University warns against absenteeism

Manama: High levels of absenteeism among students during the first two weeks of Ramadan have forced the University of Bahrain to warn that it would take strict action to ensure normal attendance.

"The rules about absenteeism are very clear and the university would apply them with any student who fails to attend classes without valid excuses," a university officer said.

Changes in social life that include late evening family events and individual or group activities are the most common excuses to explain the tendency to stay away from classrooms during the holy month.

"Ramadan is the media month par excellence. There are so many great programmes ... that I simply stay up late and consequently cannot wake up on time to go to the university," Fadhila Al Matrook said.

For Haydar Hashem, the internet is the main reason for missing classes. "The network comes really alive after midnight when male users come home after spending the evening out and female users are done with watching the prime-time dramas and series," he said. "Once I am engaged in chatting with them, I do not stop until 8 or 9am. By then, I need to get some sleep, which takes me past the university timetable."

Long conversations with friends around shishas keep Sameer Al Najjar from the university. "We stay up together until dawn."

Absenteeism does not seem to affect private universities where students pay fees of around thousands of dollars and have to reconcile attendance and punctuality with special Ramadan activities.

"I know that both my parents and the university ... would not ... accept my excuses, so I more or less keep my regular schedule," said Mawan Kamal, a medical student at a private college.