A study of the factors influencing the educational achievement of the institutionalized children in Sri Lanka

A study of the factors influencing the educational achievement of the institutionalized children in Sri Lanka

Srini De Zoysa, Secondary and Tertiary Education, Faculty of Education, The Open University of Sri Lanka.

Abstract
An Study of the Factors Influencing the Educational Achievement of Institutionalized Children in Sri Lanka – Srini De Zoysa, Faculty of Education, Open University of Sri Lanka
The study focuses on disadvantaged children who are being compelled to spend their childhood in Children’s Voluntary Homes . These children are socially and economically deprived and have faced a variety of problematic experiences in their lives. Education represents perhaps the only promise for a better future for these children.

The main objective of the study is to identify the factors influencing educational achievement of institutionalized children. Documentary surveys, interviews, observations, check lists, Emotional and Behavioural Scales and the Socio-Metric method were used for data collection.

The study showed that the educational standards achieved by institutionalized children are relatively low. Multiple interrelated factors, both facilitating and hindering, which influence educational achievement of institutionalized children were identified.

It was suggested that Care services should be based on a clear philosophy, so that administrators, care and teaching staff could make a commitment to support education of these children. Care services should include the provision of sufficient physical infrastructure facilities, introduction of efficient management structures, supply of effective joint training being to carers and teachers, make intensive interactions to give priority to education, administrators, care staff and the teaching staff to make corporate commitment to promote education of the institutionalized children.

In relation to children's welfare, progress and development, education is a especially difficult circumstances. The worlds over, both developed and developing countries are increasingly becoming conscious and aware of their responsibility towards uplifting the educational attainment of all children irrespective of the circumstances in which they find themselves. Sri Lanka as a country which has ratified the UN convention and adopted the Charter on Children's Rights (1992) has accepted the principle of equal access to education and also strives to provide every opportunity from primary to secondary and higher education. Further it identifies education, as the sole medium through which the potential of a child can be developed to its maximum level signifying his individuality, capabilities, physical and mental abilities. Yet it is of paramount importance to examine to what extent the deprived children in Sri Lanka have been ensured their right to equal education.

This study will focus on some categories of deprived children only, those who are compelled to spend their childhood in Children's Voluntary Homes that are run by the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.

In order to provide `equal opportunities' stated in the Department's mission, all children belonging to school going age who are in Children's Voluntary Homes are admitted to the formal education system so that they would acquire necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes that would help them to blossom as effective citizens with great social acceptance. It is appropriate, however to examine the extent to which this provision is enforced in reality and thereby the mission of the Department achieved.

The children living in Children's Voluntary Homes are socially and economically disadvantaged in several ways. Further, they are institutionalized due to a variety of problematic circumstances. Children in institutions are frequently referred to by UNICEF as one category of `children in especially difficult circumstances'.

It is generally perceived that these children are affected by distressing and damaging experiences including physical and sexual abuse and neglect. If this general perception occurs in reality it is possible that they have to cope with various social, economic, psychological and emotional problems while living in Children's Voluntary Homes. The findings of .Jackson (1987),Morgan (1999),Utting (1997),Biehal et al (1995),Fletcher et al (1992),Dewendra (1962) and Wijetunge (1991) have highlighted various problems faced by institutionalized children and their levels of educational underachievement .

Therefore, the main aim of this study, it is to ascertain whether the institutionalized children in Sri Lanka suffer from any handicaps and to what extent such handicaps have exerted an adverse influence on the educational achievement of such children.

The present study is focused on institutionalized children an extremely deprived group of children in Sri Lanka. Institutionalized children are provided with facilities to attend school. However, it is important to examine whether institutionalized children gain the opportunity to participate fully in the educational process. It is also worthwhile examining whether these children are treated with dignity and as a result of their school experience develop self-esteem, self-discipline and experience the sheer enjoyment of learning that will stand them in good stead throughout their lives. It is important to investigate not only the participation in education but the standard of educational achievement they have obtained.

The research was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 was designed in order to achieve two main objectives, to identify the factors that led to the institutionalization of children and to examine the educational achievement of institutionalized children and home based children. In order to achieve the above objectives the survey method was selected as the most appropriate method. In phase 1 a documentary survey was also employed. Records of test results and Perusal of Case Files of the Institution Based Children were carried out. Phase 11 was an in depth study of a smaller proportion of the sample which was selected for phase 1. Hence at this stage, the more qualitative case study method was employed.

In Phase 1 the purposive sampling method was employed. The total numbers of children (180) who attend Junior Secondary Level in school in these homes were selected as the sample for the Phase 1 of the study. The sample was drawn from six homes as it is not feasible to have too large a sample for this phase.

