European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu 10.5281/zenodo.54839 Special Issue: African Education – Contemporary and Future Challenges IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA Maria Charity Agbo Department of Educational Psychology, Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Enugu State, Nigeria Abstract: The nomads are referred to as ethnic or socio-professional groups of people that travel and migrate from one geographical location to another, in search of means of livelihood. In Nigeria, the nomads are predominately the pastoralists, the migrant farmers, and the fishermen. Nomads are characterized by the absence of fixed domicile; hence they are always on the move. They do not have permanent place of settlement, therefore, their children suffer a lot of deprivations. This research investigated on the impact of psycho-social deprivations on emotional health and education of the nomadic children in Nigeria. A descriptive survey was adopted, while focus group discussion built into interview was used for data collection. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was the entire nomads in Nigeria. A random sampling technique was used to select 400 nomads. The result was analysed, using mean scores, standard deviations, and z-test. The findings indicated that nomadic children experience emotional, intellectual deprivations, and deprivations of health care services, and social amenities among others. There is no significant difference in the mean scores and standard deviations of male and female respondents on whether nomadic children suffer psycho-social deprivations. There is no significant difference in the mean scores and standard deviations of male and female respondents on whet her psycho-social deprivations have impact on the emotional health and education of the nomadic children. Summarily, the findings were that nomadic children experience a high rate of psycho-social deprivations in Nigeria. Keywords: nomads, nomadic children, psycho-social deprivations, emotional health and education Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved Published by Open Access Publishing Group ©2015. 1 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA Introduction Every reasonable adult has a means of livelihood. Some people work to earn their living, while others beg to eat. Those who work to live do what they can or desire, either by staying in one place or going around, but every means of livelihood has two sides just like a coin. As one benefits from a job, one sacrifices. It is the same with nomadism. A nomad is a person who does not have a permanent home, but moves from place to place to make a living or to pasture. Nomads according to Akinpelu (1994) are referred to as ethnic or socio-professional groups of people that travel and migrate in groups from one geographical location to another in search of livelihood. He asserts that although the word nomad has a pastoral origin from the word nomos , the contemporary definition of nomadism refers to any type of existence that is characterized by the absence of fixed domicile. No wonder nomads is used to refer to both the itinerant or migrant fishermen and the pastoralists, the migrant farmers and the food gathers. Wikipedia Encyclopedia (2015) defines nomad as a Greek word nomas , meaning one roaming about for pasture. To Merriam Webster (2014), a nomad is a member of people who have no fixed residence, but travel from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory. Nomads all over the world have one thing in common – migrating from place to place. They are grouped in forms of pastoralists, farmers, hunters, fishermen, food gatherers, workers etc. In Nigeria, about seven forms of nomads exist, which include; the pastoralists, migrant fishermen, migrant farmers, migrant hunters, the almajiris (those who move from place to place begging for alms) the migrant craft workers, and the food gatherers. However, there are only three major groups of nomadism in Nigeria, which comprise; the pastoralists, migrant fishermen and migrant farmers. The Pastoralists This is the oldest form of nomadism, and the most popular group in the nomadic world. Pastoralists are found in 31 out of 36 states in the country, and concentrate in the northern part of the federation. They are the Fulanis (Ugwu 2004, and Nation News Paper 2014). This group of nomads travels far and wide in grass lands in the whole country on foot rearing their cattle in varied forms. European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 2 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA The Migrant Fishermen This group is the second in both popularity and population among nomads in Nigeria. They are found in 17 out of 36 states, and concentrate in the southern part, especially in riverine and river basin areas. They therefore live on and along the seas and rivers, hunting their fish, which is the major source of their livelihood. (Lamidi 2005, and Ugwu 2004). The least among the three major groups of nomads in Nigeria according to Nation News Paper is the migrant farmers who spread in almost all the states, but concentrate in the eastern part of Nigeria. Nomads are generally found all over the world existing and functioning in varied perspectives. They go about portraying varied cultures and patterns of life which are partly unique to their challenges and preferences. They imbibe migration as a culture, and as a means of livelihood. The special adviser to President Jonathan in Ethics and values Dr. Sarah Jibril stated that all forms of