The number of school truants in Thuringia is at a relatively low level – but there has been a steady increase over the past few years. “In terms of the total number of students, it is a small phenomenon that we take very seriously,” explained Ministry of Education spokesman Felix Knothe.
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According to this, around 1,300 students nationwide were absent without excuse for at least 40 days a year in the 2023/24 school year – around 0.6 percent of students in the Free State. Before the corona crisis, this value was around 0.4 percent. In percentage terms, the proportion of school truants in special and regular schools is particularly high.
Complex causes of school distance
“Distance to school is an important issue in Thuringia for both school supervision and school development,” said Knothe. However, due to the often very complex background, dealing with it correctly and countermeasures are challenging. The causes for the permanent violation of compulsory schooling ranged from family and social to individual problems.
In principle, schools can have a positive influence with the right design of internal processes and a positive school climate, said Knothe. These included, among other things, the creation of good relationships between teachers, students and parents, recognition and opportunities for participation and good teaching structures. Large school locations are often at an advantage because important offerings outside of class – such as their own football team or a school choir – can be implemented more easily. Teamwork among teachers, professional exchange and further training of teachers are also important. However, schools cannot address these problems alone.
Legal measures and their limits
Legally, school truants can be returned to the classroom with the help of the police or fines can be imposed. However, this did not solve psychological impairments. “The key is rather interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration between all those involved,” explained child and adolescent psychotherapist Sindy Weise. Of course, the affected children and young people and their parents would also have to be included.
School plays an important role in this because changes in the behavior of children and young people can be easily recognized there. Sensitizing educational staff to the signs of psychological problems is therefore one of the goals of a further training course that Weise is organizing at the end of the year in collaboration with the Thuringian Institute for Teacher Training, Curriculum Development and Media.
Early detection is key
At the Thuringian institute, continuing education courses for schools have been a regular offer for many years, reported spokesman Rigobert Möllers. “In principle, it’s about teachers being informed about what paths and networks there are for support and assistance.” Since the topic is sometimes associated with shame – especially if there are family problems in the background – it is important to offer offers that are as low-threshold as possible. Further education courses are intended to provide educators with this knowledge.
The experts unanimously agree that recognizing problems early on is extremely important. School truants in particular are threatened with far-reaching consequences for their later lives, for example if classes have to be repeated several times or if young people leave school without a qualification. “Continued avoidance of school can have an impact on both social integration and the professional success of children and young people,” said psychotherapist Weise. It is also important that truancy does not become more widespread. With every day of absence, returning to everyday school life becomes more difficult for the children and young people affected.
The number of school truants in Thuringia is at a relatively low level – but there has been a steady increase over the past few years. “In terms of the total number of students, it is a small phenomenon that we take very seriously,” explained Ministry of Education spokesman Felix Knothe.
According to this, around 1,300 students nationwide were absent without excuse for at least 40 days a year in the 2023/24 school year – around 0.6 percent of students in the Free State. Before the corona crisis, this value was around 0.4 percent. In percentage terms, the proportion of school truants in special and regular schools is particularly high.
