Text Messages To Combat Truancy

Text Messages To Combat Truancy

In schools across the United Kingdom and elsewhere, truancy is a major problem. Number of students deciding to skip class increases year over year as distractions from studying also increases. Aside from truancy, another problem for school officials is the negative effect of technology to the study habits of students. In some countries, mobile phones are banned on classrooms because students are texting in class.

Secondary schools in Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, and North Tyneside have found a way to put texting to good use. These schools located across North East England will be receiving funding from the government to undertake a mission fueled by technology and geared towards eliminating truancy.

The government has earmarked funds to support a scheme that will use texting to discourage students from skipping school. Under the scheme, schools will send text messages to parents of absent students. These text messages will ask parents to respond or confirm if their children did not go to school. They would be asked to confirm if the absence from school of their children are within their knowledge and can be excused. By involving the parents in the drive to eradicate truancy problems in schools in the United Kingdom, these schools are taking a big step forward.

If the pilot program which will be initiated by schools in aforementioned areas becomes a success, it can be expected that these scheme will be adopted by other schools across the region. This use of technology to help the cause of the education sector is a sign that traditionalists are slowly embracing technology as part of our daily lives. Being beneficial that it is, the scheme can do a lot to give texting a better reputation since it has been frowned at because of people abusing the perks of text messages. Today, there are sites on the Internet offering free SMS to be sent to mobile phone owners in the United Kingdom.

Schools which will be implementing the scheme will use a system that will use pre-recorded voice and SMS messages. These messages will be sent to parents whose children are not present at school. The messages will be recorded in a range of languages. Once a student is found to be absent from the school, the system will choose what language will the SMS messages read. Aside from sending these text messages, the messaging system will also contact parents thru emails.

A spokesman for South Tyneside Council said that the system may soon be implemented in the borough. "We are always interested in new approaches to old problems," said the council spokesman according to The Shields Gazette. "We are very interested in this pilot, and if it works then we will certainly encourage its use in our schools. We currently use a range of strategies to encourage good attendance, and using text messaging could well add to these," he added further.

The Ashington High and King Edward VI High in Morpeth have already carried out trials. This is one step forward towards widespread use of the system in the United Kingdom.

Lee Walker, regional adviser for the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations in the North East said that they are supporting this new system but maintained that the old fashioned way of talking with parents personally should not be neglected.