CHAPTER ONE
1.0. INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Nigeria as a developing country needs people who are required for the political, social and economic development of the country. This is necessary because Nigeria no longer need money bag citizens, rather she needs men and women and enough money for the peoples comfort. In order to achieve this, school or formal education for all in Nigeria is mandatory and necessary. It is not important that all Nigeria citizens in Odeda Local Government in particular get full formal education which leads to school dropout and human wastage or attrition. Looking at the economic problems in Nigeria today, most especially those in the low socio-economic classes engaged their children and wards in various activities such as hawking.
Hawking according to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 6th edition, means moving to sell things by going from placed to place asking people to buy them. However, Olalere (2007) identified two main types of hawkers which are: the hawkers that carry their goods in wheels and the side walk hawkers who sit with their wares beside the road. According to Olalere, the capital out lay for types of trade is determined by nature of goods traded. The hawker builds cart to suit his or her purpose. The hawker also employs different media of advertising their wares like; buy your sweet orange, the hawker may also decided to short the names of their goods in the manner peculiar and appealing to people.
Many of the hawkers sell different goods which one might not go out ordinary to buy except on impulse basis if we come across them on the way. For the side of the hawker, they sit by their goods and attend to those who come to them. The capital required is determined by the nature of the wares. Hawking also take place in the rural areas but are mostly alone in the evenings when people are back from the farm, village markets or school. The situation is ever different in urban areas. Hawking goes on in the urban area from morning to evening on a daily basis.
This situation has no doubt affected the child’s schooling is specifically another important aspect of the child’s developmental stage. A child who shares the school time with street hawking is always late to school and he or she is bound to develop immaturities in school work which may include poor studying habits, lack of skills, low self esteem and low performances in class hence resulting in failure or total dropping out of school.
It has been heard of that some parents in towns and cities withdrawn their children from school in order to send them hawking so as to make more money for the family upkeep. In some cases, some children dropped out from school for a term or even a whole year and when they get back to school (that is if they go back to it they become too big for their cohort and they fall victims of name calling by younger classmates. This type of situation could have many negative effects on the children psychologically who became under achiever or might develop school phobia. Such children at the end of the day fail or drop out.
The search for money to make ends meet in a depressed economy is obviously one of the major reasons for parent and guardians sending their children or wards to hawk. Most of the hawkers are either in primary/secondary school for the purpose of hawking and at each day sales the children are weak and tired that they are unable to concentrate, contribute to discussion or study on their own.
Apparently, parents and guardians do not realize this and children do not know that the means by which the mental, moral, social and material inheritance of the society can be passed from generation to generation through formal education.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The majority of Nigerian parents believe that children are their God sent helpers both for economic purpose and other wise. This is why many Nigerians want to have children until old age. Most average Nigerians do not consider street hawking by children and some other child labor practices are seen as part of the socialization process in the society. This brings the question to mind that, mostof the parents whose children are participating instreet hawking may have been street hawkersthemselves in their life. Thus, the use of theirwards or children as hawkers may largely reflecttheir value representation.
In Nigeria today, hawking by children ofschool age is not entirely new in society. Streethawking creates room for lack of seriousness andinterest in school work, poor memory, learningdifficulty and under achievement the problem ofthis study therefore is to investigate the relationshipbetween street hawking and drop out.
1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY
The main purpose of this study is to identifythe various factors that cause street hawking. It isalso aimed at investigating the various agents thatinfluence academic pursuit and their effects on theschool work of the young hawker and to channelthese influences towards providing a long termsolution.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Does parental level of financial wellbeinginfluence children street hawking business
2. Does street hawking influence the high rateof drop out, delinquency and truancy?
3. Is it the parents that often provide thewares or articles of street hawking for their children?
4. What is the level of academic achievement of childrenwho indulge in hawking?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is meant to investigate into one ofthe causes of children inability to complete theirformal education.
The main aim of formal education is toprepare children for the future and to get ready forimportant responsibilities. This is in line with twoout of the five main objective of the Nigerian woulddevelop citizens who are responsible, bright, united,strong and self- reliant.
It is a crystal clear that children streethawking is a distraction and an exposure ofchildren to bad habit and more danger.
From this study, parents would learnimportance of formal education and so give it itsright position while drawing the scale of preferencefor their children.
Similarly, parents would then set goals fortheir children and motivate children in theiracademic work so that the children would putformal education which gives self esteem, respect,prestige and good personality before money makingventure.
From this research, children could learn toimprove on the ideas they have about themselves asthis could be a motivating factor for writing formaleducation. It would also bring their knowledge thatdivided loyalty might be an hindrance to betterperformance in school.
In summary, this research will serveas guide to parents, teachers and even policymakers on now bets to develop children positivelyin order for them to become more useful in thesociety.
1.6 SCOPE OF STUDY
As a result of inadequate and limited time,this study is limited to J.S.S 1 students in Odeda Local Governmenttherefore had tomake use of the J.S.S 1 students in the area.
The scope of this study moves children ofschool age ten to twelve.The result of the study may notnecessarily be used as a standard of comparism indetermining all school dropout but, the findings ofthis study is still useful.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
In order to make the study clearer and toavoid confusion, the following term used is defined;
COHORT: This refers to a group of people supporting the same thing or person. It also refers to a demographic grouping of people especially those in a defined age group, or having a common characteristics.
HAWKING: carrying of wares or goods about for sale
PHOBIA: an extreme or irrational fear for school
EDUCATION: is the process of facilitating learning. An act of imparting knowledge, skill and judgment
SOCIALIZATION: a process by which children learn from others.
UNDERACHIEVEMENT: to perform worse or achieve less success than expected (underperformance).
ACHIEVEMENT: something that has been done through effort: a result of hardwork.
ATTRITION: a process of reducing children’s strength and effectiveness through hawking.