Abstract
The government of Ghana’s effort on increasing access to basic education led to removal of school fees, introduction of capitation grants, school feeding and free school uniforms. While such moves have been applauded leading to improved access, child migration remains a barrier to educational access for children living in fishing communities in Ghana. This paper presents the experiences of schoolchildren who drop out of school as a result of child labour and seasonal migration. The central questions of the study are how and why migration acts as a barrier to education of children who had initial access. The paper presents in-depth analysis of qualitative data. The findings presented in the paper demonstrate that children enroll and attend school until they begin to migrate during mid-school sessions resulting in their exclusion from basic school. The paper concludes by highlighting some policy implications of children’s seasonal migration during school sessions and access to basic school in Ghana.
Highlights
Factors such as the cost of education and other socio-cultural issues are cited in dropout literature as causes
The findings and discussion focuses on the child labour activities of children, the reasons children give for migration and how such movements interferes with their schooling
I have shown in this paper that the phenomenon of child labour, seasonal child migration, and school dropout in the study areas involve clashes in school calendar and activities
Summary
Factors such as the cost of education and other socio-cultural issues are cited in dropout literature as causes. In Ghana, access to primary education has grown over the years and Gross Enrolment Rates are above 95% (MOESS, 2007). While basic school enrolment in Ghana has improved significantly in recent years, one major challenge facing it has been high levels of drop out (MOESS, 2007). Over 20% of school going children in Ghana have either dropped out or never enrolled in school at primary level (Ampiah & Adu-Yeboah, 2009). Reports on the state of education in Ghana by Akyeampong et al (2007) and other studies (see GSS, 2003; Hashim, 2004; MOESS, 2007, 2008) confirm the reality of school dropout in Ghana’s basic school system. In 2006, noncompletion rates stood at 15% and 35% for primary and junior high school (JHS) levels respectively (MOESS, 2007)
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