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EFFECT OF SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

According to Gerald Bernbum (2008), the phenomenon of graduate unemployment had disappointed people who had earlier looked to educational expansions on both to reduce social and economic inequalities and to improve the performance of the economy. Going to school was and is still regarded as the surest way to gainful employment especially in the public sectors; the non-employment of most of the graduates for all levels of our educational institutions make the current students in our school to see attending school  as a waste of time. The point that is being emphasized here is that because school leavers and graduates of higher institutions do not readily secure gainful employment in the public or private sectors of the economy as was the case many hears ago, students are no longer motivated to continue their education through the tertiary level.

Statistics on students environment in the post primary schools in the defunct Bendel State as a whole available at the ministry of education shows that the population of students in schools is on the decline. Another evidence of decline in school environment in the recent method adopted by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) whereby school with less than thirty students for the senior school certificate examinations are grouped together to form a single centre. Many students who has sought admission into schools have prematurely withdrawn and dropped out before graduation. This is caused for concern of interest is the factor responsible for this untimely withdrawal in the first place, the current economic recession in the country has left many graduate, but from secondary school and institutions of higher learning, unemployment.

Government also contributes to the high rate of dropout from schools in charging tuition fees which many parents cannot afford in view of the present economic crisis the country even when many of them have struggled to pay the tuition fees final examination fees are often unaffordable. Another factor which makes students to withdraw from the schools is early marriage. It has been postulated that many girls drop out of school because their parents wanted them to go get married. Some others girls had dropped out because they had unexpected pregnancies which had forced them into early marriages. Some students who originally enrolled into the school had dropped out due to change in career goals.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Dropout from school is an aspect of educational wastage and should be treated as a problem facing secondary school in particular and education in general. As been established in the previous section of this chapter, junior secondary school classes are empty due to the rate of dropout from school. It has also been established in the background to the problem that institutional administrators, educational planners, policy makers both at state and national levels, students and guidance and counselors have reacted out differently, times to the rate at which secondary school in the rural areas especially are becoming depopulated. But the problem of interest – this study is to determine the relationship between the rate of dropout from Junior secondary schools and the factor is as follow: Graduate unemployment, early marriage, unexpected pregnancy, financial difficulties, change in career goals, parent’s attitude, educational levels, socio-economic status and family size. The study is also interested in determining what other factor might be related to the rate of dropout.

1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY

The purpose of this study was to determine the main factor responsible for the rate of dropout from school in Junior Secondary School, Ekiadolor.

The study examined the effect of factors such as graduate unemployment, early marriage, unexpected pregnancy, student’s financial difficulties and educational levels, socio-economics status and family size on the rate of drop out from school.

It further sought to ascertain other relevant problems relating to the rate of dropout from school.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions are devised to guide the following investigator:

1.           Does the current trend of graduate unemployment contribute to the rate of dropout from school?

2.           Are early marriage and unexpected pregnancy factors in the dropout from the junior secondary school?

3.           What is the relationship between financial difficulties and dropout from junior secondary school?

4.           Do students dropout from senior secondary school due to change in career goals.

5.           Do socio-economic status and family size of parents contribute to the rate of drop outs from senior secondary school?

6.           Does the desire for travel outside the country lead to the dropout from schools?

7.           Does family in the rural areas lead to dropout in Junior Secondary School, Ekiadolor?

8.           What other factors contribute to dropout from Junior Secondary School, Ekiadolor.

1.5 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS

Major asumpti0ons made in this study were:

1.           The absence of employment prospect for school leavers and graduate of higher institution make students to dropout from junior secondary school.

2.           To both parents and students the making purpose of education is to secure gainful employment either in government service or private sector.

3.           Early marriage and unexpected pregnancy make students to dropout from junior secondary school.

4.           Student’s dropout from senior secondary school because of financial difficulties.

5.           Change in career goals makes students to dropout from junior secondary school.

6.           Children from poor homes are prone to dropout from school.

7.           Farming student’s dropout from school because of farming activities.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Dropout often entails unproductive expenditure. They suggest that society has neglected its responsibility of equal educational opportunity to its citizens. Therefore this study is undertaken in a strong belief that would make meaningful contributions to how government administrators, and parents can find lasting solutions to the problems of children retention in schools generally and especially in the senior secondary school.

The study would reveal the impact of unemployment on children attendance and completion of school. The recommendations that may be given would be important to our government policy makers at the federal, state and local state levels.

Finally, guidance and counsellor would find the finding of this study useful. They could use tem to detect and prevent such symptoms that are likely to head dropping out in the selected school subjects.

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY

The study is delimited to Junior Secondary School, Ekiadolor-Benin. The different schools in the College was used. Two hundred identified dropouts from four schools in the College were used.

The sample drawn from the population is not fully a representation of the whole school dropout in the College. As a result the extent that the generalization could be made from the study is limited.

However, it is believed that the sample is not altogether inadequate as subjects are drawn from towns in the local government were dropout can be identified.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Drop out: For the purpose of this study, the term ‘dropout’ means students who had originally planned to obtain the junior school certificate {J.S.C} but who had left school before graduation. The term includes all these who withdrawn from other trades.

Large family size: This refers to a polygamous family. It also refers to a family with more than four children.

Unexpected pregnancy: This refers to teenage pregnancy which occurs when the teenager has not married and she is still in the school system.

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