CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The growth of street hawking in Nigeria has gotten so popular that it has now become a source of concern to education. Education is the most valuable legacy a nation can leave to its population, particularly its kids. This is due to the fact that the growth of any nation or society is heavily reliant on the quality of that nation’s education. It is widely assumed that the foundation for any meaningful progress must begin with the development of human resources. Much has been said about how formal education remains the vehicle for every society’s socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental progress. When we think of students, we think of those who acquire concepts that will help them become more responsible and productive in the future. A variety of issues impact students from both affluent and disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly those at Egba Odeda High School. Socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental influences are examples of such elements. Socioeconomic variables are thought to be the most prevalent determinants influencing students’ academic success. They have been suffering and there is a socioeconomic disparity between families (Johnson, 1996), who lamented that parents have grown destitute as a result of such harsh measures, and they can no longer fully provide for their children’s education.
The high prevalence of illiteracy, poverty, and low socioeconomic position were accompanied by a high rate of parental and material deprivation of student academic demands, which was necessary by the bad socioeconomic circumstances. According to PISA (Programme International Student Assessment, 2000), home background impacts academic and educational achievement of students and school work, whereas socioeconomic position encourages kids’ activities and functioning.
According to Umar (2009), street hawking is the sale of goods along highways and from one location to another. Aiyeluro (1979) defines street hawking as the process by which a hawker hawks his or her goods by carrying the goods on his or her head by means of a tray, or minor forms of transportation such as wheel barrows, bicycles, trolleys, etc. in search of customers, during which he or she may use bells or shout the name of the item he or she is hawking to attract the attention of any interested customer. Street hawking, according to Anyanwu (1992), is a trading activity that entails moving through a home or street with particular products, mainly food or domestic commodities, marketed by the vendor by yelling the name of the item, ringing a bell, or the like. Street hawking is defined as the act of canvassing for sales, with objects carried by the hawker along the street, from house to home, or in public locations across town (Ikechebelu 2008).
Thus, street hawking is a commerce technique that entails the merchant moving from one location to another in search of clients to purchase his or her items, which might be household or perishable commodities, by yelling or ringing a bell. According to Vinolia and Fubara (1988), street hawking is a kind of child abuse and neglect. They contended that some economic and socio-psychological elements encourage street hawking, which has a negative impact on children’s developmental processes.
