Early Education of Orphans and Vulnerable Children: A Crucial Aspect for Social Justice and African Development

Abstract

In the last decade there has been a significant escalation in the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in various parts of the world, more particularly, in Sub-Saharan Africa. The author strongly asserts that early childhood education is the main vehicle to address the concerns of OVC in order for them to develop skills and human capital as future adults in order to improve the outcomes for governance and economic development in Africa. He argues on the basis of inclusion that a social justice framework is essential in taking the rights of OVC into consideration. Adopting a bio-ecological systems theoretical model the author presents research findings on the educational, psychological and social experiences of OVC to motivate the need for African governments to take on the responsibility of addressing the plight of OVC through early childhood development and education interventions if they are serious about economic sustainability and prosperity. Although the research discussed in this paper was conducted in South Africa the author believes that the findings could easily depict what happens in the rest of Africa. In concluding, the author considers the implications of the findings in relation to future policies and directions needed for crucial development in Africa.

The psychosocial wellbeing of orphans: The case of early school leavers in socially depressed environment in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

“…The emerging evidence suggests that older orphans are at risk of poorer psychosocial outcomes [11], as the negative mental health outcomes amongst orphans are maintained and worsen into later adolescence [16]. Furthermore, older orphans have higher risk of school dropout which is heightened by lack of kin support [17][18][19]. Different reasons for the high risk of school dropout are documented.…”

“…The orphans are susceptible to longterm psychological problems including depression, anger, anxiety, and feelings of sadness, and are inclined to withdraw and self-isolate. These psychological problems are brought about by their failure to deal with their sense of loss [17,[25][26][27]. Those living in child or youth headed households experience hidden grief manifested as a prolonged bereavement [28].…”

“…For example, in South Africa, the social grant system is withdrawn from HIV orphans when they reach the threshold of 18 years despite their precarious circumstances such as being the head of their households. Furthermore, research has established a high risk of school dropout among this population [17][18][19].…”

Responding to Maternal Loss: A Phenomenological Study of Older Orphans in Youth-Headed Households in Impoverished Areas of South Africa

“…Research suggests that the loss of a parent to an AIDS-related illness carries more risk factors than any other type of bereavement [ 2 , 4 ]. Such an effect may be psychological, behavioral, educational, economic, and damaging to the child’s health and may lead to uncertainty about their future [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

Orphans and Pro‐social Behaviour: Evidence from Uganda

“…Second, losing one's parents creates psychological problems for the child. Pillay (), surveying research on orphans in Africa, points out numerous dimensions in which the child can be adversely affecting including low self‐esteem, hopelessness and negative stigmatism. All of which lead to ‘difficulty with social relationships and behavior’.…”