Parents get SMS when child plays truant

In Australia, eleven Victorian schools have bought an SMS system that is being used to help cut truancy rates.

Success in cutting truancy is high - truuance rate fall by 20 to 80 per cent. Under the SMS system, parents are also sent text messages if their child is late or skips a class later in the day.

Apparently, parents are happy with the system, since only one parent refused to participate in the system.

It is not quite clear how the system actually works -it sounds like a system is being used that does this automatically.

The main question is, of course, not answered. Why do children play truant in the first place and if such "forceful" system makes them better students? I doubt the second part. For the first part, may be the schools should also take a look at themselves - if they teach boring stuff, stuff that is not relevant, well, than students might have the feeling that they waste their time. If a teacher is uninspiring, and not passionate about teaching, again, a system wouldn't solve the problem.

The system might be worth more, if it helps to prevent abduction or other violent incidences - similar to what Japanese schools are trying.

(By Asia Business Consulting)