Abstract

The purpose of the study was to find out the effect of absenteeism on academic performance in English at PLE
using the Ibaare-Bushenyi district. It followed the order of the research objectives, which were to examine how
absenteeism has contributed to poor academic performance in English at PLE in the Ibaare-Bushenyi district, to
establish the causes of absenteeism and how it has contributed to poor academic performance in English at PLE in
Ibaare-Bushenyi district, and to suggest a possible solution to address problems of poor academic performance in
English at PLE in Ibaare-Bushenyi district. The study was undertaken using a cross-sectional research design,
which helped in collecting data from a wide section of the study respondents. This kind of study design was
preferred as it generated quick results. These helped the researcher save time during data collection because the
researcher did not follow up with the respondents. The research design was suitable in the sense that the
information collected involved analyzing how absenteeism has influenced the performance of English pupils at
PLE. In addition, the study mainly used qualitative data, though some aspects of the study were presented as
quantitative data. The study concluded that absenteeism is a well-known phenomenon that takes place in many
schools, leading to poor academic performance, and should be handled with care. The study concludes that there
are some ways in which absenteeism can be addressed. These include affirmative action, empowerment of women
and physically handicapped people, and enforcement of labor laws. This study was applied research intended to
find solutions for absenteeism and its impact on pupils' academic English performance in the Ibaare sub-county,
Bushenyi District. Then, the researcher suggested the following recommendations addressed to politicians,
policymakers, education planners, Ibaare Sub County, Bushenyi District administrators, and the respondents: the
Ministry of Education and Sports should organize seminars on corrective measures that are regularly supervised
by specialists in education. During holidays, head teachers' conferences should also be organized so that pupils are
allowed to share ideas and experiences on the matter; this should be supervised by the Ibaare sub-county, Bushenyi
District.
Keywords: Absenteeism, Teachers, Academic performance, English pupils