Effects of Boko Haram Insurgency on Students’ Enrolment and Perforamce in North-East Nigeria (A Case Study of Yobe State)

Abstract

Armed conflict has become a challenging phenomenon especially in the Northeastern part of Nigeria. The paper studies the effect of armed conflict on students’ enrolment and performance in the Northeast region of Nigeria. The study being qualitative, utilized data obtained through key informants’ interview and secondary sources. Hence, 48 respondents were purposefully interviewed due to their experience on the issue. Indeed, finding indicates that armed conflicts such as the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast Nigeria has negatively affected students ‘enrolment and their performance in schools due to students dropping out of school, as many males headed households in the region and Yobe State were either killed or displaced thereby leaving most women as widows and children as orphans. It is noted that many students who were affected by the Boko Haram crisis have either dropped out from school or have suffered one form of inconvenience or the other. In view of the findings, the paper suggests that government and all stakeholders in the education and development circle should as a matter urgency intervene to save the current worrisome situation. It is also suggested that more needs to be done to fast track enrolment campaign drive that may assist the government, communities, traditional rulers, religious leaders, teachers towards enrolling students back to schools like their fellow counterpart.