CHALLENGES OF ORPHAN AND

VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN
EARLY LITERACY LEARNING:

THE CASE OF EDUCATION FOR

NEEDY PEOPLE ASSOCIATION
PRESCHOOL IN ADDIS ABABA,
ETHIOPIA

By
Makda Kifle
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
 Introduction
 Statement of the problem

 Objectives

 Methodology

 Findings

 Discussion and conclusion

 Recommendation
INTRODUCTION

 The quality of childhood is a critical factor in shaping the

future of children.

 Learning experiences are largely determined by the care

and protection children to receive or fail to receive from
adults.

 Learners coming from a disadvantaged background are at

the risk of receiving insufficient education, and law
quality (Motha & Frempong, 2013).
 This is particularly true for orphans and vulnerable
children, who experience learning in deficient ways than
typical children (Naqshbandi, Sehgal, & Hassan, 2012).

 The Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (2004)

defined orphans as children under the age of 18 who
have lost one or both of their parents, regardless of
the form and kind of the causes.
 Vulnerable child as a child under the age of 18 whose
survival, care, protection, or development may have
been compromised owing to a specific condition and
who is found in a circumstance that prevents the
realization of his or her rights (Ministry of Women
and Children's Affairs, 2004).
 According to the report of UNICEF (2017) there are
nearly 140 million orphan children worldwide who have
lost one or both parents.

 Reports from Save the Children UK (2009), within

Ethiopia 5.5 million children, around 6% of the total
population and 12% of the child population, are
categorized as orphans or vulnerable children (OVC).
 As the number of orphan and vulnerable children grows,
communities become less and less capable of addressing
all their basic needs, including their ability to go to
school (UNICEF, 2009)

 And lack of support in education by parents/guardians

will have a direct influence on how orphans perform in
education (Mwoma & Pillay, 2015) which leads to law
academic performance.
 Academic skills are acquired by children during the pre-school
education period.

 Such skills include early literacy and mathematics skills (Uyanık

and Kandır, 2010)

 Early literacy skills are the reading and writing abilities,

information, and attitudes that emerge before formal education.
Oral language, phonological processing skills, and print
knowledge are the three essential early literacy skills (Purpura et
al., 2011).
 Angela (2018) said that in a school or home setting, a positive
learning environment is crucial for a child. Banks (2004) also
stated that support from the parents is a huge energy for
children’s education.

 It means parents must partake in the process of children’s

education.

 Thus, the parents are important people who contribute a lot to

the children’s development since the early childhood (Paratore,
Melzi, & Krol-Sinclair, 2003).
 The home learning environment such as shared parent-
child activities at home plays an important role in
developing literacy and numeracy skills (silver et al,
2020) in which orphan and vulnerable children most of
the time lacks which results in law literacy performance .
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

 Ethiopia counts one of the largest populations of orphan

and vulnerable children in the world (Zewdineh, 2014).

 Rubaha (2008) pointed out that neglect, abuse, lack of

parental love, lack of food, high labour demand at home,
stigmatised at school because of lack of school uniforms
and learning materials are some of the challenges
orphaned and vulnerable students face.
 Kafwa (2005) argued that compared to non-orphans,
orphaned students are more likely to drop out of school and
have limited access to health social services as well as being
prone to abuse.

 These challenges create emotional stress making the pupils

difficult to concentrate and learn in the classroom due to
trauma and this learning experiences are related to students’
law academic involvement and achievement (Gallagher,
2011).
 Parent and home environment factors also can have
significant implications for children’s literacy acquisition
(Byrne et al, 2009) and

 The findings from Berry and Gutrie (2013) stated that

orphans and vulnerable children are exposed to various
social, psychological, economic and health problems
which leads to law academic performance.

 Hence this study aimed to identify the challenges of

orphan and vulnerable children in early literacy learning
at Education for Needy People Association Preschool.
 OBJECTIVES
General objectives
The
 main objective of the study is to explore challenges of
orphan and vulnerable children in early literacy learning at
ENPA Preschool.
Specific objectives
To identify the hindering challenges in early literacy learning
To find out the Preschool’s intervention towards the
challenges
 METHODOLOGY
Research approach and design

 Qualitative research approach, case study is employed.

