The 14th of July, a seminar was held at the Hotel Meliã in Braga by the portuguese team of the project, bringing together a total of 62 participants. The audience included teachers, researchers, parents, and students, reflecting the broad interest in the issue of school absenteeism. The event began with a presentation of the “Observatory SOS-Attendance” project, highlighting its objectives, methodology, and scope This was followed by a keynote lecture from Professor Trude Havik, from the University of Stavanger (Norway), who addressed the root causes of school nonattendance and emphasized the importance of understanding students’ experiences.
In the second part of the seminar, the preliminary results of the Portuguese implementation were shared, providing valuable insights into the national context. After an informal lunch, participants engaged in a reflective group activity on the challenges and strategies to address absenteeism. The afternoon continued with a second keynote by Professor Cendel Karaman, from the Middle East Technical University (Türkiye), who presented an overview of the Turkish education system and its relevance to the project’s themes.