nomadism have instability and temporality of existence in common which have implications on their social, political, education and emotional life and that of their families. However, every type of nomadism has its challenges and benefits to humanity and the society. She, Jibril lamented that although the nomads contribute immensely to the nation s economy as they provide hides and skin, cheese, meats, fish as well as other agricultural products which boost national income, and help in meeting the protein and other nutrient supplements of the society, they face a lot of challenges (Nation News Paper 2014). The mobile and migratory nature of the nomadic activities and lifestyles, coupled with the fact that the nomads live in isolated, remote and inaccessible environments have placed them in disadvantaged positions, and a lot of deprivations. Thus in Nigeria and worldwide, nomads are easily marginalized and deprived as they do not benefit maximally from any governmental provisions and programmes for social amenities such as electricity good drinking water, sanitation, healthcare services, good roads, economic empowerment and political appointments. This work investigated the psycho-social deprivations among the nomadic children in Nigeria, and their impacts on the children s emotional health and education. Isangedighi 99 defined psychosocial deprivations to mean failure to meet the child s psychological and social needs. It is also the absence of appropriate stimuli in physical or social environment, which are necessary for the emotional, social and intellectual development of an individual. (Wiley Library 2015).The psycho-social deprivations among nomadic children in Nigeria include; emotional deprivation, intellectual European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 3 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA deprivation, social deprivation, and deprivations of healthcare services, security and social amenities. Emotional Deprivation This arises when a child is denied of the rights to be happy and psychologically stable. One of the causes of emotional deprivation among the nomadic children is poor parenting. Nomadic life styles are likely to result to less favorable family environment and poor quality Parenting. Nomadic activities diminish the parents abilities to provide supportive, consistent behaviors, and render parents more vulnerable to debilitating effects of life events, and one of the risk factors that additively influence a child s emotional adjustment is parental behaviors National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 2005). The children are deprived of parental attachment. The males develop a kind of emotional problem known as AFS – Absent Father Syndrome. Another emotional deprivation is caused by loneliness. Loneliness as we know is a powerful and scorching feeling. Normally, a nomadic lifestyle forces one to take a lot of leaps by oneself. It is never easy for nomadic children to make friends, nor is it easy to find a constant companion who will follow the child wherever he or she goes. It is also very difficult to join group activities, so they are withdrawn, unco-operative, isolated and disruptive as they experience adjustment problems. Children s Mental Health Network (2014) observes that there are three basic things all children need; belonging, recognition and connection. For nomadic children, these basic needs are ripped away with each move. Sometimes, the children may not like to move, but are powerless to make decisions. Their many requests are not usually given due considerations, and sometimes, their hearts felt desires are unspoken, unrecognized and shunted aside. As a result, they are sometimes depressed as they experience unresolved grief. They have layers of loss that run deep; loss of friends, community, identity, place of comfort and stability, and so on. So they lose the world they love over and over. Unfortunately, they do not have time to mourn their losses as their family is rushed, so they are traumatized. Losses that are not successfully resolved according to Eric Erikson in Nwachukwu (1995) may lead to many problems that may affect children s development as they grow. Erikson is of the opinion that traumatic and negative emotional experiences among children may lead to emotional problems. These may have serious impact on children s emotional health, and education. Children who have unresolved traumatic experiences are usually angry, depressed and stressed, with high rate of anxiety that can lead to low self-esteem, lack of interest in European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 4 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA life. Ejim (2003) notes that emotional deprivation to a child affects the child s psychological stability and proper development which can be damaged permanently. In another development, a child who is emotionally imbalanced does not develop full capacities for mental activities which lead to low academic achievement, school dropout and lack of interest in education (Ani 2007). According to Kuruvilla & Jacob (2007), studies show that suicidal behaviors are associated with higher level of psychological deprivation. Intellectual Deprivation This is lack of exposure to stimulating or educative environment. Intellectual deprivation among nomadic children starts from poor home or family learning environment. Coon (2000) states that early learning experiences can literally shape the structure of the developing brain. This is why the quality of a child s home environment can have such a