Perceptions of Unequal Access to Primary and Secondary Education: Findings from Nigeria

African Studies Review, Apr 2003 by Sunal, Cynthia Szymanski, Sunal, Dennis W, Rufai, Ruqayyatu, Inuwa, Ahmed, Haas, Mary E

Families Keeping Children Out of School

The interviewees were asked to state whether they knew of any families keeping their children out of school and what the reason for this decision might be (see table 3). Those who had not enrolled all of their eligible children in school were asked to discuss their reasons for doing so. Many teachers as well as parents who were sending all of their eligible children to school identified acquaintances who were keeping children out of school for economic reasons, specifically, direct school costs and the loss of the child's labor. One said: "People do not want others to know that they cannot survive without a child's labor. It is a loss of status. . . . If a family now needs children's work, they have dropped in status. So they may give other reasons for keeping a child out of school."

All interviewees who were not enrolling all their eligible children described children's labor as contributing to the needs of the family through work on farming plots. They mentioned the need for older children to supervise younger siblings so that the mothers' time could be freed up for farming or manufacturing and/or selling homemade products such as peanut oil and working at various manual labor or sales jobs. Children's participation in schooling was reported to have a large negative effect on the family because income produced by the children was lost. One parent said, "When my child is in school . . . I have to pay for his uniforms, so money is given out while it is not coming in. To pay for his uniforms and other school monies I have to work until it is late at night making peanut oil. When he is in school, he can't hawk oil. School is very costly."

If a choice must be made, twenty-nine of these parents said the likelihood of academic success was important. Seven said they enrolled only male children with academic potential because they would have to support families. Five chose to enroll an academically able eldest daughter if they lived near a town where schooling would help her get a job with which she could contribute to the family's livelihood. Seven parents did not enroll girls because they viewed schooling as introducing foreign ideas, making girls less likely to respect their parents' wishes, not connected to the indigenous culture of the home and community, and discouraged by their religion. Three parents from a minority group whose children would not be schooled in their home language did not enroll their children because they perceived schooling as disconnected from their culture.

Groups Whose Members Could Have Their Access to Schooling Reduced

Since not all Nigerian children enroll in school, and since perceptions of the effects of schooling may vary, the interviewees were asked whether schooling is of less value for some groups. The interviewees said that schooling was of value to all people because it develops basic literacy and numeracy. However, three groups of children for whom primary schooling was considered less useful were then identified. The first group was students who do not pay attention in school and therefore learn little. The second group was girls whose parents wish to have them marry at an early age. Teacher interviewees also mentioned girls as a group that might be kept out of school if parents thought early marriage was best for them. The third group was nomads because they need little or no schooling since the skills they learn from family members are sufficient if they continue to be nomads. Five teachers (2 percent) thought schools with a large intake area cause concern among parents because they do not know the families of most other students and they believe the diversity among students introduces ideas parents do not condone.