Samples and sampling techniques

 Purposive sampling technique was employed.

 Concerning the samples, two children from each class purposively

selected according to their literacy performance and well
expression skills, six guardians, All main teacher counting six
including the principal and general manager are included.
 Method of data collection

Data were collected using document analysis for identifying the

background of the OVC and interview was conducted with the
children, guardians, teachers, principal and manager in order to
identify the challenges towards literacy performance and
interventions by the preschool.

Techniques of data analysis

The collected qualitative data were analysed thematically.

Ethical consideration
 Before the study, the objectives and significance of the
study were clearly discussed with the principal of the
pre-school, general manager of the association, teachers
and guardians. Then, the study was able to conduct after
getting their consent
 FINDINGS

 This study aimed to investigate the hindering challenges

behind law literacy achievement and the intervention
mechanisms the preschool is implementing towards the
challenges.

 Hence, the collected data from the document analysis,

and interview is described as follows,
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS
(STUDENTS) BY SEX, AGE, GRADE LEVEL AND
FAMILY SIZE

Sex Age Grade Level Person living

with
F 5 Nursery mother
M 4 Nursery mother and sister
F 5 Lower Kg Mother, One
brother and two
sisters
F 5 Lower Kg mother
F 6 Upper Kg mother
M 6 Upper Kg aunt
 Two participants from each grade level purposively
selected based on their ability to express them selves
well.
 Four from six participants lives with their single mother.

 One lives with aunt and the other lives with a mother and
step father.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS
(GUARDIANS) BY SEX, AGE, RELATIONSHIP
WITH CHILD, EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND
OCCUPATION

Sex Age Relationship Educational Occupation

with the Child Level

F 37 Mother 5th grade Jobless

F 32 Mother 12th complete No specific job

F 30 Mother Illiterate Daily Labourer

F 35 Mother 4th grade Petty Trader

F 25 Aunt 8th grade Prostitute

 
F 34 Mother 4th Grade Jobless
 
 Two single mothers described themselves as jobless, one
as daily labourer, one as a petty trader and one aunt as
prostitute. The other single mother explains how she
don’t have a specific job meaning she do whatever that
brings her money.

 Three of the mothers are learned till grade five only and
one is found to be illiterate.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS
(TEACHERS) BY SEX, QUALIFICATION, TOTAL
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND TEACHING
EXPERIENCE.

Sex Qualificatio Total years of Years of Experience

n experience in ENPA

F Diploma 7 6
F Certificate 3 3
F Certificate 5 5
F Certificate 13 5
F Certificate 16 8

F Certificate 2 1
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS
(ADMINISTRATION LEVEL WORKERS) BY SEX,
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL, WORK POSITION AND
YEAR OF EXPERIENCE

Sex Qualification Work Position Year of

experience at
ENPA

M Management Manager 14
Degree

F Diploma in Principal 12
Preschool
Education
 1. CHALLENGES BEHIND EARLY LITERACY LEARNING

After purposefully identifying the students, document

analysis done to find about the children background, had
interview with the children, guardians and teachers and the
following findings are found.
LIMITED GUARDIANS’ INVOLVEMENT TOWARDS THE TEACHING AND
LEARNING PROCESS

 Four from the six children explained that they do home

works alone. Only one child claims to work with mother
yet the other described that will do with older sister.

 Single mothers explained that they are obliged to be

engaged alone in long running daily labor works or petty
trading with an objective of generating income for their
house hold . As a result they would pay less attention to
the children education but on fulfilling on basic needs.
One described she couldn’t help her child because she is
not educated.
 ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
 All the participant stated that orphan and vulnerable
children are exposed to serious economical problems.

 They also confirmed that this children worries about

their food, clothing, school uniforms and materials.
 POOR ATTENDANCE
 Teachers explained that the children got plenty of
reasons to be absent from class.

