The purpose of this paper is to provide a qualitative explanation, understanding, and policy suggestions on the socio‐economic causes, effects, and challenges facing nomadic rural…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a qualitative explanation, understanding, and policy suggestions on the socio‐economic causes, effects, and challenges facing nomadic rural girls' street hawking in cities of Northern Nigeria. The aim is to present the paper as a source of literature that will serve as a future document in formulating inclusive policies for the girls as explained in the section on educational policy options.
Design/methodology/approach
Research orientation and design involved qualitative phenomenology that explored girls' street hawking experiences. Study sites included three major Nigerian cities and three villages of the girls. Purposeful sampling was used to select 20 girls between ages eight and 15 and female parents as primary participants, while two traditional and religious leaders from each of the villages, and one administrator of the local state nomadic education commission served as secondary participants. Snowball samples of three male parents of the girls in each village were used as part of data validity. Data collection technique involved unstructured focus group interviews, participant observations, and video recording of the girls at home, at markets, and at streets in the cities. Ethical issues were addressed by obtaining oral and written consent of participants orally and in writing using the native language for clarity and understanding of their role. Data analysis of interview involved transcription and the repeated reading of the transcripts that identified major themes. Observational data were converted to field notes and analyzed for patterns of ideas that support major themes of the analyzed interview data for validity. Triangulation process of checking validity was used with sample of snowball participants as state educational administrators of nomadic education, religious leaders, amongst others.
Findings
Major findings are presented as themes on major economic causes of the girls' street hawking of dairy products as a part of family gender division of labor, poverty level of most families, preparing girls for self‐reliance and economic independence, and to augment family income. Social causes include Islamic religious pressure of teaching youth self‐reliance in preparation for early marriage, to finance wedding expenses, to acquire material possessions as child brides, for family honor, to accrue income to maintain their bodily aesthetic needs, group street hawking as a means to girls socialization, and exposing girls to suitors as future husbands, amongst others. Challenges facing the girls include lack of safety, exposure to forms of abuse, and being left behind in basic literacy, amongst others.
Originality/value
This paper is of significant value due to its novelty. It will serve as primary literature on minority West African pastoral girls' impact on rural‐urban migration, their challenges, and their position in the current world social policy of the Department for International Development and UNICEF Girls Education Project.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to show how Nigeria's current Universal Basic Education on primary schooling targets Muslim Almajiri street boys for basic literacy acquisition. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show how Nigeria's current Universal Basic Education on primary schooling targets Muslim Almajiri street boys for basic literacy acquisition. The paper examines the policy's management implementation practices and challenges, as well as provides policy options that may minimize discrepancies for effective management.
Design/methodology/approach
The discussion is guided by preliminary qualitative studies using phenomenology research philosophy to better understand the social realities of the boys' schooling. Using a descriptive case study approach, two schools in a major city of northern Nigeria served as research sites. Data collection process involved informal interviews, active observations, and discussions with a purpose with four boys, and two teachers as primary participants. Data analysis engaged the generation of themes from the transcribed interview and personal observation field notes, with major ones as challenges and policy options of the program implementation.
Findings
Major findings include the boys' adoption to the free lunch feeding policy as motivation to partial school attendance. Management shortcomings of the synergy include ineffective communication and collaboration, poor instructional supervision and cultural insensitivity to boys' school retention. Remedies to the shortcomings are reviewed as policy options in the article.
Research implications
The paper concludes that effective management strategies as communication and collaboration with community stakeholders, frequencies of instructional supervision are vital to schooling inclusion of the boys in primary schools. The article provides workable data for future modification of the policy.
Originality/value of paper
So far, no program assessment on this schooling synergy has been investigated. This article attempts to bridge the gap between ground level realities and policy implementation methodologies of the government on the schooling of Almajiris.
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Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to explore female teachers and vice principal’s leadership on girls attendance and learning, safety and security issues in rural girls’ schools…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore female teachers and vice principal’s leadership on girls attendance and learning, safety and security issues in rural girls’ schools experiencing Boko Haram insurgencies. The secondary purpose is to recommend innovative educational policy initiatives at the school, community and state levels, so as to ameliorate girls and teachers’ challenges, and to sustain girls in schools.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative educational research orientation and an ethnographic-narrative research design were used for the study. Purposeful sampling procedure was adopted through the selection of female teachers and a vice principal. Soft qualitative oral data (SQOD) were collected from structured interviews and focus groups and participant observation data. Data analysis engaged hand data analysis (HAD) for transcription, while the coding and theming process involved qualitative computer software data analysis (CSDA) of NVivo 8.0. The measures of validity involved the qualitative process of member checking, while ethical issues of anonymity with participants were addressed in the process of data collection, and reporting.
Findings
Major findings revealed a symbiotic relationship between female teacher’s moral leadership and the application of law of tort in the girls’ school; teachers’ adopted spiritual leadership and moral decision making process on girls’ safety, and learning motivation; and improved school community collaboration for security and safety of the girls and effective communication.
Practical implications
Educational policy options are prescribed. They include the training of teachers and girls on fire safety and conflict crisis; recruitment of female school counsellors; housing incentives for female teachers; support grassroot initiatives on school security; and sustaining school-community/parents involvement.
Originality/value
Boko Haram’s impact on teacher and school leadership in girls’ school(s) has not been studied so far. The paper is the first, thereby filling the gap of the literature on girls’ rural education and terrorism.