School absenteeism in Switzerland
More and more children desert classrooms
School psychology services report a disturbing increase in the number of students who no longer go to school. Between overloaded and digital overexposition hours, experts call for concerted solutions.
School, leisure, mobile phone: many children suffer from overloaded weeks.
IMAGO
- School psychological services in all of Switzerland report an increase in school absenteeism in children.
- A stable relationship between teachers and students is considered the most important prevention factor.
- Overloaded schedules and digital overstimulation aggravate school overwork.
More and more children desert classrooms in Switzerland. They fear performance pressure, harassment and comparisons with their comrades. But above all, they are afraid of school. Result: they no longer set foot there. They suffer from stomach aches and heads, lose all the desire to learn. Sometimes they only stay at home for a few days, sometimes several weeks. For some, the way back even becomes impossible to find.
Teachers and psychologists sound the alarm
School absenteeism. It is the technical term used to designate this phenomenon that grows. If there are no national data, school psychology services, child psychiatrists, teachers and parents in all regions of the country sound the alarm. THE Syndicate of French -speaking teachers (Ser) and its German -style counterpart, theWest association of Swiss teachers (LCH), have also recognized the problem. The theme was put at the center of the debates during a press conference organized this Thursday in Bern.
“We must find solutions that overlap each other,” notes Dagmar Rösler, president of the LHC.
KEYSTONE
“The school cannot face this problem alone. It is important to stick together and find solutions that overlap in each other, ”explains Dagmar Rösler, president of the LCH.
The relationship with teachers is at the center
When you question experts, teachers and parents, a keyword returns systematically: relationship. The relationship between teachers and their students, but also between children and parents. “We always think of school and pressure immediately when we approach this subject, but it’s more nuanced. There is a whole range of causes, ”notes the psychologist for children and adolescents Fabian Grolimund. Parental expectations or perfectionism of many graduate parents can also generate performance pressure. In addition, a fear of school can also hide an anxiety of separation, harassment or reveal a family crisis.
“Surchimulation is a problem,” says Fabian Grolimund, children’s and adolescent psychologist.
DR
All specialists agree on one point: a stable relationship with the class holder is decisive. Without this relationship of trust, difficulties are multiplying. Some adolescents from little educated environments thus establish no link with the school and find no meaning.
Another problem pointed out by experts: sensory overload. “Many children are completely exhausted in the evening. In addition to school, there is noisy and therefore tiring lunch, then music lessons, sport, etc. Some have a completely overloaded weekly schedule. To rest, they go on their mobile phone, which exhausts them even more. School absenteeism corresponds to burnout in the world of work, ”notes Fabian Grolimund.
“Give support and management”
The primary teacher Sandra Locher, former national councilor (PS/GR) and member of the LCH steering committee, confirms that a good relationship between those involved is essential. It goes even further and evokes the need for a real supervision: “The teacher must give support and a direction, it is his central task.” But the teachers are also crumbling under the responsibilities. The requirements are multiplying: they must juggle multiple constraints, manage overloaded classes and compose with sometimes difficult parents. The shortage of teachers And frequent changes, which complicate the establishment of lasting links with students, still aggravate the situation.
“It is decisive to perceive students at the relational level,” says Sandra Locher. It is only in this way that alert signals can be detected early. For example, when a child folds up on himself and no longer participates in the courses, that he presents difficulties in concentration or tolerance for decreased frustration. All this is certainly part of the school daily life. The determining element is when these signs appear suddenly or intensify. Or when physical disorders arise without explanation, accompanied by more frequent absences.
“The role of the class holder must be reinforced,” said Sandra Locher. Almost all the cantons recognize it and give them more time for other tasks, in particular to answer questions from students and parents. The ideal would also be to have the smallest possible classes, because the greater they are, the more difficult it becomes to meet individual needs.
And what about the many reforms in our school system in recent decades? Do they have an influence on the problem of absenteeism?
Less pressure from teachers
“The teacher is just as important as the type of education,” says Sandra Locher. “But it is also decisive that students have successful experiences to remain motivated.” Those who do not count among the best in terms of cognitive level may be excelled during sports. In a rapidly changing company, where professional profiles are constantly evolving, the school also has the role of reducing this pressure, notes Sandra Locher. And to add: “I think it is important to insist on school and with parents on the permeability of our training system.” According to her, it is also important to set realistic objectives, in collaboration with the parents. “Teachers must be aware of their responsibility vis-à-vis the training course of their students,” she said.
Each generation its own challenge
Is school absenteeism an overcrowled problem? “Each generation has its own challenges. In the 90s, we feared losing young people because of drugs. Today is overwork, ”explains psychologist Fabian Grolimund.
Various studies are indeed attesting to an increase in anxiety and depressions. But Fabian Grolimund points out that today, we also pay more attention to these phenomena. Children and adolescents now know how to express their feelings much better. “Nowadays, young people are much more monitored than previous generations. We intervene faster, we bring them help. ”
The essential question to ask yourself would be the following: what does this child precisely need to feel good again at school and succeed? For some, a simple intervention is enough, like reducing the time of presence in class, a bit like telework in the professional world. Experts, however, agree that there is no universal solution and that the problem can only be resolved by a collective effort.
Translated from German by Olivia Beuhat
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