TRUANCY AND STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ESAN SOUTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE (GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized or illegal absence from compulsory education. This is a form of deviant behavior and for that reason it is frowned upon by everyone in the society. Truancy is a manifestation of deviant behavior. It is also known as absent from school frequently by the students. Truancy exists among secondary school student who prefers to stay out the classroom which now leads to truancy. It seems now a phenomenon that has come to stay in our school and institution of higher learning such as college of education, polytechnics and universities as well as secondary schools and primary school levels.
According to PIKUWAS (1976) claimed that truancy is a form of withdrawal from the reality of school in order to avoid classroom tasks that are unpleasant. Truancy is a form of deviant behavior that involves staying away from school consciously. In this case the distinction should be drawn between truancy and absenteeism. The latter may be due to illness or other unforeseen circumstance. Truancy could take various forms. For example there are students according to EZEWU (1983) who will not resume with the other student at the beginning of the school term after holidays. Other truants will leave home like all other students but will not get to school. In fact during the journey from home to school some students appear to get lost in transit only to resurface again after school when they join the other student to go home they fool their parents into thinking they attend school when in fact they never actually get there.
Another kind of truant is the one that leaves home and actually get to school but will never enter the classroom. He is to be found under shade-trees and at the back of class-room when he will loiter all day until the closing time when he goes home like every other student.
Other truants may enter class but leave for another class once a teacher they do not like comes in, they may go and sit in the library or in the laboratory where no class is been held.
Many educational psychologists have proffered various causes of truancy among students. According to Kahu (1984) listed causes; problems at home, search for adventure etc.
Other causes of truancy include fear of punishment bullying by older students, harsh treatment in the hands of teachers, corporal punishment, disinclinations to repeat a class, poverty etc. The problem of truancy stares at everyone in the face. It is pathetic, embarrassing, unfortunate, intolerable and disastrous but the main question remains how to tackle it.
To tackle the problem of truancy, everyone will have to contribute his own quota. This includes parents, teachers and the schools;
