Missing link Among Sociocultural, Education System and Rights to be Heard Lead to Student Absenteeism

• In Event: Socio-emotional learning

Proposal

Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to understand the social norms that tolerate high rates of school absence in two schools of Wanokaka sub-district in West Sumba, Indonesia. This is a multidisciplinary study focused on children’s rights, sociology of childhood, and sociocultural perspective. The study was conducted over an eight-month period from January 2018 until now utilizing the ethnographic approach. This study revealed a gap in the socio-cultural and education system that allowed student absenteeism to be tolerated by community members. It also emphasized that children’s opinions are still silenced in rural areas. This indicates that rights to be heard (guaranteed on United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child/UNCRC, Art. 12) are not well implemented in rural areas.

INTRODUCTION
Our first observation in the early 2018 at two primary schools in Sumba Barat showed that the rate of student absenteeism was 18%-20%. The main cause of absence was due to children attending cultural activities (70%). The remaining 30% was attributed to poor health, poverty, and other reasons. Teachers, parents, cultural leaders or government officials at both the village and district levels (hereafter referred collectively as community members) have never taken this matter into consideration.

Studies proved that student absenteeism is one of the most basic indicators in showing education challenges in the future (Thornton et al, 2013), resulting in decreasing academic achievement in mathematics and literacy skills (Buscha & Conte, 2014; Bosworth, 1994; Khalid & Mehmood, 2014). Scholars also revealed that the impact of student chronic absenteeism linked to disruptive behavior and disaffection (Wilson et al, 2008; Malcolm et al, 2003). Many literatures on student absenteeism deal with the cause and impact of absence (such as Heyne et al, 2001; Kearney, 2008; Amalu & Abang, 2015), specifically absence resulting from poor economic standing (e.g. Matage & Begi, 2017) and poor health (e.g. Graeff-Martins, et al, 2006; Askeland, et al, 2015). However, few studies have been conducted to understand how social norms influence student absenteeism.

The focus of this study is to show the community members’ opinions of student absenteeism and cultural activities. The main objective of this study is to examine the social norm that tolerates student absenteeism. Therefore, the result of this study is expected to support policymakers, practitioners, and activists to properly approach student absenteeism problem particularly in rural areas.


 
METHODOLOGY

The research employed a multidisciplinary study on children’s rights, sociology of childhood, and sociocultural perspective (Freeman,1998; McNaughton & Smith, 2009; Smith, 2016; Oswell, 2013; Leonard, 2016; Alanen and Mayal, 2001; Vygotsky,1978; Smith, 2013; Holzman,1995; Rogoff, 1990).

This study was conducted through anthropological approach during an eight-month period. Data was gathered through observation and informal interviews of 25 teachers and two principals in two schools, 25 parents of children, two village leaders, four community head figures, and District Education Officers (DEO). Quantitative secondary data was collected at schools and DEO. Focus group discussions with 80 pupils in two schools were also conducted to gather data on children’s opinions of attending school versus cultural activities.

FINDINGS
The importance of both school and cultural activities
Most of parents believe that academics will support their children to have a better future. Parents have no awareness of how often their children are absent from school and they have no understanding of the impact school absence on a child’s academic achievement. At the same time, parents thought that attending cultural activities is equally important to Sumbanese children.

Teacher’s obedience to DEO
School curriculums, designed by DEO and implemented by the teachers, are not intended to educate the children about Sumbanese tradition and culture. As involved as the DEO is with the schools, it does not monitor students’ attendance. Child’s right elements are not incorporated into curriculum. Since teachers have no knowledge and understanding on children’s rights, they get physical and mock children to make them behave better.

Village government’s lack of attention on education
Village government officers have no information about child absenteeism, especially absence that is caused by cultural activities. They ignore if students are found in every cultural activity since the officers think it is only teacher’s responsibility.

Sumbanese culture needed more attention as equally important as schooling
Cultural leaders believe that education will be greatly helpful for children to survive and provide pathways to their success. Most of them recommend children for higher education. However, they Sumba’s culture should be prioritized.

Children Opinion: More cultural activities, more enjoyable
Students do not feel comfortable in their schools because of experience in violence from both their teachers and peers. Moreover, teaching methods does not make pupils happy. Many students are not able to complain because they realize that their voice will not be heard.

Unlike at the school, pupils feel that they have more freedom when they attended cultural activities. At these events, children are allowed to play as much they want with food provided which they cannot do in their daily life.

CONCLUSIONS
There is a gap between Sumba’s tradition/culture and education system. As the education system merely implements with a top-down approach and curriculum from DEO, it could not embrace the Sumbanese culture within the teaching. As a result, children are not able to learn about cultures and traditions at school. Consequently, parents and community leaders though that their children must skip school to understand Sumba culture. Finally, from the perspective of children’s rights, the school is not a comfortable place. Therefore, students prefer to attend cultural activities rather than school.

This research brings insightful opinions to community members, activists, and district government to bridge the gap between sociocultural and education system. It shows the need to create a new social norm where children will learn Sumba’s culture at school. More importantly, this research illustrates that children’s opinions need to be involved and taken as serious considerations into decision-making processes.

Authors

• Maximlee Ritzenberg, University of California, San Francisco

• Bagus Yaugo Wicaksono, Save the Children Indonesia

• Alekya Tummala, Save the Children US

• Diana Debi Timoria, Save the Children Indonesia