The rate at which children are dropping out of school nowadays calls for concern and I use this medium to call on both parents and governments at all levels to find a lasting solution to it. I am, like any other well-meaning Nigerian worried, so I feel highly obligated airing my view by writing this article in the belief that all the stakeholders will take decisive measures by giving a serious attention to the problem before it gets out of control. School drop-out is a time-bomb and if ignored, its explosion will be devastating.
Having pondered over the issue of school dropout, I have observed the following as the reasons for this problem. First, the poor economic power of parents makes it impossible to provide for children’s school needs thereby impacting negatively on the children in terms of academic performance which makes them willy-nilly to drop out of school.
On the part of the children, the need for quick and easy money easily lures them into stop going to school and they decide instead to do bus conductor where they would earn quick money on daily basis. If they earn daily incomes, the tendency is that they will have something in their pockets to spend freely and to their pleasures. The thought of stop going to school predominates the minds of many children nowadays because of today's enjoyment. It is unfortunate that many children don't want to wait for their time.
The females run after boys to beg for money and most of the girls are lured into using what they have to get what they want. So, they sleep with most of them and at the end of the day impregnate them, and later be a school drop-out.
Furthermore, child labour to which most of the children found themselves is also one of the reasons children drop out of school nowadays. Where a child lives with supposed parents or aunts, there is every tendency for such a child to drop out of school when he or she has a misunderstanding with the supposed parents who consider the child’s education as a waste of time. Where this happens, such a child drops out of school.
Looking at this problem, the following would serve as solutions to it. Basically, where there is enough provision of jobs to the people by government and wealthy individuals, parents, especially the poor ones who have children in schools, will be empowered economically to cater for their children in terms of providing for them.
Besides, supportive efforts by parents in providing extra effort by employing good teachers for their children or sending them to a good extra-mural class to complement the school work. Also parents should always enlighten their children on how to tackle challenges when they attain puberty stage either the male or the female because, this is the most fragile stage of life.
The issue of child-conductors can be solved with the constant arrest of such children who should be taken to a juvenile settlement centre where they should be made to complete their studies.
To crown it all, parents should always advise their children to always put God first in their entire endeavours in life because anything without God is nothing. So, we in Mighty Voice use this medium to tell the whole world that efforts should be geared towards full scale enlightenment on this social problem.
Aminat Adesope is one of our Staff Writers.
This article was not fully edited, so bear with the members of the Editorial Board.
Comments
Post a Comment