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Absenteeism And Truancy In Schools

By Gloria Bassaw
Opinion Absenteeism And Truancy In Schools
JUN 26, 2017 LISTEN

In recent times in Ghana it has been observed that most students are not performing well academically, some have attributed the abysmal academic performance by students to poor teacher motivation, poor motivation by parents among others.

However, the issue of students abysmal can be partly if not wholly be attributed to absenteeism and truancy on the side of students, teachers and a host of other factors. Absenteeism in schools is one of the major problem that schools in Ghana are currently facing. In most schools in Ghana especially in public schools, absenteeism has become the order of the day stifling the structure of the learning environment and thereby culminating in poor academic performance.

According to Wikipedia, absenteeism can be defined as habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation. Truancy can also be explained as any intentional or unauthorised or illegal absence from compulsory education. The Oxford Advance Learner's Dictionary explains truancy as the practice of staying away from school without permission.

Both absenteeism and truancy have wrecked serious havoc on Ghana’s school structure and have affected both parents and students negatively. The issue of absenteeism can be looked at from two different points of view. It has been keenly observed that in Ghana absenteeism and truancy is not the reserve of only students but also an act perpetrated by teachers, head teachers and school administrators.

It becomes a very serious problem when teachers are solely involved in this act because it then becomes extremely difficult to curb. According to a report by Ghana Education Service, teacher absenteeism continues to be on the rise due to low level of supervision by school administrators.

However, this piece will like to point out vividly that low supervision alone is not the primary cause of teacher absenteeism hence there are myriads of factors that work to stifle Ghana’s educational system from operating smoothly.

One major factor that leads to absenteeism among students is lack of encouragement from teachers. It has been observed that most teachers in Ghana have in most occasions been observed discouraging students and threatening students in the classroom. This situation is more rife in the public schools where supervision is minimal. In the private schools however due to high level of supervision, it has become extremely difficult for teachers to pass denigrating comments on students.

According to psychologists, one of the major ways to make one feel good about himself is to pass comments aimed at boosting the person's self esteem. However the situation is different in most schools in Ghana where you find teachers passing very demeaning comments about their students. Students on the other hand internalize such comments and decide to stay away from school as a means of escaping such discouraging behavior by teachers.

Teachers have also been cited to be grossly engaged in absenteeism. The issue of teacher absenteeism is once again rampant in public than private schools. The cause of teacher absenteeism has been attributed to illness, low salary and lack of interest in the teaching profession. What is even more baffling is that students tend to be at the receiving end of such behavior. In most public schools in Ghana, it is common to find in a classroom the absence of a teacher sometimes without any cogent or tangible reason.

This goes a long way to affect students performance especially in external examinations. In Ghana for example it has been observed that those in the private sector perform very well in external examinations than those in the public schools. This is more evident in the basic level and has since become a worrying trend.

One major thing that is aggravating this issue of truancy and absenteeism is the issue of lack of interest on the side of students in school activities, also other factors such as broken homes, divorces, poverty and lack of motivation from parents all play an integral part to deepen absenteeism among students in the country.

Head teachers and school administrators must organize activities that will whip up students enthusiasm in school activities. Also more rewards must be made available to best performing students and students who attend school regularly in order to make coming to school more attractive.

The effects of absenteeism and truancy is more severe since it can lead to a more unstable and unfriendly society and this is more evident when student cease from attending school in the long run. It has been opined by many pundits and scholars that education is the best remedy for poverty and illiteracy and hence more attention should be directed at this seemingly worrying trend of absenteeism among teachers and students in our schools in Ghana. I will end by giving a quote by Julius Nyerere, “Education will not give one the chance to escape poverty but it will help fight poverty from one’s community “.

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