Influence of Parental Financial Status and Social Protection on the Almajiri Practice in Jalingo Education Zone, Taraba State Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of parental financial standing and social protection measures on the practice of Almajiri in Jalingo Education Zone. Guided by two research objectives and hypotheses, the study employed an ex-post facto research design. A sample of 667 respondents, comprising men and women, was selected using a multi-stage sampling approach, which included stratified random sampling, the 2% sampling formula, and accidental sampling techniques. Data collection was carried out using a researcher-designed instrument titled Parental Variables, Social Protection, and Almajiri Practice Scale (PVSPAPS). The instrument's face and content validity were confirmed by experts, yielding reliability coefficients of .88, .80, and .79 for the parental variables, social protection, and Almajiri practice sub-scales, respectively. The null hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at a significance level of 0.05. The findings of the study revealed that parental financial status and social protection measure significantly influences Alimajiri practice in the Jalingo Educational Zone of Taraba State. It recommends that the government should enhance school-based feeding programmes to better engage Almajiri children in education. This should involve periodic review and supervision of existing Almajiri schools to ensure the effectiveness of such interventions.