Saudi Gazette Academics are warning that the alarming increase in school absences not only hinders students' school performance, but will also have a negative impact on the future of our society. School administrators speculate that students who are not punctual and fail to show up each day for school will continue the same approach in their work place. They warn that society is allowing lazy, careless, and irresponsible students to graduate who will fall short of expectations when they enter the workforce and will lack the drive and ability to serve the community. According to statistics, more than half of the Kingdom's school students are recorded as absent for as much as 60 days a year. The highest absentee rates are recorded in the first week of the new school year, the week before and after school breaks and holidays, and the week before final exams. Students have even dubbed the week before holidays and the week after it as “dead weeks”. They believe that they will not learn anything new during those days so there is no harm in being absent. The Saudi Gazette researched the information and surveys conducted by various sources to shed light on school absenteeism and how it can be curbed. What parents have to say “Parents are responsible for 50 percent of the problem and the schools carry responsibility for the other half. They should work together to fight this trend,” said Rasheed Al-Malki. “I think it is entirely up to the schools to make sure that students come to school on official school days. If the problem occurs mainly during the week before holidays, the school should schedule the monthly tests or quizzes during that week. That way students will diligently come every day to take the test or fail the subject,” said Ahmad Al-Arabi. “Parents and the school administration share responsibility, but the schools should implement stricter rules and methods to penalize students by deducting from their monthly grades for absences without a medical or other solid reason. Another strategy is to stretch out the syllabus to last until the final week before exams. Students are less likely to be absent when they know that they will be taking a new lesson that could appear on exams,” said Hasan Al-Anbari. What psychologists have to say “The Ministry of Education must seriously look into the reasons behind group absences, and also the reasons why students tear up their textbooks and throw them away after the end of the school year. In my opinion, the reason is that the school environment and curriculum are dry, uninteresting, and do not encourage creativity. Possible solutions are adding fun and entertaining sports and other extra-curricular activities during the week before holidays begin and the first week that schools resume after holidays,” said Dr. Ali Sahfan, psychology professor at Al-Taif University. “Many factors are responsible for students cutting classes. Some parents don't teach their children that time is precious and should not be wasted. School administrations should deduct marks from the participation and classwork of students who are absent for no reason. Withdrawal of desired privileges at school may also help make students more cautious,” said psychologist Mesfer Yahya Al-Gahtani. What teachers have to say “Lack of awareness on the part of students as to how their school years will affect their performance in university and in fact their entire future is the reason behind much negative behavior, including regular absenteeism and disrespecting teachers,” said Amina Al-Hishamiya, an English language university instructor. What the Ministry of Education has to say “Absenteeism has become increasingly disturbing. Part of the blame rests on parents who may even encourage their sons and daughters to be absent at times. The Ministry's new project in developing the Kingdom's schools will handle the problem of absenteeism and put forward a number of solutions to the problem,” said a spokesperson of the Ministry of Education. A collaboration of educators and specialists listed the following six reasons for the recent rise in group absences: 1. The school environment that lacks interesting mental and physical activities, practical experiments, fun learning projects, and regular trips no doubt will have a higher rate of absenteeism than the school environment that engages students. Schools should regularly plan activities and events that will motivate students to have perfect attendance. A school's job is not restricted to simply transferring information, but it also involves teaching lifestyle skills that will help students grow mentally, physically, and spiritually. If the week before school breaks was filled with interesting lectures and seminars on social or health issues and fun activities and games, there would be no group absences. 2. The educational level of the family has a direct influence on student absenteeism. Parents who are unaware of the importance of education, and who are unorganized and lack the value of time and punctuality, will be less likely to push their children to go to school. 3. Financial status of the family is also related to frequent school absenteeism. Affluent families that lavishly provide their children with all sorts of distractions and means of entertainment actually increase the likelihood for their children to cooperate with other students in class to skip school. Too many attractive temptations in the home such as: personal TV with satellite channels, DVD movie player, telephone, computer with Internet connection, PlayStation, and Xbox, makes it harder for children to go to school. Parents need to strike a reasonable balance when it comes to the privileges they allow their children. 4. Family problems are also a leading cause of repeated absences. Illness of a family member or divorce or constant arguing between parents interferes with the concentration and psychological wellbeing of students. 5. Lack of cooperation and communication between the school and home plays a part in recurrent absences. If there is a family problem, parents can elicit the help of the school counselor to support the student during turbulent times. 6. The media in general does not play a strong enough role in promoting punctuality and the importance of school attendance. On the contrary, during the days before holidays, advertisements of holiday attractions and festivals are featured on radio and television and in newspapers and magazines. The media seems to place more emphasis on having fun, buying things, and enjoying oneself, rather than on reading, concentrating on education, and working hard. Proposed solutions to solve the trend of group absences n Any student who is absent without a medical cause or acceptable explanation by parents will lose half a mark from each subject that he/she missed on that day. n Withdrawal of special honors or positions in the class for students who have repeated absences and who conspired with each other to skip school. n Giving extra work to students who were absent may cause students to think twice before skipping school. For example, the student may be ordered to handwrite two pages from a lesson in the textbook. And the work must be completed in the school break and not at home so that the student will not receive any help from parents, siblings, or even housemaids. n Rewarding students who have an excellent record of attendance will help curb absenteeism. Such rewards can be verbal, a certificate of appreciation, a simple gift, or a field trip. n During the week before and after holidays, schools should schedule tests that will be part of the students' final grade in the subject. No test will be repeated unless the student was absent for reasons out of his/her control, such as serious illness or injury. n Teachers should be strictly mandated to attend during the days before and after holidays and to give meaningful lectures, rather than permitting students to have a free class and chat. n The school administrations should watch out for teachers who may indirectly encourage absenteeism on the days preceding holidays by making remarks such as: “We already completed the required lesson plan for this week,” or “Attendance tomorrow is optional since we will simply revise material.” __
