The school or college attendance is the primary principal point in which students lack these days.
If you take a look at the most pressing issues in colleges regarding students, you will find student attendance levels to be in the top 3.
The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that students no longer care about the potential consequences of a low attendance tag while attending schools/colleges.
Frankly speaking, are not aware of the drawbacks of low attendance, or we can say that they are not aware of the benefits to attend the school/college regularly.
Low attendance can harm their studies and build immense pressure during exam times.
Therefore, the attendance of any college or school should be 100%. To achieve the scenario, here we have 13 proven strategies to improve student attendance in the classroom.
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Strategies to Improve Attendance
Low attendance is directly proportional to low achievement. These days most students miss their school/college due to various reasons like social anxiety, poor performance, bullying, etc.
However, they do not understand that low attendance is only impacting their ability to learn.
So, the responsibility is shifted towards school/college to apply strategies which could make attendance 100%.
Some strategies
1. Link attendance with the Grades:
School/college management should link the attendance percentage directly to the student’s overall grades.
When a student is aware that, low attendance means low grades, then he will always try to improve his attendance.
2. Informing their Parents:
Many schools/college have used this strategy, and it has come up with excellent results.
While applying this strategy, the school management has to inform the irregular students’ parents about their low attendance.
For students who love to bunk their classes more often, fear of being scolded by parents will never encourage them to miss classes.
Students who obey parental authority can be persuaded, in this manner, to improve their attendance records.
For example, getting students and parents in one room and informing them of their ward’s behavior can jolt them into action.
Parents are often the most productive people who can convince their children to do better.
This must be leveraged upon by management.
3. Developing a Friendly Atmosphere:
The management should try to establish a friendly atmosphere within the institution which will attract the students.
It will help to regularize the irregular students. This strategy works in a positive way which affects the minds of the students who have a fear of hard and harsh atmosphere which is prevailing in 90 percent of the institutions.
If the atmosphere gets modified into friendly-one, the student’s attendance will surely improve in a positive manner.
It will enhance their academic performance as well as their attendance; they will not feel bored with their institutions.
4. Adding Curricular & Co-Curricular activities:
Schools, as well as Colleges, should take essential steps to add different curricular as well as co-curricular activities. Measures like these would prompt them to actively participate in several activities with their classmates.
This can prove to be an incentive for higher attendance levels. Curricular activities like Internships, Cultural Clubs, Debate teams, Volunteer works, etc. and Co-Curricular activities like Theatre, Music, Dance, Drawing, Recitation, Poetry, etc. should be introduced, so that the students are led to take an active part in them, thereby causing them to attend the school regularly.
5. E-Education:
E-Education setup should be installed in the classrooms to reinvent teaching methods.
Institutions should be fully upgraded with the latest technology like computers, I-pads, projectors, etc.
With the involvement of technology, students interest will incline more toward coming to school/college rather than bunking.
The 21st Century has been marked by a shift towards modern mediums of learning. Students these days tend to prefer education systems that utilize technology to make their content more engaging.
To take advantage of this, you should ensure the complete modernization of teaching equipment at your school.
PCs, iPads, projectors and smart learning devices must be installed and used while teaching.
This system cannot work without the active involvement of the teachers. Therefore, you must ensure that the teaching staff is up to date with modern teaching practices.
Once you show students what your institution’s teaching capabilities are worth, they will start turning up in numbers like never seen before.
6. Biometric Attendance:
Another commonly used system in modern offices and institutions, biometric attendance is an excellent way to keep track of student attendance.
Unlike conventional attendance-taking measures, which can easily be faked, biometric attendance can prove to be a game changer.
It requires the physical presence of the student via his fingerprint,
thus ensuring he is actually present for classes. A list of defaulters can also be drawn up quickly, generated by the system, and be dealt with as per school policy.
This measure would prevent students from slipping out or faking their attendance.
7. Rewarding the Most Regular Student:
Rewards are often the best way to get anyone to do something. This measure must be utilized.
The students with highest attendance rates can be rewarded in public with trophies or certificates, commending them for their attendance.
Once students realize that their high attendance rates would gain them renown, a surge in the number of students turning up regularly should be observed.
8. Holding Awareness Programs:
Various Awareness Programs should be held in the context of low attendance.
These awareness programs will make irregular students aware of drawbacks of the low attendance and advantages of being regular in the institution.
And these hard-to-appear-in-class students will surely try to increase their regularity in the schools and colleges.
9. Modification in Teaching Techniques:
Traditional teaching techniques must be overhauled, and interactive methods should be employed, to make the subject more interesting for students.
We all know how a good teacher, with an impeccable teaching style, is worth much more than every other measure.
Teachers with a unique style must be encouraged and promoted.
They should be put in charge of other teachers to help train and improve their performance.
By enhancing interactivity and engagement via new teaching methods, students will begin signing up for more classes in no time.
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10. Addition of Artistic Subjects:
Every student has a creative side in them. Promoting their creativity by adding some subjects like Music, Dance, Theatre, Literature, etc.
This can help any institution reach the goal of 100% attendance. Extracurricular activities have been shown to be a significant draw for enhancing student attendance levels.
Programs and workshops related to music, dance, theatre, and literature can be made part of the school curriculum for the student’s all-round development.
It will make the students stand out of the queue and develop their personality. The interest will bring them to school regularly at any cost.
11. Cultural Programs & Functions:
Cultural Programs and Functions should be held regularly. It will increase the interest of students.
By making them participate in these functions to showcase their talents, attendance can be improved.
12. NCC & NSS:
NCC & NSS should be introduced in all the schools and colleges
. It will profoundly affect the discipline of the students and will result in improving their attendance.
As in NCC and NSS like organizations, they are keen about the student’s discipline.
These organizations introduce students to different games, patriotic functions, camps, etc., which attracts the students and they start to attend the schools and colleges regularly which in return improves their attendance.
13. Regular PTM:
The school and college management should plan regular Parent-Teacher meetings so that they can give proper reports of wards to their parents. These meetings will keep parents well informed about the achievement or failure of their wards.
Final Words
With many institutions struggling with concerns over student attendance levels, it is essential that you do not fall into the same trap.
Implementing the measures listed above should go a long way in retaining students and boosting their attendance rates.
Remember, a school is most-often only known for its alumni. If you want your school to do well and make a name for itself in the public sphere, the discipline must be improved.
And the first step towards doing that begins with improving their attendance rates.