ABSTRACT
The study investigate the effect o
poverty on the students academic performance in secondary schools in Nigeria. This
research work elucidated clearly the full meaning of poverty as to how it
affected the academic performance of the students through poverty indicator
analysis. One hundred (100) copies of questionnaire were distributed to six (6)
selected schools in the study area. The findings of this research work made it
clear to us that poverty has effect on academic performance of the students.
Recommendations were made so as to eradicate and correct the situation.
Background of the Study
Poverty in plain ordinary language
means lack of sufficiency of resource relative to human needs, it is a
condition of one’s inability to meet up with normal basic needs of life such as
shelter, food and housing (Alice and Pius 2002).
The two ways where poverty can be
seen is moneylessness and powerlessnress. Moneylessness: Is an act of
failing to have a chief control of one’s transactional and precautional motive
of holding money a state where no money to sustain the daily transaction and
future crises assurance.
The poor are ruled by forces and
person outside there control such as people in position of authority and unseen
evil force (Ala-Mat 2008).
Yet is common among average Nigeria to say
“Am Poor” or “Am a Poor Man”. Those who live in cities consider themselves as
not meeting up with the required human needs of existence. Hence there is
always the difficulty in deciding where to draw the line between the poor and
the rich that is non-poor in measuring the level of poverty the following
approaches could be used.
Firstly, poverty line and measurement
in depth. This pvoety line serves as a boundary between what is poverty and
what is not. There are two ways of approaching poverty for the purpose of
measuring it. The could be called: dimension of poverty boundary and depth.
The second approach used to measure
the level of poverty based on single and multiple poverty indicate: indicators
would constitute selected categories of observable facts which can be given
quantitative expression. The numerical values of such indicators would serve to
determine the poverty point and depth, which is also referred to as a degree of
poverty indicators such as income.
Again poverty could be measured at micro
and macro levels. Poverty might be the condition of individual families when
seen in that wads, it is examined at a micro level. It may also be seen as a
condition of population within communities region countries and this is
measured at a macro level. The macro level conclusion can evidently be
considered as an aggregate of the micro.
Poverty has always been
conceptualized in both relative and absolute senses. This is generally based on
whether relative or a absolute standard are adopted in the determination of the
minimum. Incomes requires to basic life’s necessities.
Relative poverty is concerned with
the position of difference group of individual in terms of their income and
consumption levels. Absolute deprivation of certain basic necessities of life
the most obvious being food, while relative and a housing and an absolute are
associated with spending on non food items such as clothing, housing fuel as
well as education and health they play significant roles in the poverty status
of the people.
In order to avoid the irreconcilable
arguments on absolute and relative poverty between countries, the poor and
non-poor is known by the establishment definition of a minimum standard of
living a poverty line relevant to that country. Whosoever facts to meet up with
slated standard is considered poor.
Poverty his another dimension:
ordinality and cardinality. CADINALITY: This involve the failure to obtained
some specific bundle of good and services.
ORDINALITY: This deal with the
comparison between individuals in terms of access to economic socio cultural
good and services and possibilities.
With the above measurement and
dimension is clearly shown that poverty is broad language which cannot verity
and demonstrator except by interference and suggestion even with a measure
error. The economic class of middle, lower and higher cannot be successfully
measured but understand through the environmental factor such as education,
health, good road, networking services, transportation system, communication
system, necessities of life e.t.c. This means to say somebody is poor is to use
all sorts of values judgment. Poverty at one time regarded as misfortune
depreciations and lack of dignity and in the sense of conscious self limitation
to what is necessary for a good life in the community and in the sense of
responsibility for one’s own livelihood. This poverty is defined according to
its degree and the course of change that occurs (Amal 1995).
It pertinent and divine, that before
one can design any programme enough to alleviate poverty among poor students,
or logical starting point of the causes, and definition that is conceptually
sound and operationally manageable for
identify the groups require special attention in view of this below are part of
the students sources of wretchedness.
(1)
Family Background: Excessive procreation, where the father married two or more wives which
successfully dictates for uncare attitude by the father to the children.
(2)
Source of Income: The source of income of both parents might lies on Agriculture
Subsistence agriculture which cannot to a great length sustain the academic
development of such student. No money to purchase textbook, notebook, biro,
school uniform, school sandal. With this inferiority complex the father of
failure will now set in.
