Structural effect of insecurity on students enrolment in rural secondary schools in Gusau Education Zone, Zamfara state
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64171/JAES.6.4.104-109Keywords:
Insecurity, Students' enrolment, Educational management, Rural secondary schoolsAbstract
This study examined the effect of insecurity on students' enrolment in public secondary schools in rural areas of Gusau Education Zone, Zamfara State, Nigeria. A correlational survey research design was adopted to determine the effect and relationship between insecurity and students' enrolment. The study population comprised all school administrators (principals and vice principals) and teachers in government-owned public secondary schools in Gusau Education Zone. A sample of 143 respondents, consisting of 30 school administrators and 113 teachers drawn from ten purposively selected secondary schools, participated in the study. A multistage sampling technique was employed, while data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Survey on Insecurity and Students' Enrolment, adapted from validated instruments with reported Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.88 and 0.78, respectively. The data was analysed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS) and a bootstrapping procedure was employed to test the hypothesis. The findings revealed that insecurity had a significant direct effect on students' enrolment (β = 0.710, SE = 0.071, t = 10.041, p < 0.001), indicating that insecurity is a significant predictor of students' enrolment in the study area. The study concludes that insecurity remains a major challenge to educational access and participation in rural public secondary schools. The study recommends strengthening school safety management through adequate government funding, enhanced school security infrastructure, capacity building for school administrators, and collaborative partnerships among schools, communities, and relevant stakeholders to promote a safe learning environment and improve students' enrolment.
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