Causes and Remedies of Absenteeism of Students and Staff in Government Colleges

1. THE PROBLEM OF
ABSENTEEISM
AMONG STUDENTS
& COLLEGE
TEACHERS
Professor Tariq Khan

2. ANSWER THIS
DO YOU THINK WE WILL REQUIRE
TEACHERS IN THE DISTANT FUTURE,
WHERE ONLINE SOLUTIONS WILL TAKE
CHARGE OF ALL HUMAN PROBLEMS???
2

3. I DEFINITELY THINK SO
• Artificial intelligence might give us ready
made solutions to be smarter but it can
never educate us on how to be better
human beings.
3

4. THE TRUTH
• Teacher and student attendance is mutually
reinforcing
• the most powerful factor raising teacher
attendance is the attendance of the students in
the college, and the most important factor
influencing student attendance is the presence
of the teacher.
4

5. ABSENTEEISM AMONG
STUDENTS
• Absenteeism in colleges is the habit of
staying away from the college without
providing a genuine reason for not
attending classes. Absenteeism is a shirk
behavior that negatively affects the
performance among students.
5

6. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
• 1. Lack of Subject Interest
• Difficult Contents in the Books
• Lake of attitude towards a particular line
of knowledge
• Lower future prospects for material
gain, employment
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7. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
2. Lack of Personal Interest in studies
• Family background—(labour class, child labour
in the market & at homes, village petty
professions)—landlordism
What about industrialists
• Habitation Environments—General attitude of
masses in the area, particularly friends
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8. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
3. Available opportunities for entertainment
• Malls, many Ds theatres, parks, restaurants, car
racing, long drive etc
• What are particular entertainment opportunities for
girls? (Beauty Parlor, Designer Boutique)
• What is the role of mobile entertainment in mental
absenteeism?
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9. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
4. Pampering from the Family
• Students who get more than desired facilities like
excessive pocket money, cars, mobiles from their
families are most likely to absent themselves from
college since they need time to enjoy these
facilities
• The role of grandparents in pampering!!!!!!!
• Slackening of Parent’s
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10. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
5. Poor teaching skills of a teacher keep away
students from the class
• The approach used by teachers may not be
understood by the student and this could lead
them to lose interest in their classes
• Is the teacher’s approach convincing,
according to the capacity of the students,
encouraging and participating?
10

11. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
6 Punitive Attendance Policy
What of its different forms you adopt in the
class?
Does it always have positive impact to curb
absenteeism?
May be effective for cooperative, tenable
and normal students
What about revengeful or terrified students?
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12. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
7. Disappointment and lack of confidence
• Students with lower intelligence level feel
shame to attend the class on particular days
like
quiz competition, verbal test, test result
announcement day
Inferiority complex is one of the basic
causes of absenteeism
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13. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
8. Ragging
• Making fun of the least gifted:
o by their classmates, or
o by the class teacher
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14. CAUSES OF
STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
9 Lack of Allied Activities
• Sports galas
• Study Tours
• Refreshment Programs
• Fresher or farewell parties
• Annual day celebration etc.
• What about time spent in preparation for the TV shows, dance or
musical concerts, stage dramas, sports tournaments?
• How time for such activities can be managed?
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15. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
10. Poor Infrastructure Facility
• Availability of space in the library reading room
• Standard Canteen
• Common room
• Indoor & outdoor game facility
Do you agree availability of good infrastructure is
proportional to the level of students’ attendance in the
class?
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16. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
11. Supplementary Coaching
• The role of coaching academies in
absenteeism
Are these academies supportive to students’
achievements?
Female faculty in the teaching academy…
(Home Female Tutors/Tuition Centres)
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17. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
12 Excess of Homework
• Unplanned homework by the teachers on the
same day in different subjects may cause
absence from the classes of some subjects
Do you coordinate for your lesson planning?
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18. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
13. Preparation for Examination
• Is this type of absenteeism beneficial for the
students?
• How much preparatory days students actually
need?
• The role of relatively less difficult subjects’
teachers in the prolong preparatory days.
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19. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
14. What is the impact of such behaviour on
absenteeism?
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20. 15. Distance of College
• If the college is far off, the percentage of
absenteeism may increase
What about students’ absenteeism if a
college is situated at a distant area but with
hostel facility
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CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM

21. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
16. Excessive Socialisation
• Too much socialisation in the form of
 Regional groups
 School Fellows
 Political or Cultural Groups
 One Mind groups
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22. CAUSES OF STUDENTS
ABSENTEEISM
End Note
Students are not to be penalized if absent
from an examination, lecture, laboratory, or
other activity because of an excused absence.
However, students are fully responsible for all
material presented during their absence, and
faculty may provide opportunities, when
feasible, for students to make up examinations
and other work missed because of an excused
absence.
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23. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
Class attendance is very important in the
process of learning. It gives them an
opportunity to expand their knowledge
through interaction with a teacher by asking
questions.
It saves them from the pain of intensive
study at a later time because a teacher is
supposed to be more illustrative and
illuminator than a book.
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24. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
1. Managing Class Attendance
Each college should manage class attendance.
How to mark attendance—the implication of putting
“dots” for absents?
Counting of lectures delivered and attended by each
student
Getting countersigned the register by the authority
concerned.
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25. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
2 Ensuring Admission Policy
• Ensuring requirement of 75% attendance
• Unexcused absence for more than six consecutive
days
• Reporting habitual absconders to the controlling office
• Follow up with parents including writing concern letters
to parents over continued absence behavior of their
children
Who will interact with the parents?
• Class Teacher
• Office
(Through letters / mobile SMS packages)
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75%

26. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
3 Encouraging Class Attendance
• Open appreciation of students with high percentage of
class attendance within the class and on the Notice
Board
• Issuance of appreciation
Certificates
• Giving prizes
• Honour Board for Highest Attendance Record holder
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Most Regular

27. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
4 Preparation
• Student will never miss your class if they expect
something from you
• Teacher preparedness is a key to achieving class
attendance
• Students are sensitive and could look down upon
an unprepared teacher
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28. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
5-A Value addition to Lessons
Diversifying learning activities in a class set up
reduces boredom and sparks a measure of interest.
Teachers should allocate time for discussions to
increase class engagement. Some students learn
more from discussions as compared to simple
lectures.
Use of multi-media during lessons
Pictorial evidence during lectures
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29. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
5-B Value addition to Lessons (II)
• Make lessons enjoyable, which in turn lead to better
class attendance. Storytelling is one form of breaking
away from the norm
• Playing brain teaser games like crossword puzzles
gets attracts students to class
• Ask students to participate in the teaching learning
process
• Administer unannounced quizzes after every topic
covered
• Keeping students in the class depends upon the
ability of the tutor to attract her student to the class
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30. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
6 External Speakers & Alumni
• Bringing external speakers can boost class
attendance. Because human nature always
welcome change. External speakers simply create
excitement among students to attend a lesson
• Inviting successful alumni to talk to students about
studying and how they succeeded can help boost
class attendance
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31. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
7 Teachers’ Students’ Relation
• Behave like a friend
• Supportive and convincing behaviour than punitive
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32. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
8 Co-Curricular Activities
• Clubs
• Societies
• Sports
• Declamation contests
• Provision of chances to exhibit their potentials
(These activities attract students to come
to college)
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33. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
9 Inspire Discipline
• Discipline helps students to stay on track with
regard to their goals and also gives them an
opportunity to grow as a wholesome person
• Discipline promotes attendance in the class
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DISCIPLINE IS THE BRIDGE
BETWEEN GOALS AND
ACCOMPLISHMENTS

34. “
”
ENSURING CLASS ATTENDANCE
10 Lesson Planning
Extend the academic schedule over
complete academic year
How can an extended lesson planning
improve attendance?
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TEACHING WITHOUT PLAN IS
LIKE A BUSINESS WITHOUT
PLAN

35. Teachers’ Attendance on the day of visit
Areas Government
institutions
Private
institutions
Gilgit 84% 92%
Sindh 89% 89%
Baluchistan 89% 84%
Punjab 85% 90%
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
92% 93%
National 87% 90%

36. 36

38. Comparison of Spot-check and Official Teacher and
Student Absences in 267 institutions in KPK
Government Private
Teachers
Spot-Check 16.3% 7.1%
Official 8.7% 4.1%
Students
Spot-Check 16% 12%
Official 12.3% 11%

39. Teacher’s Absence in USA
Nine to Ten Days absence
during an academic year

40. 1 Lack of Commitment to
Organization or Job
• Work Attitude
• Sluggishness
• The greater the job dissatisfaction
the greater would be propensity to
absence

41. 2 Absentee Culture
• General Trend towards job
responsibility
• Among female teachers,
family responsibilities can
also lead to absences

42. 3 Personal Attribute
• Dutifulness
• Honesty
• Commitment

43. 4 Abuse of Sick-leave
privilege by healthy
employees
Survey:
• What is the ratio of actual to
fake-leave applications?
• What is the reason for not
telling the actual position?

44. 5 Geographical Reasons
• Absenteeism is greater
among teachers of remote
areas
• In Poverty stricken districts
absenteeism tends to be
more

45. 6 Bunching of absence at
the weekends

46. 7 Remoteness from the
home town

47. 9 Teachers demographic
characteristics
• Gender
• Age
• Training
• Marital Status
• Rank

48. 10 Salary & Fringe
Benefits
• Teachers’ salaries do not have
consistent effects on teacher
attendance, because salaries are set
by civil service rules and not
performance
• The performance of junior teachers
compared to senior teachers
• Financial Return for Casual Leave

49. 11 Service Security
• Private Collegs are reputed to
have closer supervision and no
constraints on dismissal which
increases the costs of shirking

50. 12 Monitoring & Discipline
• Top-down Monitoring
• Bottom-Up Monitoring—by society/parents
• Inadequate supervision and monitoring insulate
teachers from accountability for their performance
• One factor that seems to explain high teacher
absenteeism is the lack of adequate supervision
which makes it possible for teachers to shirk
without penalty.
• This problem is particularly acute in rural areas
where supervision might require significant travel,
but even in cities effective supervision is a
serious problem.