 This includes, health issues, family problems and can

become absent especially in holidays of Orthodox such
as Mariam, Gebriel, Teklehaimanot because the
guardians gets advantage of them by making them beg in
this known holidays.
 LACK OF ATTENTION GIVEN TO EDUCATION
DUE TO PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOURS

 Almost all of the teachers reported that orphan and

vulnerable children shows problematic behaviours in the
school such as crying excessively, showing disobedient
behaviours, aggressive towards people and withdrawing
themselves from any types of school activities.

 The above mentioned problematic behaviours interferes

and diverts students attention from education.
 2. PRESCHOOL’S INTERVENTION
TOWARDS THE CHALLENGES
 According to the General Manager the preschool
provides,
 Free education while fulfilling uniform and necessary
educational materials
 There is also feeding Program that includes breakfast and
lunch.
Breakfast is provided daily which is bread with milk. and lunch
is given three days per week. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
The lunch program for Monday is rice, Tuesday macaroni and
Thursday Injera with Shiro or miser.
Wednesday and Friday the children are supposed to bring their
own food.
 Provision of health service, Health extension from Wereda 9
come every week and check the health status of the
children and also gives health education for teachers
and guardians.
 Vaccination is also given as a team in collaboration with the
wereda health office and volunteer medical teams regularly
visits the association for basic health status screening and
also health education
 Strengthening the guardians involvement
 According to the manager, there is a PTA (Parents
Teachers Association) in which there is a monthly
meeting so as to strengthen the involvement of the
guardians to the teaching and learning process.
 GUARDIANS EDUCATION AND
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
 With the collaboration of Salam training institute and
Bole Vocational Center the Association provides free
education and trainings such as hair and beauty training,
cooking and textile sewing.

 According to the manager so far they have been

providing this free education for over two hundred
guardians.
 Teachers training
 The manager explains that teachers receive different
trainings from Cheshire Ethiopia and Yeka sub city
educational office including from different individual
professional volunteers.
Collaborative work with others
• The manager explains that, Stakeholders
includes, Women and children affair, the
Educational bureau, Community people,
community Police, Chesire Ethiopia, Selam
children’s village, and Salayesh primary
Governmental school.
 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
 The findings of the study revealed that literacy
achievement of orphan and vulnerable children can be
law due to,
 limited guardians involvement which aligns with
findings of Onuoha (2017) that noted about efficiency of
children in a given community increases when respective
parents or guardians provide conducive conditions such
as material and academic support, monitoring of
homework, and parent-teacher association are some of
activities that encourage and enrich academic
improvement of children.
 Economic problems as indicated by Senechal (2006)
that children from socially and economically
disadvantaged backgrounds have substantially smaller
vocabularies than their more advantaged peers.

 Poor attendance also has effects as seen by the study of

Sekiwu (2020) School attendance is an important factor
and has been linked with academic performance of the
children at school.
 Lack of attention to education due to problematic
behaviours in line with this finding Pillay (2011) states that
OVC experience strong feelings of sadness and anger
because of their disadvantaged environmental conditions.
Not having parental or adult guidance often leaves them
feeling helplessness and hopelessness, especially when they
did not receive any psychological support to help them cope
with the death of parents or caregivers this in turn leads to
law academic achievement.
Hence , The preschool’s intervention towards the
challenges are providing free education including all the
necessary materials for education, supplies free daily
feeding and free health services.

The preschool also works to strengthen guardians

involvement through PTA, provides free formal education
and vocational trainings for guardians while
collaboratively working with others.
 RECOMMENDATION

 Parents, stakeholders, teachers and guardians should

establish a support system at different levels and play a
significant role to fulfil the educational and
psychosocial needs of orphan and vulnerable children.
 They often need additional support to cope with the
emotional demands of having lost their parents. Hence,
should work on improving orphan children welfare
system by providing guidance and counselling services.
 Teachers should play their roles to encourage the
orphaned and vulnerable children to learn and provide
necessary academic support when appropriate.

 The ministry of education and other stakeholders should

plan and establish regular seminars to enable teachers to
be equipped with skills and tactics to deal with the
challenges facing orphaned and vulnerable children’s in
their school performance.