FACTORS AND CHALLENGES OFSECONDARY SCHOOL DROPOUT IN KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
Education is no doubt a significant endeavour that affects the life of people and empowers them to
be useful to themselves and society in general. As a result of this, the Federal Government of
Nigeria has introduced numerous educational policies to enable access, participation, and
benefit in secondary school education. Despite these efforts, there is still a worrying trend of
school dropout among students in secondary schools. The issue of dropping out of secondary
school has become multifaceted, and one in every five of the world's dropout school children is in
Nigeria. Given this, the study sets out to explore the experiences, factors and challenges of
secondary school dropouts in the Kebbi state of Kola Kebbi State, Nigeria. Therefore, in-depth
interviews with dropped-out students, the parents and teachers selected purposely, were carried
out. The interview data were analyzed thematically using NVivo software. The study's findings
shed light on the diverse factors, challenges, experiences, and subsequent paths taken by
secondary school dropouts. Notably, several key themes emerged, encompassing family socioeconomic
status, peer bullying, academic struggles, teachers' and school policies, aspirations for
financial independence, parental literacy limitations, school absenteeism, family separation, and
the subsequent trajectories of both male and female dropouts.The study enriches our
understanding of the dropout phenomenon and provides fresh insights into its dynamics. In light
of the findings, it can be concluded that influences such as peer pressure, substance abuse, peer
harassment, economic hardships, and early marriages play a pivotal role in driving students to
leave Government Day Secondary School, Kola. To alleviate dropout rates, this study puts forth
practical strategies for identifying warning signs indicating students at risk of leaving school.
This research contributes to a more comprehensive comprehension of dropout trends and offers
valuable recommendations to foster student retention.
