POVERTY AND CHILD’S EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Poverty is a major social problem in contemporary Nigeria. Poverty in Nigeria is increasing despite the country’s sixth position of oil exporter in the world. Poverty refers to the deprivation of basic human needs, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter and health care. It also refers to a state of being very poor and lacking in quality or amount.
Poverty is a concept that has defied a universally acceptable and objective definition or assessment because it is not an expression of life situation, but of self in the complex web or social relations. Poverty means different things to different people. It is much than the inability to attain a minimum standard of living. Raht (1971) sees poverty based on the amount of income required to provide minimum level of livingfor the people. Poverty is more than lack of what is necessary for material well-being it includes a lot more. Indeed, it is the deprivation of the life’s the people lives that poverty manifests itself.
Poverty means the denial of choices and opportunities most basic to human development in the opportunities most basic to human development in the opportunities to live a tolerable life, not only materially, socially and culturally (Nigeria Human Development Report, 1998; 10) Poverty implies to wear and vary rudimentary shelter to live in and there is the corollary that the poor person has access to little or no means of recreation and tourism.
Every human society has a process of social stratification that is this categorizing by virtue to contain social valuable such as wealth, education or income in view of this, some people are placed in unrewarding and unproductive poles simply because of their status. In short, society creates condition on the part of the wealthy class in the society, population explosion without a corresponding increase in job availability as well as the effect of drug abuse on addicts which make them to be useless to themselves, their family and society at large are some of the major cause of poverty. And do while some live in relative comfort, millions live as squatters, setting up shacks wherever they can. Other are not that fortunate, they live on the streets with perhaps only a piece of cardboard or plastic between them and their surroundings. Many of them take out a living in whatever way they could scavenging having heavy load, or collecting recyclables in push carts.
Nigeria has never ranked high in the league of world’s most prosperous countries. Over the years, it has been slipping further and of function down the international poverty index despite being major oil producer and exporter poverty still exists because of the widening gap between the rich and poor. Since the economic downturn, the signs of poverty have grown stronger.
In the area of education fewer children of school age are now enrolled in school because their parents’ cannot afford the minimum fees charged or because the children, are forced into the labour market at the earliest opportunity to augment the family’s income. The widening gap between the rich and poor makes it harder for communities to speak with one voice and parents with more income are leaving the state school system. Teachers are now less likely to live in the community and their social states have fallen.
Some of the problems which resulted from inadequate funding of educational system as a result of the level of poverty in Nigeria are over whelming demands sometimes made on parents and communities to contribute to the schools and their roles are not clearly defined, teachers motivation has been eroded by low pay, poor working conditions, inadequate facilities, insufficient training and the declining status of their profession school infrastructure and facilities are so poor that they are not good for learning, pupils safety, security or health Text books and other teaching materials are inadequate. Enrolment and attendance varies between schools. Ministry of Education figures from 1992 to dateshow a decline in school enrolment in Ogbeson Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
It is estimated that for every one Nigeria working, there are ten people who are not working that are depending on him. (Adams AliyuOshiomhole 2003).
Poverty affects the education of children especially in rural area. Children living in poverty are most likely to be malnourished, more often sick and chronically tired than their well of counterparts and thus, have difficulty in learning. The causes and effect of poverty and its persistence in our society are some of the issues that this study seeks to resolve.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In Ogbeson Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State there is an increasing incidence of poverty and falling of education in the locality or community.
In an attempt address any of the open questions related to poverty and child’s education in Ogbeson Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, this study seeks to provide answers to the following questions:
1. Is there a significant relationship between parent’s education and child’s academic performance in school?
2. Is there a significant relationship between socio-economic activities and the level of education attained by the rural child?
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. To determine the effect of poverty in Child’s academic performance
2. To examine parent’s socio-economic status and the level of child’s performance in school.
3. To find ways of reducing poverty in Ogbeson Community.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The importance of the study is: -
1. The study would lead to a proper understanding of the phenomenon of poverty, its causes and effect on the child’s education in Ogbeson Community.
2. It is hoped that the finding of the study will enable individuals; government and voluntary organisation to put in place the appropriate mechanisms or strategies towards the eradication of poverty especially in the rural area as well as improved the educational facilities and standard of education in Nigeria particularly in Ogbeson Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.
3. The research work will act as a guide to other researchers in this area.
1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS/CONCEPTS
CHILD: A young human being below the age of full physical development. The United Nations convention on the rights of the child defined child as “as human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child. The legal definition of child generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of age of majority.
EDUCATION: This refers in a process of acquiring knowledge and skills. It is a process of learning which enable individual develops their cognitive and capabilities so as to make them perform their socially assigned functions effectively.
INCOME: This is the money received over a certain period, especially as payment for work or as interest on investment.
POVERTY: This means the denial of choices and opportunities most basic to human evelopment, the opportunities to live a tolerable life not only materially, socially and culturally (Nigeria Human Development Report 1998:10).
RURAL AREA: This is an area that exists or operates as a homogenous entity in which relationships are long lasting and there is a face–to–face interaction.