Statement of the Problem
Overall evidence reveals that the
scale of poverty development in developing countries continue to worse despite
various investments in poverty alleviation (Lazary et al 1997).
Today, students have additional work
and less assistance and are therefore greater pressure progress and security of
existence fundamentals needs for the population in any human community.
Progress and security of existence are regarded as very important because the
level of poverty of poor students is assuming higher proportion that not only
threatens the already poor quality of life itself.
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study is to
examine the effect of poverty on students academic performance in secondary
schools
The specific objectives of the study
are:
(1) To examine the socio-economic
characteristics of the students in the study area.
(2) To identify the major indicators of
poverty in the study area.
(3) To find out the suitable strategies
to control the level of poverty and pave way for more academic success of the
students.
(4) Make a policy recommendation based on
major research findings.
Concept and Nature of Poverty
Poverty is a wide concept which
different scholars as contributed to in their knowledge and understanding,
poverty means lack of total deprivation of ones dignity and respect, lost of
ones worth and potentiality.
According to Festus (2010), he opined
that poverty is a state of helplessness and hopelessness where no one can
dictates to his/herself the choice of human life through the necessities of
life, cloth food, home. Poverty according to Ayanwu (1999), poverty can be
conceptualized in both the relative and absolute senses, this is generally on
whether relative or absolute standards, are adopted in determine the
determination of the minimum income require to meet lifes basic necessities.
The relatives conceptualization of poverty is largely income based or
ultimately so. Within this category, relevant income is restricted to that very
minimum required to meet the subsistence level basic need.
Relative poverty is concerned with
the position of different group of individuals interms at their income and
consumption levels. Absolute poverty on the other hand, means the almost total
deprivation of certain basic necessities of life, the most obvious being food.
While relative and absolute poverty are associated with spending on non
food items such as cloth housing and
fuel, as well as education and health. They play significant roles in the
poverty status of the people.
Accordingly poverty depicts a
situation which a given material means of sustenance with a society is hardly
enough for subsistence in that society (Oguwumike, 1991).
Schuber (1994) observed out that
poverty and food risk ultimately related, both for landless workers and small
scale rural farmer and that any relevant measure of poverty therefore, would include
some model of food insecurity.
Secondly, a general class poverty is
commonly measured including food, risk is specified as an extension of the
usual deterministic measure based on the average availability of food thus
there is a strong association with food risk, poverty and income distribution
as well as wealth.
According to World Bank (1990)
poverty is commonly defined as the inability to attain a minimal standard of
living. It encompass not only consumption of food, clothing and shelter but
also access to education, health service clean what and so on.
The issue of conceptualizing poverty
within a minimum level of basic need in Nigeria has been the focus studied
(Ogwumike, 1991).
Their studies generally defined
poverty as a household inability to provide sufficient income to satisfy the
need for food shelter education. The children attending school and the level of
schooling are adopted as minimum standards. However, the problem of defining
minimum standard of clothing and transportation has persistent.
Overall evidence suggest that, the
scale of poverty in the developing countries to worsen despite investment in
poverty from all evaluations (Jazainy et al, 1992).
Also, there appear to be some broad
agreement on the existence of two types of poverty. Primary is solid to arise
when the income of an individual is inadequate to meet their physical
deficiencies.
Secondary poverty on the other hand
is deemed to arise from the miss-management of an income that would otherwise
have been sufficient for the satisfaction of basic human needs. The primary
poverty is usually attributed to deprivation imposed on the individual by the
circumstances of his/her society, while in secondary poverty the individual is
held totally responsible for his/her fate the limitation of this definition is
that, it does not capture the essence of the focus on poverty or over the
various manifestation of poverty.
Indicators of Poverty
The World Bank Report (1996) on
poverty assessment gave the following as the symptoms and indicators of the
community perceptions of poverty: physical access symptoms, agricultural
symptoms, nutritional symptoms, socio economic access symptom and visible
poverty symptom.
Logan (1991) in his own contribution
maintained that over population and the population pressure that have
manifested themselves recently in Africa
represent symptoms of poverty.
