The effects of poverty on children's experiences of school in two public secondary schools of Balochistan
Date of Award
8-1-2011
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (M. Ed.)
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
This thesis investigates the premise that poverty influences children's lives in different ways in the public schools of Balochistan. There is little information about, and understanding of, how poverty-stricken children experience school as opposed to children from better off families. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of poverty on children's experiences of school and to see its implications on education. This study is comparative in nature and therefore the focus of this study is to understand how children from families living in poverty experience school as opposed to children from better off families. This study is based on the views of children from two secondary schools in Balochistan. This study is a qualitative case study of four research participants from one girl's and one boy's public school in the district of Lasbela, which is one of the poorest districts in Pakistan. The participants of this study were selected based on the poverty line of $1.25 set by the World Bank, but the focus of this study was participatory which investigated the effects of poverty on the children's school experiences from the perspectives of the children. So far, there has been very little research done to see the effects of poverty on the children's experiences of schooling in Pakistan and particularly in Balochistan. The findings of this study reveal that the school experiences of poor children are not as good as the school experiences of better off children. The parents of poor children do not have enough resources to meet the educational expenses of their children; they can hardly cater for their necessities like clothes, shoes, school bags, books, notebooks, uniforms and other essential stationery. Furthermore, the findings suggest that poverty that is due to lack of financial resources affects the experiences of children at school, there are also some other socio-emotional factors which results from poverty such as conflicting relationships with peers and teachers. Therefore, the findings of this study can prove very beneficial for the policy makers in helping them take broader social policy initiatives for reducing poverty and inequality, so that the lives of the poor children could be improved in the public schools of Pakistan.
Recommended Citation
Hussain, S. (2011). The effects of poverty on children's experiences of school in two public secondary schools of Balochistan (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.