51. 13 Working Conditions
• Well-furnished hostels
• Comfortable offices
• Standard economical canteen
• Transport facility
• Medical
• Market

52. 14 Competition by the Private
institutions

53. 15 Generous Leave Policies
• Generous leave policies that allow
teachers to miss sizeable percentage
of the class days.
• Countless other duties take teachers
away from the classroom, including
training, meetings with superiors,
and administrative responsibilities.

54. 16 Mentor-Mentee Relationship
• Teacher attendance depends on the
attitudes and behaviors of students
themselves, as reflected by student
attendance

55. 17 Availability of Staff
• Colleges with more teachers have
greater opportunity to pass on
responsibilities to another teacher,
but there are also more chances of
collusive agreements on shirking

56. 18 Opportunity Cost of Attendance
• One likely source of higher opportunity cost
of attendance will be household
responsibilities. Teachers who are married
and who have children under age five have
greater value of time in the home.
Commuting time from the teacher’s home to
college raises the cost of attendance.
• Teacher’s with greater endowments of skill
that are valued outside college will have
alternative earning possibilities outside
college.

57. 19 The Degree of Law & Order
Situation in the area
• Law & Order situation is directly
proportional to teachers’ attendance in
the colleges
• Landi Kotal
• Bara
• Wana
• Sadda
• Miran Shah

58. 20 Lack of Knowledge about the
Service Rules
 Occasional Late Attendance
 Oral Explanation
 One Day Casual Leave debited for
Every Three Late Arrivals
 Warning
 Late Arrival Without Genuine Reason
 To be Treated as Misconduct

59. 20 Lack of Knowledge about the
Service Rules
 Short Leave
 1 to 3 hours……..half Casual Leave
 More than 3 hours….Full C/Leave
 Six or More Short Leave Applications during a
Month……Habitual Late Attendance
 Prior Permission is Must
 More than 2 days Sick Leave……
Supported By Medical Certificate

60. 20 Lack of Knowledge about the
Service Rules
 Leave Application Must Indicate
Contact Address
 Casual Leave upto 10 Days
 Under Special Circumstances upto 15
Days at a time
 The Headquarter Can be Left with the
Permission of the Sanctioning
Authority

62. Motivation
• Visiting Reputable Institution
• Enhancing sense of
responsibility through training
that gives purpose and
direction to behavior

63. Strengthening of Human Resource
• Introduction of highly paid teachers
community.
– Salaries and other amenities of the teachers
should be brought to a level that can attract
the brilliant class from other professions
• The gold may turn the brass
Greater the job satisfaction the greater would
be propensity to attendance

64. Reward & Punishment
• Immediate application of the policy of
reward and punishment on the basis of
performance.
• Promotion of teachers on the basis of
seniority-cum-merit
(performance/fitness).
• Introduction of Piece-wage system
instead of Time-wage system in some
colleges as pilot project.

65. Effective Supervision-I
• Monitoring within the College
– Direct Monitoring
• Checking Live Classes
• Checking Staff Attendance Registers
• Checking Students Attendance Registers
Administrators, bursars should be provided to
the colleges to have Principal more time for
observing lessons

66. Effective Supervision-II
• Monitoring within the College
– Indirect Monitoring
• Checking of Lesson Plans by the Principal
at the start of the week
• Checking by HODs whether syllabus is
covered

67. Effective Supervision-III
• External Monitoring
– Supervision at the district/divisional level,
especially at weekends & Mondays
– Creation of Divisional Directorate
– Inspection results shall not be narrative—as
these are time consuming and difficult to
compare or act. Rather these shall be in
tabular form which are easy to construct,
compare and act upon

68. Effective Supervision-IV
• External Monitoring
–Introduction biometric attendance
system
In the state of Rajasthan in India, schools that
were required to provide a Photograph of the
teacher and students using a digital camera with
a time /date feature improved attendance. The
program decreased absence from 44% to 21% in
schools where it was implemented.

69. Miscellaneous-I
• Well equipped & well-furnished Day-care
centers in the female colleges
• Provision of transport facility to the staff
• Special and attractive allowances at
remote, less-developed and terrorized
areas
• No leave without prior permission except
3—5 days emergency leaves out of 24.
Also generous leave policies should be
reconsidered.

70. Miscellaneous-II
• Posting of staff, particularly feminine
gender, within a comfortable radius
• Service security should be brought to a
reasonable standard
• Working conditions should be brought to a
reasonable standard so that opportunities
cost of attendance is minimized.
• Teaching jobs should be made restricted to
psychological attitude.