Survey: A Third of Students Regularly Skip Classes at Almost All Vocational Schools
STUTTGART. When students regularly miss classes, it can have serious consequences – even leading to the end of their school career. How big is the problem, and what can be done about it? A survey of vocational schools in Baden-Württemberg suggests the problem is serious and growing.
The Growing Concern of School Absenteeism
Skipping a boring math lesson in the afternoon or ditching sports class – many may remember this from their school days. But truancy can also go so far that individual students no longer regularly attend classes. This is also known as school absenteeism. The Vocational School Teachers Association of Baden-Württemberg wanted to know how big the problem is and initiated a survey. Here are the results and what you need to know about the topic:
How Big is the Problem?
In certain educational programs at vocational schools, truant students are a major issue. This is according to a survey by the Vocational School Teachers Association of Baden-Württemberg among 230 vocational schools in the state. According to the survey, around 90 percent of the schools surveyed stated that at least one-third of the students were frequently absent. At about 40 percent of the schools, only a good half of the students regularly attend classes.
The schools were surveyed about the situation in educational programs for vocational training preparation and in the schooling of refugees. According to the BLV, around 15,000 students are learning in the educational programs surveyed. According to the State Statistical Office, there are a total of around 388,000 students at vocational schools in the state.
The situation across all school types is not precisely known. The Ministry of Education does not keep statistics on truants. A ministry spokesperson said that they wanted to protect the schools from too much bureaucracy.
Are There Differences Between School Types?
There are impressions: From the BLV's point of view, absences are also an issue at vocational high schools. According to the state student advisory board, there is also a lot of feedback from secondary schools, vocational secondary schools and secondary schools that there are many absences. In high schools, on the other hand, the problem is not so great in his experience, said the state chairman of the state student advisory board, Joshua Meisel.
Why Do Students Skip Class?
From the perspective of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Education, the reasons for this are varied. Possible individual reasons include poor academic performance, being overwhelmed or frequent grade retentions. Family reasons such as low expectations from parents or drastic experiences in the family are also risk factors. Poor relationships between teachers and students, as well as between students, are also possible, the Ministry of Education writes in response to an SPD state parliamentary inquiry.
In the BLV survey, the schools most often cited family problems and school fatigue or bad experiences with school as reasons for their students' absence. According to the survey, students were only absent due to illness in eleven percent of the cases.
What Penalties Are There?
Violation of the compulsory education is an administrative offense that the schools are supposed to report to the regulatory authorities, according to the Ministry of Education. These initiate fine proceedings against the parents. In addition, the schools should inform the responsible youth welfare offices if there are significant indications of a child's welfare being endangered. In extreme cases, parents can also be deprived of custody in school matters.
If students only miss classes every now and then, the school can also take so-called educational and disciplinary measures and order detention, for example. In addition, frequent absences can be entered on the report card. Anyone who is absent from exams without a valid excuse can also receive a grade of 6. In the case of students over the age of 14, a fine can also be imposed on the student. In addition, the school can request a medical certificate or a certificate from the public health officer in the event of frequent illness-related absences.
What Should Parents Do If Their Children Skip Class?
The Ministry of Education advises parents to act as early as possible. If they notice signs of school absenteeism in their children, they should quickly contact the class teachers. It can also help to only allow children to stay at home if they are clearly ill and not reward them with television, PC, smartphone or other amenities. In addition, the ministry advises checking their own attitude towards school and teachers. "You are a role model for your child," it says in a handout for parents.
Is It Really That Bad to Skip Class?
According to the Ministry of Education, the consequences of school absenteeism can be far-reaching - "both for the person concerned and for their environment and society as a whole," said a spokesperson. For students, skipping classes can lead to gaps in their education, dropping out of school, poorer future opportunities and social isolation. Conflicts are also the result within families. Society is also affected by long-term unemployment. "The longer and more frequent the absences, the more far-reaching the consequences," says a recommendation for schools. That is why it is important to react as early as possible.
Is Enough Being Done to Combat Regular Truancy?
From the BLV's point of view, the schools need more support from social workers. The spokesperson for the directors' association of vocational schools, Christoph Franz, said: "It cannot be that our teachers lose valuable working time for the rampant absence management - working time that is much more urgently needed for pedagogical work in the classroom." In addition, there need to be more sanctioning options for truant students, such as ordering community service.
From the Ministry of Education's point of view, a lot is already being done in the educational programs surveyed by the BLV. They are providing these with extensive resources that the schools are also using for measures against school absenteeism, a spokesperson said. "The pedagogical approach in these educational programs is very flexible and includes opportunities for team teaching, agreements in the class team and the flexible implementation of the timetables." This is exactly what is needed in order to be able to react preventively and at an early stage to signs of school absenteeism. News4teachers / with material from dpa
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