One of the objectives in Phase 1 was to do a comparison of educational achievement of institutionalized children and home-based children. Hence a sample of home-based children similar to the number of institutionalized children was also drawn.

The systematic sampling method, a modified form of simple random sampling, was used when selecting the sample of HBC. For the Phase 11 of the study qualitative method of research was used. Two cases from each CVH were selected from among high achievers and low achievers.

Further to identify the factors influencing the educational achievement of IBC, a school based, Voluntary home based and Probation Unit based, sample was drawn. All the principals of the schools attended by the selected cases were included in the principal sample. All subject teachers of four core subjects Sinhala, Mathematics and Science and Social Studies and class teachers of Grade 7 were selected as the teacher sample. The chief matrons of the six voluntary homes and carers of the selected cases were also included in the sample. The probation officers of the probation units who hold responsibilities of voluntary homes, which were selected for the study, were also included in the sample.

Perusal of recorded evidence at voluntary homes and examination of Test Results were carried out in the stage 1.Multiple data gathering strategies were employed and triangulation of data was carries out to achieve the in-depth investigation. Multiple data gathering methods such as questionnaires, interviews, observations, scales and socio metric method were used in conjunction to complement each other.

T-tests were conducted to find out whether there is a significant difference between the marks obtained by the twogroups, IBC and HBC. The analysis was conducted using the marks obtained for subjects Sinhala, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and also using the overall marks of all subjects as per the syllabus. Further, an analysis of variance was selected to test whether there is a significant difference among the 6 CVH s also. In Phase 11 the case study method was employed and the emphasis was on the qualitative aspect. When collecting and analyzing data on factors influencing the educational achievement of IBC five broad areas were identified. They are school related factors, voluntary home related factors, family related factors, children related factors and administrative system related factors. The data were coded and categorized and examined for identifiable patterns.

The study disclosed that many and varied factors such as social, economic, natural, child rights violations and political factors have contributed to the institutionalization of children independently or in combination. It was revealed that all institutionalized children come from extremely disadvantaged family backgrounds. These family backgrounds and traumatic incidents may have affected negatively on IBC and also influenced the low achievement level of the total sample

The analysis of data on educational achievement of IBC in comparison with HBC support the view that there is a significant difference in the achievement of the two groups. IBC and HBC. The creation of an atmosphere conducive to the educational achievement of children in Voluntary Homes requires the proper amalgamation of several key factors. Especially, physical and the human environment of the Voluntary Home must be designed to facilitate the educational achievement of children. However, special mention must be made of the fact that such an excellent model set up was not encountered in any of the CVHs in our study.

Carers in most Voluntary Homes do not appear to possess the professional qualifications and training needed for the task. Lacking in requisite training and facilities, they are not in a position to provide any quality care for the children and many of them are devoid of skills needed to impart the guidance and counseling necessary for the inmates.

All Children's Homes maintain individual personal files for every child. They help to gain some understanding about them. In Sri Lanka, the situation is different Many shortcomings are visible in the maintenance of these case files. Case files maintained in Children's Voluntary Homes in Sri Lanka do not contain the essential documents viz. educational records, detailed reports on the family background , behaviour of the child, problems faced by them, qualitative records about their skills and weaknesses.

Schools providing education for institutionalized children possess physical resources of varying levels. Some schools were replete with excellent physical facilities while some others were maintained by very meager resources. However, some instances were encountered where children of schools with fewer facilities displayed better educational achievements than those of lavishly endowed schools. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that physical resources possessed by schools have not made any substantial direct impact on the education of institutionalized children.

Significant differences were observed in the attitude of principals and teachers, towards institutionalized children. With the sole exception of one principal, all the others held a negative attitude towards these children. Even among teachers, the majority share a negative attitude. Teachers do not possess the skills needed to provide guidance and counseling so badly needed by children. Therefore, institutionalized children have become isolated groups without any protection. This is a critical factor bearing on the education of these children.

Institutionalized children living in limited monotonous societies at their Voluntary Homes get exposed to wider society in the school. This provides an opportunity for them to enrich their lives through the contact with broader society. Students who have been able to build proper relations and establish communication with home based children show better prowess in education. They make use of their contacts with the social groups to enhance the level of their education.However, this study has shown that the greater majority of institutionalized children had formed `isolated social circles' confined to themselves at school.

Before admission to institutions, these children had been exposed to various types of problems impinging on their lives. Some situations had been traumatic and some others highly depressing. These past problems continue to affect the children's present as a result of which many children suffer from emotional and behavioural disorders. Neither the schools nor the Voluntary Homes have guidance and counseling units that can provide proper scientific solutions and treatment to these problems. Hence there appears to exist a corresponding relationship between the problems encountered in the past, current emotional and behavioural patterns and educational achievement.

