TITLE:
Child Migration and Dropping Out of Basic School in Ghana: The Case of Children in a Fishing Community
AUTHORS:
Eric Daniel Ananga
KEYWORDS:
Child Migration; School Dropout; Children; Child Labour
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.4 No.6,
June
7,
2013
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.