The Social Impact of Out-Of-School Children in Nigeria: A Study of Isheke Community in Ebonyi State
Abstract
Nigeria has the largest number of out-of-school children in the world, with an estimated 20 million children being excluded from formal education. This position paper explores the social impact of out-of-school children in Isheke Community, Ebonyi State, and was conducted using a qualitative survey of 100 people (parents, teachers, religious leaders, local government officials, and out-of-school children). Poverty, parental illiteracy, early marriage and inadequate infrastructure were identified as key determinants of school dropout in our area. The repercussions are grave: out-of-school children are put into dangerous child labour and into crime and social marginalization and are trapped in intergenerational cycles of poverty. At the national level, high dropout rates are a threat to workforce productivity, exacerbate insecurity, and undermine progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 for quality education. The paper reviews current interventions such as scholarships by the Catholic Church, government programs like the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program, and NGOs that have been launched, for instance the Oando Foundation's LEARNOVATE-FLIP initiative that has re-engaged more than 5,162 children across multiple states. While these interventions have shown promise, their impact is limited. The paper suggests a joint multi-stakeholder approach to government policy, community action, religious institutional support, and international development assistance to break the cycle of educational exclusion and build an environment where every child can get educated and contribute to society.
Keywords
Out-of-school childrensocial impactNigeriaIsheke CommunityEbonyi Statepovertychild laboureducational exclusion
References
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