Reflection/ Discussion In my opinion, truancy is one of the major problems in school.

Nowadays, we always see and read many news about truancy. In my school for example, truancy has become one of the problems that teachers have to face and overcome it. Before I go further, let me explain the meaning of truancy first. Truancy means the act or condition of being absent without permission especially in school. Truancy also can be defined as unexcused absences from school without parents knowledge. Truancy is not only about breaking rules but also has a negative effect on education side. This is because students who are not in school are not learning or progressing. The truant of the students are different depending on age and circumstances of each student. Based on my experiences as a class teacher, I had many students who truant from school for a long period. When I investigated, I found that there were many factors that can causes truancy in school. Causes or factors of truancy may include as lack of family support, violence at or near school, inability to keep pace with academic requirements, association with truant friends, and mental health problems. Firstly, lack of family support or having family issues is one of the factors that can cause truancy in school. Parents who are very busy always unable to pay full attention to their children. For example, one of my former students who was always truant from school will answer that he would only see his father and mother only for a short while. His father and mother who work in a factory as an operator will go early in the morning and come back late at night. Without attention from his parent, this student feel that it is alright if he does not go to school and his parent also will not know if he truants from school. Parents who are always busy cannot pay attention to their children. For them money is everything and do not care what their children do. In this condition, their children will take advantage from the freedom that their parents have given to them. When they feel they do not want and bored to go to school, they will truant. Secondly, the student inability to keep pace with academic requirements is the other factor that can caused truancy in school. One of my student truant from school because he did not do neither finish his homework which his teacher has given to him. He bored with school because his educational needs are not met adequately. He also had problems with teachers. He also got stress due to a lot of pressure, school works, an examination. When he cannot cope with the school requirements, the best way to overcome his problem is being truant from school. Thirdly, violence at or near the school such as bullying also can cause truancy. Bullying which includes physical or verbal attacks is an unacceptable behavior that needs help to stop. Students who always being bullied by the naughty ones will be afraid to go to school and always find a reason for being absent from school because they feel not safe at school and the environment of the school. Therefore, they will truant from school especially when their parents give them permission for not going to school because their son is being bullied.

Next, association with truant friends is another factor that can cause truancy. Students are easily influence of friends and peers. Peer pressure represents social influences that can give positive or negative effects to the students. This student will join the truant group when these peers encouraging truancy as seeking activities or as a way of joining it. The truant friends will always find a way to encourage the student to join the group of truant friends. As the number of the truant students increases, the trouble or problems they cause also increase. As such, frequent truancy may signal other difficulties in a childs life. Chronic truancy will increase the criminal behavior in the students such as dropping out of school, burglary, vandalism, running away or lying, and poor academic performance. In order to decrease the truancy, strategies should be plan and done by teachers, school, parents, and the communities. Firstly, we must involve parents in all truancy prevention activities. The school and the parents must work together to solve this problems. Parents must give priority to school. Their children must not miss school unless with solid reason such as illness or families emergencies. The parents can have counselling session with their children and explain why he/she being truant to school. For example, if he/she is afraid of a particular teacher, the parents can talk to his/her teacher in school and ask them to help the student. Parents also can work out with the subject that their children cannot do well. By this way their children will feel more confident and enjoy to go to school. Secondly, the school must make programmes to decrease the truancy. The school can make tutoring programmes, mentorship efforts, campaigns involving parents in their childres school attendance and give counselling to the truants students. Next another way to decrease truancy is to ensure that the truancy students will face firm senctions for truancy. The school must make sure the student attend counseling and education programmes designed for them. If the student really follows these programmes design for them, the truancy problem can be reduce. Last but not least, we can involve the communities and law enforcement in truancy reduction efforts. All members of communities must be alert and take part if they see student truant from school. They must lodge a report to the school and bring them back to school. We can also make a close link with local police and probation officials. With the cooperation with these communities, hopefully the numbers of truant problems can be decreased. As a conclusion, truancy is a problem which we have to overcome it. The problems of truancy must be settled with the cooperation of family members, school, and other communities. If we work together, this problem can be decrease and the objectives to obtain students with higher qualification or manners can be achieve.