AN ASSESSMENT OF INCIDENCE OF DROPOUTS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERSTATE AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN ADULT EDUCATION

Background Of Study

Education is the process by which individuals acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and behavior to function effectively as citizens. It is regarded as the foundation of all aspects of a nation's development, as well as a powerful tool in the development of human capacity. Wood (2010) identified education as a critical factor in the development of a nation, communities, and individuals in terms of job opportunities, economic empowerment, and social achievement.

The main concern in basic education is keeping students in school until they finish their education. Dropping out is a serious issue because it violates each student's fundamental human right to an education. Individual rights to education have been repeatedly affirmed in many treaties and conventions around the world, including the 1948 Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1990 World Conference on Education for All (UNESCO, 2000), to which Nigeria is a signatory. There is widespread agreement that the school dropout problem has reached epidemic proportions globally and has become a global issue confronting the education industry worldwide (Wotherspoon, 2004; Bridgeland, Entwisle and Horsey, 2006; Oghuvbu, 2008).

In its most basic form, school dropout refers to the untimely withdrawal from school. Students who drop out of school too soon do not receive a diploma or certificate of completion. The issue of school dropout is a global one that affects the education industry all over the world. Since then, researchers such as Mohsin, Aslam, and Bashir (2004), De Cos (2005), Bridgeland, Dilulio, and Morison (2006), and Oghuvbu (2008) have supported this claim.

The issue of school dropout has been with us for a long time in Nigeria. According to Fafunwa (1983), dropout is one of the most serious problems that have plagued our educational system since our independence from the colonial administration in 1960. Even before our independence, the dropout problem had taken hold of our educational system. This is supported by Nuffied Foundations' observation in 1953 that on the West Coast of Africa, a significant proportion of students drop out of school each year.

Students who drop out of school before the end of the school year do not receive a diploma. Dropping out of school has significant social consequences, including decreased political participation, increased demand for social services, increased crime rates, and poor health (Azam, 2007). Individual costs include lower earnings, increased unemployment, and a higher risk of health problems (Thurton et al., 2006). It is clear from the preceding that most students severely limit their future economic and social well-being by dropping out of school. In this regard, according to a UNESCO report on the state of the world's children published in 2000, approximately 130 million children in the developing world are denied their right to an education due to dropout. According to Maton and Moore (2010), the issue of dropout should concern every member of society because it has negative consequences on both the individual and social levels. Dropout is thus not just a problem that affects one person, but it is a problem that affects the entire community, as certain dropouts have been observed to become involved in crime (Jamil et al., 2010).Policies and measures to improve school progression and reduce the number of students dropping out of secondary school are critical if national educational goals are to be met in Nigeria. 

According to UNESCO (2011), students are starting secondary school in greater numbers than ever before, but dropout rates are high, resulting in low levels of secondary school completion in many countries. With such high rates of dropout and non-completion in secondary school, many students are leaving school without even acquiring the most fundamental skills. Their brief schooling experience is frequently comprised of limited learning opportunities in overcrowded classrooms with inadequate learning materials and under-qualified teachers.

(Alexander 2008 ). Students of varying abilities are mixed together in single classrooms with no proper adaptation of teaching methods to improve learning and increase school engagement (Little, 2008). Many students' meaningful access to education is jeopardized by such schooling circumstances, as well as personal and family level factors such as poverty. As a result, many children are registered in schools but do not attend, participate but do not learn, are enrolled for several years but do not progress, and eventually drop out (UNESCO, 2011).

Failure to complete an ordinary secondary school not only limits children's future career opportunities, but also represents a significant drain on countries' limited resources for secondary education provision. Despite their importance, strategies to improve school retention and progression have received little attention. National education plans typically assume that secondary school progression will improve on its own as a result of interventions aimed at improving initial access and educational quality.

​​​​​​​Statement Of Problem

In Nigeria, education is based on the premise that it is the best tool for achieving national development. The overarching philosophy of Nigeria's educational system is founded on two major issues: the integration of the individual into a sound and effective citizen, and the provision of equal educational opportunities for all citizens at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, both inside and outside the formal school system.

According to Ameh (2013), secondary education is critical in Nigeria's educational system. As a result, secondary education has been taken seriously since its inception, not only as an acceptable qualification for good jobs, but also as a gateway to solid higher education, both academic and professional. Secondary school dropout  are skyrocketing. This situation has presented difficulties for school administration, staff, parents, the community, employers, and the students themselves. As minimum skill expectations have risen at every educational level, the importance of completing an ordinary level secondary education has grown. Despite this trend and the increased severity of the negative consequences of dropping out for many secondary school students, particularly those from low-income families, graduation remains a challenge (Hammond, 2007). This is happening in tandem with the government's deliberate actions and initiatives to spearhead national education goals through the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction (NSGRP) in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the transformation agenda.

​​​​​​​Objective Of Study

The general aim of this study is to critically assess the incidence of dropouts in selected secondary schools in River State and its implication for curriculum development in adult education. Below are the specific objectives:

1. To ascertain the factors which contributes to the rate of student dropout.
2. To investigate the relationship between students’ family background and the incidence of dropout.
3. To examine students dropout has any effect on curriculum development of adult education.
4. To examine the extent to which dropouts participate in adult education programs as an alternative to formal schooling, 

Research Questions

The following questions will guild this study

1. What are the factors which contributes to the rate of student dropout?
2. Is there any relationship between students’ family background and the incidence of dropout?
3. Does students dropout have any effect on curriculum development of adult education?
4. What is the extent to which school dropouts participate in adult education programs as an alternative to formal schooling, 

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