From left, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (who played Jamal), Rubina Ali (Latika) and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (Salim) from the award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. (Mike Clarke/AFP/Getty Images)

The trustee managing a fund for two child stars of Slumdog Millionaire is putting pressure on their parents to improve their school attendance.

Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, and Rubina Ali, 10, could lose their monthly stipend unless they attend school at least 70 per cent of the time, according to Noshir Dadrawala, who helps administer the Jai Ho trust for the two young stars.

Azhar is only showing up at school 37 per cent of the time and Rubina has only 27 per cent attendance, he said.

The Jai Ho trust was established to provide an education, living allowance and housing for Azhar, who played the young Salim, and Rubina, who played young Latika in the Oscar-winning film.

The warning to the families about school attendance follows a visit to India by director Danny Boyle, who has faced criticism over the living conditions of the children.

Both lived in a Mumbai shantytown, but Azhar and his mother have moved into an apartment paid for by trust fund money.

Rubina's family still lives in the slum and her father has turned down offers of apartments, saying the budget was not enough to cover the costs.

'Honour their part of the bargain'

Boyle and Slumdog producer Christian Colson said in a statement that they were "disappointed" with the children's school attendance record. The children's families "need to honour their part of the bargain," they said.

Azhar's mother, Shameen Ismail, said her son had missed school because of the death of his father, who remained behind in the shantytown after they moved into an apartment. She did not want the father in the apartment because he took drugs.

"[Azhar] would cry often, so I kept him home from school for a while," she said. She promised his attendance would improve.

Rubina's father, Rafiq Qureshi, said the girl was not in school because she was cut on the leg when her slum shanty was destroyed.

But Dadrawala blamed their truancy on the large number of public appearances by the children.

"They are constantly going to Paris and Cochin and Chennai," he said. "That's fine, but go over the weekend, not at the sacrifice of school."

With files from The Associated Press