UTSUNOMIYA -- "Relationships with friends" has emerged as the top reason for elementary and junior high school students wanting to skip school when they aren't sick or injured, a survey by the Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education has found.

The prefectural education board conducted an awareness survey to find out factors leading to truancy and other related data amid the increase of such cases. The survey was rare in that it targeted all students, not just those who tend to be truant. A total of approximately 40,000 students in the sixth grade and second year of junior high and senior high school at all public schools in the prefecture were asked to respond via educational devices and other means between July and August. The response rate was 72.8%.

When asked if they ever wanted to be absent from school other than for illness or injury, 22.8% of sixth graders, 28.1% of second-year junior high school students, and 37.7% of second-year senior high school students answered "yes" or "sometimes yes." Of these, 6.2%, 8.6% and 10.0% of students in these groups, respectively, actually missed school.

Regarding the reason for wanting to skip school, with multiple answers permitted, "relationships with friends" was the most common response among both elementary and middle school students, at just under 40% for both groups. When the reason was "poor physical condition," among elementary and middle school students, there was a large difference in the percentage of students who were absent and those who wanted to be absent but were not, with the former at around 30% and the latter at the 10% range.

When asked who the respondents consulted when they wanted to skip school or when they actually did so, the most popular answer for all grade categories was family. However, 36.2% of sixth graders, 45.1% of junior high school students, and 48.4% of senior high school students answered that they didn't consult anyone.

Asked to give reasons for not reaching out to anyone, with multiple responses allowed, nearly 40% of elementary and middle school students chose "I didn't know what to say and how to say it," "I thought it would bother the person I talked to," and, "I worried about the person's reaction if I talked to them about it." Around 20% of them selected "I have no one to talk to."

Based on the results, the prefectural education board says it will continue to study the issue at an expert committee on truancy and formulate policies in the areas or prevention, the initial response, and support for non-attending children.

Parents of children with frequent absences cite different reasons

The education board also conducted a survey on parents and guardians of students in elementary, junior high, and senior high schools and special-needs schools with frequent absences to determine their support needs.

The questionnaire was conducted online in September and received responses from a total of 2,001 guardians. Of these, children of 1,009 respondents had been truant for more than one month.

The most common reasons for their children's absence from school, with multiple responses possible, was their "relationship with teachers," at 45.8% among lower school students, and "the atmosphere at school or in class" at 42.5% among middle school students. For upper school students, "poor physical condition" was the most popular factor at 41.7%.

Regarding the use of facilities such as rooms other than school classrooms, municipal educational support centers and private alternative free schools, about half of elementary and junior high school students who had been absent for one month or more used municipal educational support centers, while senior high school students most frequently using separate rooms, at just under 20%.

Some respondents "did not know" that these facilities were available. Use of school counselors was higher among parents of elementary and junior high school students, whereas it was higher among the children in senior high schools.

When asked what they expected from their schools and teachers, with multiple answer permitted, a high percentage of parents selected, "I want all schools to provide an environment that allows children to attend in a separate room," "I want schools to consult with students and guardians regarding notification of attendance and other matters," and, "I want them to listen carefully to children's concerns and understand their feelings."

(Japanese original by Hiroko Arita, Utsunomiya Bureau)