Challenges and Opportunities of Highly Vulnerable Students their learning in Koket and FlakiteSecondary School A case Study in MekiteWoreda,Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Vulnerable students refers to social, economic, healthy and environmental factors that are usually blamed as the root cause of the students to be engaged into their learning, in general, and those who are under18 whose life is in jeopardy due to socio-economic factors such as: abject poverty, orphan hood and child abandonment among others, in particular. The study was guided three research objective to investigate determine the determine vulnerable students educational level of performance in secondary school, identify the extent teacher support vulnerable students in secondary school and identify contributing challenges hindering low performance of highly vulnerable students in secondary school. The role of HVSs was examined in light of its challenges in the case of their academic performance in areas of nurturing students’ socio-economic, psychological and academic risk. To this end, the purpose of this studywas investigating challenges and opportunities of highly vulnerable their learning students in Kokit and Flakite secondary school.Thus, the study was confined to two residents (Flakite and Kokite). As a result, case study design was employed with mixed approach (concurrent design). Vulnerable students located in MeketWoreda, included 11 teachers, and 92 students were drawn as participants of this study via purposive sampling technique. From these participants, data was collectedthrough survey questionnaire from students; semi-structured interview was conducted with teachers, and focus group discussion with students The finding of this study revealed that there was extreme poverty, chronic ills, as the main cause of vulnerable students of Kokit and Flakit general secondary schools to have low academic performances. Besides, it was also found that poverty is a wide spread and over all vulnerability factor in preventing many students from accessing education. It was, therefore, deduced that supporting vulnerable students in the school was complicated and required carful identification of the students in the school. Likewise, it was concluded that there were not psychological support, counseling and economic strength to enable students to become more supportive to their vulnerability in the school.In line with this, the study implies that HVSs need to be supported in terms of healthy, physical, mental, , and educational development to enhance their academic performance. Recommendations are also made for urgent intervention by government leaders, policy makers and educators to support the schools through improved work conditions, enhanced school leadership and pedagogy, teacher development programs, collective ownership of the problem and commitment to ensuring improved student learning&teaching vulnerable students.