Passage 32 Truancy in Universities — an Analysis
Students playing truant appears to be a common phenomenon in institutions of higher learning in this century.Although most colleges and universities have strict regulations forbidding truancy, these regulations often prove less than effective.To understand what lures students to play truant despite possible punishment and to search for a solution to the problem, an analysis of the causes behind this phenomenon has been attempted.
A number of students play truant intentionally.After careful consideration,they decide to stay away from courses that they find outdated in content,dull in teaching material, and impractical in theory.
Courses that are closely related to the students’ special fields may also fail to inspire enthusiasm and attract students to the classroom. If we regard these reasons as “legitimate”, we will nonetheless find illegitimate ones. A considerable number of students, who value money and “experience” above knowledge,work on part-time jobs when they should be attending classes.
This is especially widespread among those fourth-year students who are anxious to find a satisfying job. Others play truant unintentionally. They are, or rather, believe they are obliged to do so. Many students have the habit of staying up late and sleeping late. As a result, they miss the morning classes.A number of students among this group complain that since morning exercises at 6:30 rob them of their early-morning sweet dreams, they are so exhausted and sleepy at class time that they go back to catch up on their sleep.Then, there are “student leaders” who are occupied with Students Union activities and other events. There “leaders” are usually so fully occupied that they can barely spare any time or energy for their study and determine that they have no other choice than to skip several classes every week.