THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION MINISTRY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CHILD ABUSE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AT EDO COLLEGE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Context Of The Study
In spite of the fact that children’s rights are recognized and, to a certain extent, protected by legislation and constitutions in many nations around the world, child abuse and neglect are increasingly becoming universal phenomena in contemporary world cultures. Child abuse has the potential to have a huge economic impact on schools and students in Nigeria.
Even conservative estimates indicate that at least 8% of children in the United States are sexually abused before the age of 18, while 17% are physically abused and 18% are physically neglected (Flisher, Kramer, Hoven, & Greenwald, 2007). Childhood maltreatment and bad parenting practices in general have the potential to impede the intellectual growth of students.
As a result, schools’ ability to meet the No Child Left Behind Act’s (US Department of Education, 2005) school achievement standards could be jeopardized, putting them at risk of losing federal funding. As a result of its influence on middle and high school achievement, it may also have a detrimental effect on the economic outcomes of students as adults.
The African network for the prevention and protection of child abuse and neglect (ANPPCAN) defines child abuse as “acts that affect the child’s physical, mental, emotional, moral, and educational wellbeing.” Hopper (2004) defines child abuse as any act of maltreatment or subjection that jeopardizes the physical, emotional, or health development of a kid.
According to Gelles (2007), child abuse encompasses malnutrition, abandonment, neglect, emotional and sexual abuse in addition to physical violence. Violence against children, child labor, abandonment, neglect, adolescent prostitution, early marriage, and forced marriage are all prevalent types of child abuse in Nigeria. In Nigeria, emotional and sexual abuse are pervasive.
At the time of reporting, 625,024 babies were born to teenage mothers in Nigeria, according to Oji (2006). Pregnancy without consent has been identified as the leading cause of child abuse in Nigeria. Numerous abused children were initially unwanted and proved to be a huge burden for their emotionally incompetent or deprived parents.
Children from low-income households are more likely to be abused, whereas Todd (2004) suggested that Nigeria, a famously corrupt African nation, is on the edge of slipping into deadly poverty, with its teeming population without adequate food for a healthy lifestyle. Similar sorrow was expressed by Oluwole (2002) when reviewing the working conditions of minors employed as housemaids.
Child abuse is one of the most serious obstacles to achieving education for all (EFA), and this has resulted in a setback in achieving the 2015 United Nations target of universal primary education. According to Onye (2004), child maltreatment is an indication of poverty. Aderinto and Okunola (2008) discovered that some children were compelled to engage in street hawking in order to support their families.
This means that, even at a young age, children provide for their diverse families. Children between the ages of 6 and 16 are commonly observed as bus/taxi companions, hawking items, pushing trucks for money, or begging for money in Nigeria’s major parks and streets, while they should be in school learning.
Children are the most susceptible to disease, exploitation, abuse, and violence, as evidenced by the aforementioned facts. Although child abuse has a significant potential impact, evidence of its causal effect on children’s long-term educational results is frequently insufficient.
There is now only evidence of negative relationships between childhood maltreatment (physical and sexual abuse or neglect) and academic achievement. On average, abused children earn lower teacher ratings, perform worse on cognitive testing and standardized measures of academic attainment, obtain lower grades, and are more frequently suspended and retained in grade. Abused children have a more difficult time building new relationships with peers and adults, as well as adhering to social norms.
The primary mission of the Ministry of Education is to improve children’s education and eliminate obstacles that make learning difficult. Public Law 94/142 allocates millions of dollars annually for this purpose. This law protects the right of every kid to a specialized education. This law demonstrates our dedication to eliminating obstacles to learning for all children.
However, the long-term effects of child abuse and neglect are just as significant an impediment to learning as any perceptual problem. Educators are trained to recognize and intervene when kids are unable to properly capitalize on their educational opportunities.
As a result of this training, they are uniquely able to spot symptoms that may indicate child maltreatment. The only venue where youngsters are regularly observed is school. As a result, the education ministry will be able to notice changes in their appearance and behavior.
1.2 Statement Of Problem
Child abuse has a tendency to damage the educational system, and the school can do much to combat this. Child abuse has been a problem in Nigeria for a long time, and it has only become more detrimental to the country as a whole. It cannot be emphasized enough that child abuse has existed in Edo State for as long as the epidemic has existed in Nigeria.
The government recently suspended the principal and house master of Edo college for mistreating pupils completing their National Examination Council (NECO) final exams. Child maltreatment encompasses, among other things, child assault, child labor, child abandonment and neglect, teenage prostitution, early marriage, and forced marriage. In the majority of cases, parents are the primary perpetrators of all of these forms of social abuse.
Observation reveals that the substance of education is likely to be lost if children are made to suffer the rigors of child labor on a daily basis, despite the fact that school as a socialization agent promises to have a powerful and overwhelming impact on a child’s development.
1.3 Aim Of The Study
The study’s aims are as follows:
Determine whether or not the Ministry of Education plays a significant role in the fight against child abuse in secondary schools.
To analyze the Ministry of Education’s child abuse prevention initiatives in secondary schools.
Determine if the incidence of child abuse in secondary schools has decreased.
1.4 Research Problem
The following research questions serve as the basis for this study:
What role does the Ministry of Education play in the fight against child abuse in secondary schools?
What techniques does the Ministry of Education employ in secondary schools to combat child abuse?
Has child abuse decreased in secondary schools?
1.5 Importance Of Research
The findings of this study are significant because they will better inform the education ministry, parents, guardians, teachers, school administrators, and all other educational sector stakeholders on the issues surrounding child abuse. Such understanding may inhibit future instances of child exploitation, especially when the child is used as a source of revenue for the family. Undoubtedly, Hawking exposes children to a range of societal vices; hence, the study’s aim to develop a model for good child rearing in society is justifiable.
This study will contribute to the existing literature in this field and serve as a resource for academics, researchers, and students who wish to do future research on this or a similar subject.
1.6 Study Extent
This study investigates the role of the Ministry of Education in secondary schools’ fight against child abuse. The study will also investigate if the Ministry of Education plays a significant role in the fight against child abuse in secondary schools, the techniques utilized by the Ministry of Education in this struggle, and whether child abuse in secondary schools has decreased. This study is thus restricted to Edo college in the state of Edo.
1.7 Study Limitations
During the course of the investigation, the researchers were hindered by insufficient funds, insufficient resources, and a lack of time.
1.8 Terms Definitions
Abuse of children occurs when a person, via action or inaction, causes injury, death, emotional harm, or the possibility of such harm to a kid.
The Federal Ministry of Education is one of the Federal Ministries of Nigeria responsible for directing education in Nigeria.
SECOND CHAPTER
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we will study the relevant literature that will aid in elucidating the research challenge and acknowledge the work of scholars who have made significant contributions to comparable research in the past. The purpose of this chapter is to increase comprehension of the topic and close any perceived gaps.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION MINISTRY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CHILD ABUSE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AT EDO COLLEGE