About 4,600 pupils truanted every day during 2003/04

Scottish Executive figures suggest of that number, 14,000 were sick, 4,600 were truanting, 4,000 on holiday and 820 temporarily excluded.

The overall attendance rate was 93.1%, an increase on the 92.6% in 2002.

Education Minister Peter Peacock said the figures helped to show why pupils were missing classes.

According to the figures, the attendance rate for secondary schools was 90.2%, for special schools it was 91.1% and 95.3% for primary schools.

We must continue to encourage parents to avoid taking their children out of school during term-time Peter Peacock Education Minister

The most common reason given for absenteeism included lack of transport, weddings, bereavements, religious observances, sporting and cultural events and attendance at hearings.

Pupils in urban areas were absent more often than those living in rural Scotland.

The executive's statistics also show:

• Per pupil, the average total absence in primary schools was just under two school weeks (18 half days), out of a possible 38 school weeks; in secondary schools it was just under four school weeks, (37 half days) out of a possible 38 school weeks

• Three quarters of pupils had an attendance rate of 90% or above

• About 515,000 pupils had no unauthorised absence during the year, with 90% of pupils having no more than one week unauthorised absence

• Some 125,000 pupils took holidays during term-time, taking an average of five days each.

Mr Peacock said: "Today's figures show us for the first time why pupils are missing school and this will help us to tackle the problems and monitor progress.

"We must continue to encourage parents to avoid taking their children out of school during term-time."

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) said it was "concerned" at the number of holiday absentees.

The Rev Ewan Aitken, Cosla's education spokesman, said: "I am concerned that nearly as many children are absent through term time holidays as through playing truant, and local authorities are continuing to invest in much more creative and innovative ways of challenging those groups.

"We have also had productive discussions with ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) in a bid to look at ways of rewarding good attendance, and they are ongoing."

Scottish Conservative spokesman for education, James Douglas-Hamilton, said the figures were a damning indictment of the education system.

He added: "We cannot let the fact that so many of our children are skipping school slide without trying to tackle the issue.