ABSTRACT
The study investigated the causes of truancy among students as perceived by secondary school teachers in Ilorin Metropolis.
Two hundred randomly selected samples responded to the causes of Truancy Questionnaire (COTQ). Data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentage, t-test and ANOVA Statistics.
The results indicated that truancy was viewed as undesirable behaviours that destroys students and education objectives on the comparison, there were no significant differences on the causes of truancy among students as perceived by male and female, less experienced and more experienced and teachers from polygamous and monogamous homes. But there was significant observation on the basis of higher and lower education.
In view of the above, it was recommended that guidance and counseling should be made functional in schools to help facilitate desirable behaviours of students.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Truancy has been a global problem at every level of education for a long time. In short truancy which is deliberate or reasonable absenteeism from school by the pupil/students occurs at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education.
In Kwara State of Nigeria where this study is being undertaken, not much has been done in the area of research on truancy among secondary school students. This could be as a result of the fact that the State is a Civil Service State and “rural” in nature when compared with states like Lagos, Rivers, Oyo, Kano and Anambra which have large industrial and commercial cities as well as large populations.
The next best level of education after primary school is the secondary school. Secondary education is very important because it sets the strong foundation in life for children in the quest for the ultimate academic fulfillment, which is the university education.
In an attempt to use education for the benefit of all citizens in Nigeria, in terms of its relevance to the needs of the individual and the desired society, the Federal Government in 1973 summoned a seminar of Adebo to deliberate on all aspect of a national policy on education. The recommendations of this seminar formed the twelve sections of the National Policy on Education first published in 1997 and revised in 1981. The broad aims of secondary education within the overall national objectives as contained in section 4 subsection 18 of the policy (1981, p. 16) are:
- To provide an increasing number of primary school pupils with the opportunity for education of a higher quality, irrespective of sex, or social, religion and ethnic background.
- To diversify its curriculum to cater for differences in talents, opportunities and roles possessed by or open to students after their secondary school course.
- To equip students to live effectively in our modern age of science and technology.
- To develop and protect Nigeria culture, arts and languages as well as the worlds culture heritage.
- To raise a generation of people who can think for themselves, respect the views and feeling of others, respect the dignity of labour and appreciate those values.
- To foster Nigeria unity with an emphasis on the common ties that unite us in our diversity.
- To inspire its students with a desire for achievement and self-improvement both at school and later life.
Truancy is one of its aspects and the most common among secondary schools students.
According to Webster’s Dictionary (1991), truancy is the act of a child absenting himself or herself from the school without permission or good reason. Also the Oxford Dictionary (1989) defined “truancy as absence from duty without leave, especially a child absenting himself or herself from school without permission or running away from one’s place of work or school without a good reason”.
From the above definitions, truancy could be taking to mean an act of staying away from school by a child without a good reason. According to editorial comment of Nigeria Tribune (20th July 2001 Pg 10) the news was as worrisome as it was alarming. It was widely reported in the media recently that about 600 students from various secondary and secondary schools in Lagos State were found at a party organized by some of the at a hotel situated at lyana-Ipaja during school hours. Bewildered the matter to the Lagos state commissioner for education who promptly sent the rapid response team of education ministry to investigate the case.
By the time the team and some armed policemen arrived the hotel, the students has reportedly embarked on a drinking space and sexual orgy of unimaginable proportions. They were said to have dangled bottles of bear and condoms at the government team, which forced the door of the hotel open.
Subsequently, thirty students were arrested while the rest escaped leaving their bags behind. This is symptomations of the pervasiveness of the not in the society in general and the education sector in particular.
Such incident, has become imbiquistes all over the country in recent times. Rather than staying in schools, some students visits video games shop, hostel and recreation centres where they some cigarette, drink alcohol and generally indulge in vacuous nefarious activities.
It is this some set of students who are members of secret cults in Nigeria secondary or secondary schools. This situation is so bad that the students reportedly bring things to their schools to molest teachers and fellow students. Little wonder than that these students are daily being recruited as pimps, prostitutes, drug carries and even armed robbers by criminals who frequently besiege hotels like the one located at Iyana-Ipaja where students held their “Owanbe party”. It is therefore beyond the researchers imagination of hoteliers that would allow underage student’s to hold a party as early as a 9.00am and even sell cigarettes and alcohol to them.
Perhaps, it is such playing of truancy that has led to the phenomena decline in the standard of secondary and secondary education in the last ten years and the attendant increase in the examination mal-practices.
Secondary education as referred to in the National Policy Education (1998) is the education given in an institution for children aged normally 6-11 years plus.
Education describes the total process of human learning by which knowledge is imported facilities trained and skills developed. Schooling is only one form in which education is provided. The ideas are implicit in the world education, one is that of leading out into knowledge and experience, the other is that of feeding, thereby producing growth and development.
Both of these helpful in understanding what education is and both point to the fact that education is an essential process whereby the adult members of the society guide the development of the younger ones. It is how deviation of the expected roles affects the system that is the forms of this study.
