.
According to Guerrero, “If they are out there in the community, they can create problems. But if they are in school, then at least you minimize the problem that is going to happen during the day when all the people are at work.”
He said youth-related problems burden not only the education system and the CNMI government but parents as well.
