CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TOWARDS TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ABSENTEEISM IN THE HILLAREAS

School absenteeism is identified as one of the problems where the administrators, teachers, parents, community members, society in general and school in particular are facing in various States across the country. For this, schools, administrators, and every stakeholder are working to solve the various problems which led to absenteeism of students as well as teachers. It is in this context that this study was carried out to identify the factors contributing to teachers and student's absenteeism at elementary school level in Hill concentrated areas of Manipur. The sample for the study was students and teachers who were frequently absent from schools, head of the schools, teachers, parents of absentees students. The tools for data collection were questionnaire/ SES Scale, Interview scheduled (un- structured) for family respondents (parents) and students who are regularly absent, questionnaire for teachers and a focus group discussion was carried out with students. This study was primarily qualitative in nature. Some of the findings from the study were lack of basic facilities such as safe drinking water, separate toilet for boys, girls and teachers, no proper classroom settings, job satisfaction are some of the reason which contributes towards students as well as teachers absenteeism