Band 6+: In many countries, truancy * is a worrying problem for both parents and educators. What are the causes of truancy, and what may be the effects on the child and the wider community? (* truancy = the situation when a child pretends to go to school but in fact goes somewhere else, for example to play unsupervised. The verb is 'to play truant from school.')

A huge number of children are skipping their classes and going to do other activities without telling their parents. This behaviour can happen for several reasons, like the fear of the strict parents or having the desire to do certain activities instead of studying. The child will grew up lacking the proper education besides developing bad habits. In addition, the spread of this behaviour will change the culture and the development of the community.

Firstly, some children prefer to spend their time outside the school doing their favourite activities. In addition, some students would like to improve their hobbies like playing video games. However, their parents do not encourage or allow them to spend a lot of time doing that, because they believe it is not important for their future. Hence, they prefer to do that without their parents acknowledge. For example, there is an Egyptian film called Streets that highlights this behaviour. The main character used to tell his father that he was going to school. However, in fact he was going to play football as it was his dream to be a footballer.

Secondly, Not only will this effect the child, but also the whole community. While it is crucial to have fun and play, it is more vital that children learn at school. Children learn in classes many things beside maths and science, such as manners and discpline. In addition, the children can be exposed to dangerous enviroments when they are not observed like smoking and other habits. Furthermore, when they grew up without studying and getting a professional degree, they will end up spending their time in the streets. Consequently, the crime rate will be high and other children will start to imitate them. For instance, according to Aljazera’s investigation, many children who used to go playing instead of studying are criminals in Egypt nowadays.

In conclusion, the tendency to play instead of studying can push children to skip their classes without telling their parents. This can lead to dangerous effects such as not improving and developing the skills needed for the future. Moreover, this will encourage other children to do the same. Thus, the crime rate will be high in the community.