CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Primary education forms the
basis of entire system of education. Its importance lies in the fact that it
serves as the foundation stone on which the subsequent edifice of the education
system is raised. The immense contribution it makes to the overall development
of the country is indicated by the research studies undertaken in both
developed and developing countries including Nigeria. Dropping out from school
occurs after a child has previously gained access to school. A major problem in many developing countries,
dropping out is often obscured within statistical data and the emphasis on
initial access. This study was concerned
with children who have not completed a cycle of basic education, which
depending on the compulsory age of enrollment, should generally encompass
children from the ages of five or six to fifteen years. dropout means once
enrolled pupils but leave education before completing a given circle while the
third is a broader definition which embraces those who do not even enroll
(e.g., some street children, handicapped children, children in remote rural
areas) and cover the entire school career until legal school leaving age.
Dropout in its narrowest sense is referred to enrolled pupils who stay away
from school for more than a given number of days without migrating with their
parents. Any Child who enters into primary school but does not complete the 6
years cycle whatever the reason will be considered as dropout. Umoh (1986) view
dropout as a pupil who because of unseen circumstance cannot complete a school
program which she/he originally was enrolled for.
However, today education has become
the contemporary creed and about the surest way to attain self-reliance and
economic growth and development. This was why the federal Government of Nigeria
established the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Programme in 1999 to primarily:
(1) Provide
a compulsory, free and universal basic education, for every Nigerian child of
school age (2) Reduce
drastically the incidence of dropout from formal school system through
improved relevance, quality and
efficiency (3) Ensuring
the acquisition of the appropriate level of literacy, communicative and life
skills as well as the ethical, moral and civil values needed for lying, a solid
foundation for lifelong learning etc.
But what we
discover is dropout among primary school pupils especially in Calabar South.
The society at large helps to contribute to the dropout problems in the sense
that society cherishes wealth and honour wealthy men. The poor man has no place
at all. The importance the society attaches to wealth lure the young boys and
girls to pursue wealth rather than education which is of life lasting value and
legacy.
In Calabar South, thorough observation
and careful study reveals that children of school age go in search of quick
money by performing odd and menial jobs such as bus conductors, selling along
the road and in the market places, wheelbarrow pushers, mechanic apprentice
etc. The notion of these boys is that, to stay and complete primary six
especially those who started late is a waste of time, money and energy. What
they do is quietly withdraw from school and pursue wealth no matter how hard
and rough the road is to acquiring it. Second observation is as a result of
instability of the school system due to frequent strike action and regular
changes in government, thereby resulting in inconsistent policy on educational
matters such changes in school curriculum textbooks and policies in school
administration. This has lead many pupils mostly females into teenage pregnancy
and early marriage while the boys go into joining of gangs that are deviant in
nature and eventually stay away from school. The phenomenon of dropout in
primary schools has dire consequences on educational system. It leads to
wastage on one hand and under utilization of facilities on the other for
instance if a school does not have sufficient enrolment, we can say there is a
wastage of school capacity hence Fafunwa (2003) says that Dropout is a major
problem that continue to be-devil the educational system since the beginning of
Western education in Nigeria in the mid 19th century to the present. It is also
worth noting that the phenomenon of dropout is not only common to Nigeria, but
also high in other parts of the countries of the world Schwartz, (1995). He
argues that dropouts are of a physiological type and it has become quite
relevant in both Primary and Junior Schools.
In Nigeria, the case of Calabar South
Local Government is not different from what is obtains from the outside world.
In order for the individual to be self-reliant, he has to be educated.
Education is considered to be important to mankind hence the Nigeria Government
got involved in the management of education right from the time of Arthur
Richard constitution of 1946. However, there is wastage as earlier mentioned in
the form of not meeting its desired or anticipated result at a scale
considerably lower than it has set for itself, repetition and failure at the
end of a course. If this is the case, why is it that many pupils in the primary
school system do not want to go to school? Why do they encourage wastage of
resources on the part of the government and their parents? What are the factors
responsible for this act?
THE COMPLETE
PROJECT IS CHAPTER 1-5
PLACE YOUR
ORDER
08037940241
08183133884
edogi4u@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment