Assessment of the Causes and Consequeses of School Dropouts among Government Secondary School Students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State

Abstract

Students are supposed to spend a particular number of years before graduation from school. When a student stops his attendance of the school before the time leading to the completion of the programme, he has dropout. The problem of school dropouts among secondary school students in Nigeria has become a thing of great concern to educationist in the country and the society at large. This study is, therefore, aimed at finding out the Causes and Consequence of School Dropout among Government Secondary Schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo Sate. In this study, descriptive survey was used in carrying out the research. Four research questions were formulated. Questionnaire was used as the instrument to collect information for the study. A sample size of 689 students drawn from 4 selected secondary schools was used as the respondents. The data collected were analysed with descriptive data using mean. The findings revealed that the causes of school dropout are as follows: high cost of education, peer influence, early marriage and pregnancies of unmarried girls and the quest to get rich quick. It also revealed that dropping out of school results to inferiority complex, engagement in antisocial behaviours, low ambition, marital discord and decline in national economic advancement. To stop this problem of school dropout, the researchers therefore recommended that the government should reduce the cost of education, parents should endeavour to carry out their responsibilities on their children, educational system should be well administered and guidance counsellors employed in secondary schools.