The unit in charge of Voluntary Homes is the Probation Unit. Administrative officers viz. the Probation Officers are interested in the education of children only in the primary stage of admission to a school. The Probation Officer is interested in securing the admission of every child to a school and to ensure his/her daily attendance. The officer's educational responsibilities come to an end with those events. Probation Officers have not been vested with the responsibility of monitoring educational progress or taking steps to enhance the level of education. Therefore, the Probation Officers are unaware of the educational achievement of children.

The following recommendations are presented with a view towards offering solution of the problems encountered by institutionalized children in the course of their education and enhancing their level of educational achievement.

Maintenance of financial stability of CVHs appears to be of paramount importance. There should be an appropriate monitoring mechanism to ensure the efficient utilization of assets and resources. The provision of adequate and stable financial resources will certainly promote operational efficiency of all aspects of the CVHs.

Provision of sufficient physical resources especially resources leading to better and continuous educational facilities to all CVHs is bound to have a salutary effects in the welfare of the inmates. CVHs can very easily be transformed into educational resource centers. A learning culture can be created within the CVHs by providing them with quality library facilities, updated reading material and such other aids. If the carers personally get involved with the educational activities of children they can help the children's educational efforts. In order to ensure the educational development of children, it is absolutely necessary for the carers to build and maintain fruitful contacts with the teaching staff at schools.

It is important for various development programmes implemented by the CVH to be at a very high level of efficiency. Self esteem, mental stability and social skills of children can be developed through such programmes. Vocational training programmes conducted by some CVHs should be conducted in an efficient manner where they will not become a hindrance to the formal education of children. It is preferable for the development programmes maintained by the CVHs to be expanded to embrace the outside society as well. Disappearance of social isolation will lead to the establishment of proper relations with the peer group and the development of social skills. This social development will also serve as a foundation for educational development as well.

Properly maintained case files of children can be used as educational databases of children. A qualitative growth in CVH carers can be brought about through the provision of continuous training and by the creation of opportunities for them to achieve higher educational and vocational qualifications. It is important to use personality and occupational diagnostic tests in selecting carers for CVHs. An appropriate salary scale for carers would certainly go a long way in attracting persons with proper skills, abilities and qualifications. Both pre- service and in-service training must be made available for carers... Institutions providing training for carers should take special steps to inculcate positive attitudes towards institutionalized children in the minds of carers.

There are specific measures that could be taken at school level to enhance the educational progress of institutionalized children. The motivation of the staff to be aware of, and sensitive to, the special background of these children, development of positive and optimistic attitude towards them, the maintenance of constant supervision, , rank among the foremost pre - requisites. Special programmes intended to enlighten the staff and equip them with the skills needed to deal with institutionalized children will certainly lead to very good results. The development of guidance and counseling skills of teachers will help them to tackle various behavioural problems of children.

It is essential to take steps for the solution of problems that are specific to children, because the total task of transforming these children into ordinary human beings lies in the identification and solution of various emotional problems faced by them, analysis of their root causes and the final application of solutions. This, of course, depends on the total and concerted commitment of all parties concerned. Children with special educational needs should never be left in the lurch, because, the satisfaction of those needs is the shortest route to normalcy. The achievement in these areas is bound to provide the child with the self confidence needed for normal living.

Extremely beneficial, positive results are likely to follow from the close relationships maintained between the Probation Units and the schools. This could be achieved through the regular participation of principals and teachers in the review meetings held by Probation Officers. This will make it possible for them to arrive at collective decisions regarding the education of children.

The suggestions presented above clearly show that coordinated efforts of a number of institutions and persons are needed for the upliftment of the education of institutionalized children. They also point to the need for the development of a suitable framework that will facilitate the educational achievement of institutionalized children.

Future success of `Children in Care' totally depends on further education. The barrios they face while targeting this goal are wide geographical distribution of their localities, tough competition they face in entering conventional higher education institutions and poor economic background. Accordingly it is suggested that the ODL system in Sri Lanka which is linked with sophisticated scholarship schemes for poor will be able to provide opportunities for further education for ` Children in Care'.

Fletcher,F. & Campbell & Hall, C. (1990). Changing Schools?Changing people? A study of the education children in care. Berkshire: National Foundation for Educational Research

Jackson, S. (1987). Promoting the educational achievement of looked after children. In T. Cox (Eds.) Combating educational disadvantage meeting the needs of vulnerable children.London & New York: Falmer Press.