CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF DROPOUT AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF LAGOS STATE

ABSTRACT: This study was carried out to examine the causes and effects of dropout among undergraduates in Nigeria using Lagos State. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprise of students of Lagos State University. In determining the sample size, the researcher conveniently selected 229 respondents, 215 were received and 210 were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables and mean scores. The result of the findings reveals that; the causes of dropout among students in Lagos State include; poverty of parents/guardians, loss of parent/sponsor/guardians, poor secondary school preparation, constant failing of courses, insecurity in the school environment, high cost/fee,  fear of unemployment in the country, and ill health of students. The findings further show that the effect of dropout among students include; higher rates of unemployment, higher rates of criminal behavior and incarceration, academic retardation of victims, inadequate human development, and low skilled manpower. Therefore it is recommended that the guidance/Counselors in schools should be more alive to their responsibilities, in particular, sensitize the students regularly, on the importance of education, as well as the consequences of dropout.