CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Poverty has been perceived using various criteria. It may be seen as reflection of alarming deficit in the economy, as evidence in the mass penury, pauperization and poor welfare condition of the citizenry of a particular state.
However, oxford learner’s dictionary defined poverty as a state of being poor, scarcity, and lack of particular qualities. In the same vein, poverty is seen as a state of being poor, absolute want. Absent of basic needs of life such as food, clothing and shelter. Obadan (1997), supported this view when he opined that poverty is a situation of low income, consumption, saving and investment. Idada (2008), opined that poverty can be conceptualized as a phenomena that exists at national, community, (state) level, household and individual levels. At the national level, poverty represents a state of socio economic underdevelopment arising from overpopulation, poor natural endowment, poor human and material resources, low and stagnating national income leading to inability of the state to provide minimally decent level of living for the ordinary citizenry (Blar et al, 2008).
At the community level, poverty is deprivation arising from environment and natural resource degradation, inadequate access to social security and basic infrastructure, inadequate local employment and income generation opportunities and general appearance of physical decay and wasting of community assets. (Olayemi, 1997:87-88 as cited in by Eregha et al 2007, 70:1).
Poverty is a state of household command over resource at a level which is insufficient to obtain a basket of goods and facilities, judges to be minimal necessaries in a contemporary society (Edeko et al 2007, 578). According to medical research council (MRC 2001) cited in Idada (2008), states that poverty prevents individual from reaching their full potentials. It help to deny individual right like those in decision that affect their live and freedom from abuse (Udo 1996). Poverty as it affect individual family also have it tour on child or pupil academic performance as the economic situation of parents and family, also contribution to the learning and socialization of the child. As poverty leads to school dropouts, rape, low performance, low self esteem, low self development and growth, poverty also leads to dreams unactualised, self pity and self defect.
The economic situation of parents determines the numbers of facilities which will enable the child learn, for example, young children needs toys that are meaningful to learn and only parents who are economically stable can afford this luxury, again, parents of rich home also employ private teachers for their children and buy textbooks and others that can enable the children to learn at their own pace. (Udo, 1996).