The increase in school absenteeism in Switzerland worries teachers’ associations. The Syndicat des Teachers Romands (SER) and its German -fashioned counterpart (LCH) presented a series of measures on Wednesday to apprehend this phenomenon.
Several cantons and cities report an increase in cases of school absenteeism, the SER and LCH underlined on Wednesday at a press conference on the start of the school year. A phenomenon that results in students who are repeatedly absent from school for several days or several weeks.
For the two associations, it is no longer just a question of “drying the courses”, but rather frequent and not justified absences from the students. These periods are accompanied by significant resistance to school attendance and are not due to a physical cause.
In recent years, cases of absenteeism occurred mainly at the secondary level, but the phenomenon is now also extends to primary school, alert the Ser and LCH.
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Measures requested
To cope with this scourge, the two associations submitted a list of prevention measures on Wednesday. We find in particular the implementation of an early alert system. The latter must allow close monitoring of absences and clear procedures to manage repeated absences.
The SER and LCH also request awareness of parents, teachers and specialized psychosocial staff to recognize the first alarm signals. Among other things, these are withdrawal, anxious behavior or physical disorders.
In continuity, preventive measures must be implemented in the classes to allow the creation of a relationship of trust between the teacher and the child. A collaboration between the teaching staff and the parents was also mentioned.
School influence on mental health
Invited by the Ser and LCH, the children’s psychologist Stephan Kälin believes that “no one can resolve alone” the problem of school absenteeism. Interdisciplinary collaboration is therefore an essential instrument for combating helplessness which, in the event of school absenteeism, very often affects the entire system.
“Schools must offer a favorable learning environment in which all students feel good,” said LCH Dagmar Rösler president. An opinion shared by the president of Ser David Rey who adds that “the school must remain a sanctuary for the students”.
Participants in the press conference recalled that the school exerted a great influence on the mental health of the students. Consequently, behaviors such as withdrawal, indifference or physical disorders may indicate a deterioration of mental health.
ATS / HKR
