A comprehensive school survey to reveal the motives for “repeated absence”

Public and private school administrations are conducting a comprehensive educational survey to determine the reasons for the repeated absence of some students in various academic sessions, to enhance school discipline and raise the level of students’ academic achievement, in line with the educational development plans pursued by educational institutions in the country.

The step comes in light of the growing awareness of the importance of students’ full attendance in the educational process, as it is one of the most important indicators related to academic and behavioral performance, and one of the basic pillars for achieving qualitative educational results and enhancing students’ skills in various subjects.

The schools launched a questionnaire that includes five pivotal questions, which Emirates Today reviewed, aiming to analyze the problem in depth and from multiple angles. The questionnaire begins by identifying the target grades from five to 12, allowing the collection of accurate data and linking it to the specificity of each educational stage, and identifying the behavioral and academic differences between the different stages.

The questionnaire contains a set of questions directed to extract the real reasons for absence, whether health or family, or resulting from school difficulties related to understanding and academic follow-up.

This step reflects schools’ awareness of the importance of accurate diagnosis, and that random solutions do not achieve the desired results unless they are based on clear and realistic data.

The questionnaire monitors the extent of parents’ awareness of the impact of frequent absence on the students’ academic career, to determine the level of family awareness of the dangers of absence and its potential repercussions on academic achievement, especially since many educational studies indicate a direct relationship between frequent absence, decline in academic performance, and loss of cumulative skills.

Through the questionnaire, schools explore the type of support that parents hope the school will provide, whether it is academic through strengthening lessons, individual follow-up, psychological and behavioral support to enhance motivation and discipline, or through improving communication channels between the school and family, ensuring close follow-up of any signs of unjustified absence. Through this question, schools aim to identify gaps that may need additional interventions, whether through school counseling programs or through the involvement of educational staff in individual support plans for the most affected students.

The questionnaire requests practical proposals from parents to reduce absenteeism, emphasizing their role as active partners in the educational process, and the importance of collaborative work in addressing the behavioral and academic problems facing students, by including the proposals in development plans, in a way that enhances trust between the two sides.

School administrations confirmed that the survey comes within a comprehensive plan through which they seek to objectively analyze the problem of repeated absences and develop remedial programs based on reliable data.

She indicated that the results that will be extracted from the questionnaire will contribute to launching specific initiatives aimed at raising attendance and discipline rates, enhancing the quality of education and its outcomes, in addition to improving the educational experience for students, and supporting their academic stability.

She added that the next stage will witness the implementation of follow-up programs for students most vulnerable to absence, and the activation of committees specialized in direct communication with families, leading to building a more committed and interactive educational environment that contributes to supporting students and enabling them to achieve outstanding academic results.