Rejuladeri (1992) he opined through
his contribution, poverty out the regional factors as well as the economic
status of the household act as powerful determinants of rural household
strategies for the development of female labour. In addition, the increasing
labour force participation of rural women might be a sign of deepening poverty
which might be forced women into the labour market as survival strategy.
According to Alice and Pius (1988)
contribution, the environmental indicator explains much on poverty symptom, on
the children who sell on the note of getting money for the family or the
recharge card seller on road side, mass population of substilence farming
operation come together to formed the environmental indicators.
Local Socio Cultural Perspective on
Rural Poverty
The perception of poverty locally
many considerably both between individual in any one community (World Bank
1991). Poverty got the level of the individual has been prescribed in times of
the ability to eat and cloth oneself adequately lock of land and gainful
employment and inability to meet social obligation of lack of kin on whom once
could rely for support in time of crisis.
The example of what is locally poor
among rural people in Kageng remote village on mountain and rocky terrain in
Jaraba stated described to feed. One’s family throughout the year emitetain
quests, to inability to own a house roofed with corregated won sheets (World
Bank 1996).
Poverty Alleviating Strategies
World Bank (1996) reported that some
of the strategies employed by rural and urban dwellers to alleviate poverty
among other include:
(1)
Buying
food on credit
(2)
Engaging
in others job such as living out labour
(3)
Denying
themselves of food at time
(4)
Eating
unconventional food such as yam peels
(5)
Long
period of breast feeding
(6)
Running
away from creditors and even from village.
According to Olawoye (1996), the
extended family also acts as a means of reducing poverty among women.
Remittance of cash material goods and exchange of food have been found to be
common between rural and urban relatives.
Kuimwiko (1991), in Nigeria, woman
income generating activities are multiple sometimes spanning long hours of
work. They are involved in family activities mainly in the processing. Other
informal source include borrowing of money from relates joining group, such as
(Esusu) (Ajo) in which there is regular contribution of money by individual may
be in the daily basis on weekly or even monthly contribution.
They usually engage themselves in
shoes and goal production on a small scale which give the women the advantage
of independent income and social reward
Griffith, 1994 and World bank (1997)
in a Sanitaria vein stressed that voluntary agencies offered rural women new
economic opportunities such as embroidery and the formation of co-operative
societies.
Okunmadewa (1997), pointed out that
the clear identification of the poor and the protest of the poor was often needed to be able to
ensure effectiveness of a direct poverty alleviating programme.
Pandit (1995) he opined that women
were also involve in dairy farming cattle fathering, small ruminant forming and
duck faming. Harrington (1995), in his view reveal out that new technology of
effectively used could go in a long means to alleviate poverty and prevent
resources degradation and facilitating expounded food production on smaller
harvest areas.
According to Kabeer (1990) maintained
that, survival strategies in situation where women the sole bread inners
generally display a diminished concern with propriety and purdar. Ever they
could find it, by the road side, in the field, in bazaars and in brothels.
Women combine domestic work with mage labour (Rejuladeri 1992).
In addition according to Babalola
(1992) explains the need to make use of local good in producing some industrial
need which successfully maintain the survival of such society.
Conclusively, Akinwumi and Oluwaye
(1994) pointed out that the poor rural areas takes imitative to improve their
own standard of living the level of service available to them and their
capacity to survive in time of exceptional hardship.
Conclusion
From the findings of the study, the
following conclusion can be drawn:
(1) There is correlation between the
level of poverty and academic achievement of the students.
(2) Economic status of parents has
significant effect on the academic performance of the students.
(3) That calorie intake has effect on the
academic achievement of the students.
(4) That balance diet determine the
student academic performance.
(5) That the per capital income of
parents effect the academic performance of the students.
Recommendations
(1)
Government
should try as much as possible to improve the feeding process of the students
through students feeding programme in our secondary schools should be
intensified by the government.
(2)
Parents
should try as much as possible to provide students daily need so as to improve
their academic achievement.
(3)
Government
should encourage students with scholarship award, bursary so as to foster their
academic development.
(4)
Calorie
intake should be drastically improved upon so that students academic
performance will improve.
(5)
Poverty
alleviation programme should be introduced to alleviate poverty in the society
so as to improve students standard of living as this will invariably boost
their academic achievement in schools.
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