STRATEGIES FOR CURBING TRUANCY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ANAMBRA EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ANAMBRA STATE.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study Truancy means the absence from school frequently by the students. Truancy exist among secondary school student who prefers to stay outside the classroom which now leads to truants. It seems now a phenomenon that has come to stay in our school and institution of higher learning such as colleges of Education, polytechnics and universities as well as secondary school and primary school levels. In the context of school system, Anigbogu (2004) writes that truancy is one who absents oneself from classes or school-functions without permission. This could be inform of late attendance to schools and classes, resuming after some days or even weeks from the beginning of each term and without any good reasons or permission. According to a research carried out by Igbo (2006) on the secondary school students at Anambra East local Government Area of Anambra state shows that truancy is more rampant in our secondary school because the students are in their adolescence stage when they want to be noticed and there by creating air of freedom around them. In other words, a student is said to be a truant if he/she act does not conform to the predetermined rules and regulations regarding regular attendance to school. A truant could be a student who runs away from school to roam about the streets and later returns home at the end of the day without achieving any goals. A teacher may also be a truant. This is because most teachers have other jobs they attend to instead of going to school, they end up in their private businesses in order to make more money to support their families. According to Igbo (2006), a truant prefers staying somewhere or doing something else during school hours.