Absenteeism and attainment

Abstract

I have started my project work about fifteen months ago and the first steps were to read the literature concerning absenteeism in schools. Most of the literature that I came over dealt with the causes of absenteeism - and it is rightly so because it is the source of absenteeism which school administrators need to combat to eradicate this social problem. However, my aim is rather different but I cannot ignore the reasons causing absenteeism. So, in my writings I want to deal with some causes which lead to absenteeism from schools especially in the secondary sector where youngsters start to look more for their peer-group. It is the age, where the parents do not remain their sole figures in life as it happens for children in the primary level of education. Being at a Junior Lyceum or at an Area Secondary School, students tend to develop more independence from their parents and consequently are more influenced by their peer-groups and friends. On the other hand, parents tend to give more free hand to their children when they reach the secondary level of education. In Malta, it seems to be rather unusual that parents do their utmost for their children when they are still in the primary level of education, but as the Junior Lyceum examination is over, the former urge and initiative lessen in such a way that sometimes they die out completely. My experience confirms what I am saying because we teachers, in the secondary sector of education, have a hard time to put our students in tune in order to study the ground covered in the various fields of study. Why should this happen? It seems that parents are overjoyed if their children are successful in the Junior Lyceum examination but, then they are surprised by the sudden change in their children as they start their course in the secondary sector. Meeting parents on parents' day is a special occasion for both teachers and parents to discuss this sudden change in the behaviour of our students. Naturally, lack of study at home leads to a boring situation especially when examination results are issued. Consequently, lack of interest develops in the subject or subjects offered in the secondary sector. This leads to the next step: Absenteeism! Absenteeism has been for quite some time a crucial problem in the sphere of our educational system. Since the introduction of the Education Act in 1946 which made schooling obligatory for all children over five years of age, the Maltese society seemed to have understood the importance of education for the young ones. For years, the problem of absenteeism was not so high. It seemed that society and the state were in harmony to eradicate the roots of illiteracy which were deep down in Malta. Problems of absenteeism were mostly pronounced in remote villages where the sons and daughters of farmers tended to stay at home helping their parents in their daily agricultural tasks which are spread out throughout the whole year. When potato picking used to be in full swing, the problem of absenteeism from school was naturally more pronounced. […]