Root Causes of Absenteeism of Indigent Pupils of Pantay Elementary School and its Effect to their Participation in All Classes, School Programs and Activities: Basis for Plan of Action

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Pantay Elementary School envisions to maintain the value of education as the foundation of every endeavor towards success. The school administrator and teachers firmly believe that this endeavor responds positively to changes and promote the welfare of every learner through the cooperative efforts of school parents and community stakeholders, but despite the efforts made, the school is still experiencing and encountering many indigent pupils who usually stop coming to school and resort to helping their parents in providing their everyday needs. If this problem will not be addressed, the researchers are considering that the school's vision is far from realization. In response to this problem, this research focused on finding why indigent pupils of Pantay Elementary School are sometimes absent in classes, inactive in school activities, or the worst scenario, drops out. Tracing these reasons, the school seek to come up with a plan of action for the indigent pupils to prevent them from dropping out and will keep them abreast with the fast changing educational landscape.

METHODS

The 75 pupil -respondents consisting of indigent pupils with 5 to 10 days recorded absences from School Year 2017-2018 were asked to answer the researcher-made questionnaire.

RESULTS

The study revealed that absenteeism had been prevalent in Grade V while Grade I level registered the least number of absentees. Eleven indigent pupils obtained 78 GPA of their grade. The highest rank from the perceptions of the respondents was on the item "I have no money to buy snacks in school" followed by "My parents asked me to be absent from class", "My parents asked me to work", "I'm too pre-occupied with household chores", "We have no food/I did not eat", and "I have no school supplies to use".

DISCUSSIONS

The above findings imply that some of the indigent pupils needed support to avoid absenteeism and improve their grades. Tapping the stakeholders or holding activities supported by the Supreme Pupil Government to support their everyday needs in school such as school supplies is necessary.