CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Truancy according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. It is also descries absenteeism caused by students own freewill, and usually does not refer to legitimate “excused” absences such as ones related to medical conditions. But the concepts meaning differs from schools handbook at produces and procedures. It has no relation to home schooling. Although sometimes parents who practice home schooling have been charge with this. It may also be referred students attending school but do not go to classes.
Truancy describe by Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary, is the practice of staying away from school without permission.
Truancy is a widespread problem facing communities today considering the following facts:
Youths who are truants greatly increase their risk of dropping out of school and high school dropouts are more likely to be employed in manual job or end up in prison.
This word wide phenomenon is a cankernorm that has been destroying many students, irrespective of gender. It has been rendered so many useless, with the cumulative effect on their families and even countries. Truancy has turned many students into facilities, leading to inability to succeed in both internal and external examinations.

In some schools in abroad, truancy may results ineligibility to graduate or to receive credit fearlessly attended, until the time hast to truancy made up through a combination of detention, times or summer school. But unfortunately, in Nigeria, there is no penalty for it and neither are there handbook of policies and procedure in schools.
Students have many reasons why they stay away from school these includes family poor standard of living, whereby parents cannot provide necessities of life for their children. Such students would not want to ne in the class so as to avoid embarrassment from teachers and even their peers; antism has prevented some other students from being present in the school. Other students engage in truancy because of selfish interest or bad influence from peer groups. Infect, the particular case presented the most common factor causing about 50% of students not making themselves available in school.
Some prefer spending time in parties, visiting their boyfriends, sugar mummies, sugar daddies and play station instead of being in classrooms enjoying in useful activities.
The most painful things is that so many times, their parents might not know what their wards have been up to and even when they know, they could do little or nothing to make amend.
Some communities are responding to truancy problems by enacting tough measures to keep kids in class. Truancy has become such a significant problem that some cities are now passing ordinance allowing police to issue a citation to either the parent or

the truants which can result in a $500 fine or 30 days in jail for the parent and suspension of the youths hence to drive.
In addition of firming parents, courts can order them to attend parenting classes and hold them in contempt of court if they do not attend. In some cases, the court may take a child away from a parent and make the child a ward of the court.
Other communities are working to prevent the problem of truancy before it being by offering positive activities that increase student’s interest in school academic performance and constituency levels.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This research work is set to find out the causes, effects and prospects of truancy on academic performance of pupils in some selected primary schools in Agbade-Ijaiye
L.G.A of Lagos State.
The researcher also intends to suggest or preventing or possibly remedies to the causes of truancy on pupils academic performance at schools.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this research work is to examine the causes at truancy as broken homes, separation at children from their mothers, parenting styles, societies, economic factor, peer group, personal matters and identifies the effects of truancy on pupils academic performance as; low level of academic achievement; delinquent and criminal

activities, violence act, absenteeism from school during school hours, vandalism and destroying public and personal properties.
Finally, provides prevention method or suggested remedies to truancy acts by pupils and how to improve again on their academic progression.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The researcher is intended in finding answer to the following questions based on the purpose of the research work
1.
What are the factors that cause truancy?
2.
What are the effects of truancy on pupils’ academic performance?
3.
Does inability of teachers and absenteeism of teachers promotes truancy on pupils?
4.
Do these causes and affects learning activities of pupils in schools?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research work is significant because the researcher have prepared to identify the causes of truancy among pupils, its effects on pupils academic achievements and set to provide possible prevention or reduces to this evil acts among pupils holidays.
It is also significant because, this study will also suggest what teachers, parents, lost community and society at large can do to curb truancy, if it is happening or want to happen around them.

This researcher has raised some questions on pupil’s truants and provides solutions to them.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research work is centered only to clients’ information on the causes, effects and prospects truancy among pupils in primary school level and on academic achievement of the pupils.
The research work is limited to some selected primary school in Agbado Ijaiye
L.G.A at Lagos States.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Abnormal children: children of irregular character or habit or having deformities in
Adolescence: any parts of his body
This is a maturity stage reached by children from their childhood in human life
Educated Illiterate: someone that is an elite and who is able to read and write
Illiterate:
Peer group:
Semi-Illiterate:
Truancy: some who cannot read nor write this is a common group of pupils with the same age group and with common interest some who can averagely read and write any intentional act of unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling and it can also be describes cause by students of their own freewill

Truant:
Thurgery:
A child who stays away from school it may refer to people, a common criminal who treat others roughly, often far live.