Anti-truancy task force reactivated
2009/08/15
By Hamidah Atan
PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry has reactivated the anti-truancy task force in the states to deal with errant students.
Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the body, comprising education officers, representatives of local councils and parent-teacher associations and community heads, had been formed in at least 52 districts.So far, it has dealt with 942 students.Muhyiddin said although the number of students who play truant was small, he wants members of the task force to be more aggressive in curtailing the habit.
"If this task force can function effectively, I am sure that our efforts to reduce crimes and indiscipline involving students can be achieved."Idle time should be filled with beneficial activities that can reduce the risk of our youngsters whiling away their time in anti-social and criminal activities."The time has come for our students to be actively involved in not just school sports but also those held by the local communities. Schools, parent-teacher associations, local councils, community leaders and sports bodies should work together to provide sports facilities and organise functions to encourage the participation of youth." Muhyiddin said this when he launched a crime prevention campaign organised by the crime prevention foundation, with the cooperation of the education ministry, at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here.Also present were Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom and crime prevention foundation deputy chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.Muhyiddin said prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had recently announced six core national results areas (NKRAs) that served as a yardstick for the government's performance."This includes the effort to create a safe living environment for the people by way of crime reduction. The government realises that reducing crime and creating a safe environment is our main responsibility that will be evaluated by the people at the end of the day."It will be meaningless to be a developed nation if the rakyat are, all the time, worried about their safety, family and property. The people have a legitimate expectation to live in peace and harmony."From 2004 to 2008, he said 0.03 per cent of the country's more than two million students were involved in crime.
Up to last year, 6,447 crime prevention clubs had been set up in primary and secondary schools, with 380,369 members.
About 64 clubs operate their own websites to expand crime prevention campaigns organised by their respective schools.Muhyiddin said 2,534 police cadet corps platoons with 88,690 members had been formed in schools.
zainab bt ibrahim.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Judge Helps Schools By Disciplining Truants
A Saline County Judge is starting a truancy program and disciplining kids who are skipping school. Judge Bobby McCallister expects more than 100 kids to show up in court Thursday, Oct. 8.
Judge McCallister says if the court steps in, students will be too scared to skip school. He hopes in the long-run, this will help more students graduate from high school.
The Bryant School District, like many around the state and country, has students who skip school.
Spokesperson Jessica Norris says it's a problem.
"Even if its only three or four students that this is affecting their education, the value of those students' education is worth every effort we can make," says Norris.
About five percent of Bryant School District's kids are absent everyday or 370 students out of 7,700 students.
"The legislature says kids are supposed to be in school until they are 18, and I took an oath to uphold that," says Judge McCallister.
McCallister is starting a truancy program in which Saline County's four school districts will send students who continually skip school to court.
McCallister says he can order a vast range of punishment, from community service to fines for parents to even locking them up in juvenile jail.
"If they have missed enough and they're on the verge of losing credit, we will have a monthly review in court with those students," says McCallister.
McCallister says getting kids early before they miss too many credits will mean higher graduation rates.
"Part of the problem we deal with in juvenile court is that kids don't expect enough of themselves," says McCallister.
Most students will have a truancy officer, like a probation officer who will supervise them and make sure they're going to school. The worst offenders will have to meet with the judge regularly.
"They don't want to go see the judge. They don't want their parents to have to take time off from work," says McCallister.
"It shows them we mean business," says Norris.
Judge McCallister says in a way, he is cutting into the parent's role of disciplining, but a lot of parents are not aware their kids are skipping school, so it's actually helping them.
posted by: kokila
hi friends, so now we have move on to our last RQ that is how to prevent truancy among students. so, as u all read what had zainab and eliza posted they tell that education about truancy is important in the early stage and i totally agree with that point because people are shaped when they are children.futhermore,the school authority also must be aware of this problem and must be always alert to the students that are absent and inform to thier parents so that the parents can control their children from being truant.Truant students place themselves at risk for financial failure, delinquent behaviors and substance abuse. Truancy prevention efforts must involve the family, the school and the community. Preventing truancy is about more than just forcing the child to attend class. You must identify and address the root cause. Now i will explain some steps how to prevent truancy among students:
Step 1
Insist on accurate record keeping. If your child has truancy issues, the school's attendance policies may not be consistent or effective enough to track your child.
Step 2
Ask the school to notify you when your child is absent. The school must notify you whether the absence is excused or unexcused to ensure the child is not forging his own excuses.
Step 3
Investigate the safety of the child's school. An environment with gang or bullying issues encourages truancy.
Step 4
Explore alternative schools in your district. Other truant students can negatively influence your child and you may need to switch schools for severe problems. Talk to your school's guidance counselor about this possibility.
Step 5
Escort your child to school, whether by walking or driving the child. You can shield your child from violence or truant peers by taking her directly to her first class.
Step 6
Work with your child on subjects with which he struggles. Children skip school to avoid facing embarrassment in the classroom when their academic performance is poor.
Step 7
Make school a priority. Students must not miss school to help with the family business or to attend vacations that fall during the school year. Allowing students to miss school for reasons other than illness or family emergencies sends the message that school is not important.
This are some of the step of that could be used.
posted by:kokila
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