Impact of drug abuse on academic performance of children at Kakuma refugee camp, Turkana County, Kenya

Abstract

The issue of obtaining a decent basic education for refugee children, particularly girls, is not assured owing to numerous disruptions that result in dropouts and subsequent failure to complete Primary Education. Other researchers have researched on general factors affecting educational performance of refugees, leaving out social factors. It is against this background that this study aim was to determine social factors affecting academic performance of children in refugee camps. The specific objective of the study was to determine the effect of drug abuse on Academic performance of children at Kakuma refugee camp. This study used system theory and socio-cultural theory. A descriptive survey design was used to carry out the study. This study was carried out in Kakuma refugee camp which is located in the North-western region of Kenya. The study targeted 267 standards 7 and 8 pupils in primary schools in Kakuma refugee camp, 15 class teachers, and 8 school heads, these respondents were targeted since they gave the correct information on the subject matter of this research. The researcher used purposive sampling technique to select 15 class teachers and 8 head teachers. Simple random sampling was then used to pick a sample size of 80 class 7 and 8 students. Therefore, the whole sample size of the study was 103 respondents. Responses from the selected respondents were collected using a set of structured questionnaires and interview guide which were able to capture data relevant to research objectives. Data collected was both qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics while qualitative was analysed through thematic review. The researcher concluded that performance of students who abuse drugs is low. In addition, the researcher concluded that the discipline of students who abused drugs is low. The findings indicated that there is positive significant association between effect of drug abuse on academic performance of children at Kakuma refugee camp (r=0.462, p<0.05). The researcher concluded that the rate of absenteeism among students who abuse drugs is very high and that alcohol abuse led to poor academic performance in the school. The study underscores that drug use is a major factor contributing to academic difficulties among students, with those abusing substances often exhibiting indiscipline and poor academic performance. Effective substance abuse prevention and intervention programs need to be established to address drug abuse among students. Schools should collaborate with local health services to provide counseling, support, and rehabilitation for students affected by drug abuse. Promoting awareness and education about the negative impacts of drugs on academic performance and personal development can also help reduce drug use. Establishing strict disciplinary measures and support systems for affected students can further mitigate the impact of substance abuse on education.