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The New York Times, in a recent article, discussed the chronic absenteeism among Harvard students, citing varied reasons that have led to disengagement from critical reading—once a hallmark of its legacy. Similarly, The Guardian (March 2025) reported that 170,000 children in England missed at least half of their classes.
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Furthermore, according to a 2024 survey on absenteeism conducted by the Association of Colleges (England) across one-third of its member institutions (68 colleges), around 88% of students identified poor mental health as one of the top three reasons for their absence in 2023–24—1.76 times higher than the rate reported in 2019–20.
Chronic absenteeism has been plaguing tertiary education globally. Teachers are often forced to restart lessons for continuity when chronically absent students return intermittently, disrupting the learning flow. Such interruptions affect high-performing students as teachers move back and forth to accommodate those lagging behind. Traditional attendance tracking helps to some extent but fails to address the root causes. Educators tend to focus on symptoms and recurring patterns rather than the underlying issues.
Literature indicates that academic disengagement often arises from learning difficulties, irrelevant curricula, economic pressures, family circumstances, reduced social–emotional development, and unsafe campus environments—all contributing to chronic absenteeism. This article focuses on mental health as a predominant factor and explores authentic frameworks and time-tested interventions that can enhance student engagement and thereby moderate absenteeism.
Institutions often treat academics as a commodity, prioritizing grades, rankings, and placements while neglecting the holistic development of students. Teachers frequently overlook the underlying causes of misconduct, missing opportunities to design meaningful interventions. From a behavioural psychology perspective, students who feel isolated, underrepresented, or disconnected from their peers or faculty may disengage from academics, leading to poor attendance and low participation. The core issue often stems from a lack of belonging—students need to feel welcomed, valued, and supported to build self-efficacy.
How to boost student engagement
Mentorship can serve as a powerful model when designed with students’ perspectives in mind. It fosters a sense of belonging by addressing non-academic challenges that influence academic engagement. Peer inclusion also draws students into the learning ecosystem by reducing anxiety and building confidence. Peer-belonging circles organized through college unions, clubs, or societies can help disconnected students check in and seek support through student services.
Secondly, Generation Z students are largely motivated by extrinsic factors such as financial gain. Their higher spending power, constant digital distractions, and multiple commitments often leave them without clear goals, making them vulnerable to absenteeism. A purpose-driven and empathetic mentorship program that emphasizes goal setting and accountability can counter this.
For instance, a behavior contract—a formal agreement between mentor and mentee—is a time-tested model used by several universities, including the University of Cincinnati (USA), Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada), the University of Warwick (UK), and Arizona State University (USA). Such agreements set clear goals, timelines, and criteria for monitoring measurable outcomes. Progress can be recognized publicly through achievement boards or, conversely, through the loss of privileges for unmet commitments.
Thirdly, a lack of intrinsic motivation contributes to absenteeism. This can be mitigated by assigning passion-driven, self-directed projects that connect personal interests with academic goals. Themed communities such as theatre, music, health literacy, debating, science communication, cryptocurrency, or wildlife conservation clubs can strengthen social belonging through shared values, bridging extracurricular and curricular engagement.
Fourthly, learned helplessness disengages students from learning environments. Past experiences of failure or uncontrollable events can create a mindset that prevents them from trying, even when success is possible. Changing such perceptions through positive reinforcement and mentorship helps cultivate resilience. Project-Based Learning (PBL), which values process over product, encourages students to view failures as steps toward success. PBL also builds critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and communication skills using real-world, domain-specific problems.
Fifthly, instant gratification among students—favoring immediate rewards over delayed outcomes—affects academic engagement. Given their shorter attention spans, delivering bite-sized content with instant feedback (e.g., quizzes or formative assessments) can enhance focus. Behavioral nudges such as automated prompts or reminders via learning management systems can further sustain attention.
Sixthly, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds often face survival pressures that limit cognitive bandwidth and focus. Earn-while-learn programs can alleviate these issues. Employing students in non-critical administrative or academic units through work-integrated learning (WIL) not only supports them financially but also builds transferable social and professional skills. Chronic absenteeism remains a pressing post-pandemic challenge worldwide. Given ongoing demographic transitions, it is imperative for institutions to strengthen student support services, including counselling and mentorship ecosystems, learning from proven global models.
In India, mentor–mentee systems often exist merely for data collection tied to accreditation and rankings. Yet, history shows that the longevity of great institutions rests more on their informal mentorship culture than on formal classroom instruction. Despite the challenges posed by technological and social shifts, campuses that cultivate a genuine sense of belonging will remain resilient—even if adaptation takes time.
(The author is currently serving as the Principal and Secretary of Madras Christian College, Chennai)
Published – October 23, 2025 08:32 pm IST
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