lasting impact especially when the environment can be described as deprived. Educationally, how successful a child is within formal school setting depends almost entirely on how successful such child s learning at home has been in the preceding years, as learning in real sense of the word begins at birth. Psychological and scientific researches according to Kpernyam and Shankyura (2013) conform that the first five years of children s lives are very crucial for learning. Other researchers also reveal that the condition of a child s life when his or her body and mind is developing so rapidly affect his or her intelligence. In addition, the peer group an individual identifies with can also influence intelligence through stereotypes associated with that group, but sadly, the nomadic children do not have serious peer groups. Due to the fact that nomadic children engage in migratory work activities along with their parents, and follow them live in remote, isolated and inaccessible areas, they cannot go to school, and they do not have meaningful group. Because nomadic babies are mostly reared in the bush, the nature of their environment is quite un-stimulating and does not give them opportunities to learn and develop their intelligence. Observations show that the nomads live in huts, tents and thatched houses located in bush areas from where they do not have interactions with sedentary community members. Worse still, their parents do not have time for these children as these parents move on herding their cattle, or fishing. A child who grows up in such a home that is culturally and educationally un-stimulating is handicapped by intellectual deprivation. European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 5 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA Intellectual deprivation invariably can lead to emotional ill-health as the deprivation can result to timidity, fearfulness, unhappiness, vulnerability to hostility and aggression. A prolonged unhappy mood and depression can lead to loss of appetite, low immunity, anledona, insomnia, stomach troubles and anxiety. Children, who are depressed, may experience feelings of suicide (Ofuebe 2015). In another development, intellectual deprivation significantly affects the education of children. Nomadic children are intellectually deprived and so do not benefit maximally from educational plan, no matter how lofty such plan may be. This is because the potentialities of human mind do not naturally unfold as genetically determined without active participation of a stimulating environment in order to attain normal development. No wonder Iro (2015) laments that the Fulani pastoralists are difficult to educate, which lead to their having less than 10% of the males and less than % of the females who are literate and numerate. Commenting on nomads laxity over education, Nigerian Voice (2011) regrets that nomadic education programme under the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) has lasted for 25 years, having officially commenced in November 1986, yet a good number of the pastoral nomads have not embraced education. Nigerian government has spent millions of naira in this nomadic education, yet primary school aged children of the nomadic families still rotate between herding and schooling. As a result, researches show that literacy rate of the pastoral nomads is 0.28 and that of fishermen is 20% (Okonkwo & Ibrahim, 2014). Social Depreciation This entails the prevention or reduction of culturally normal interactions between individuals and the rest of the society. The nomadic children seem to be socially deprived. Socialization integrates a child into the taboos, norms, values, and mutually accepted social trends and practices within the environment. Ugbor (2012) lists agents of socialization to include the home, school, peers, mass media and religion. Observations show that nomadic children are deprived of most of these agents of socialization. “t home, nomadic children do not have the privilege to say this is a private home . “lthough most of them have some kind of place they call home which is where their family and childhood friends are located, Become.com (2015) notes that the nomads would not spend more than a few months or a year at their family house, nor would they settle down in a new home. So they do not really feel at home nor do they have that private comfort zone called home, as they constantly change locations. European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 6 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA The nomadic lifestyle is also characterized by isolation and loneliness; as a result, the children do not have access to other agents of socialization. There is no peer relationship in the real sense of the word. There is no opportunity to learn or interact with school. There is also no electricity to learn from internet browsing, and with high rate of illiteracy among the nomads, access and utilization of the mass media and the internet is almost impossible. So, the nomadic children are socially deprived. Children of nomadic families do not develop socially. For a child to be socially enriched, such child will acquire the standards, the values and knowledge of his or her society, and participate actively through the interactions with adults and peers. Children develop socially when they are able to get on with people around them, learn to live with all kinds of people and are able to mix with a wider society. Unfortunately, the migratory lifestyle of the nomads never gives nomadic children that chance to have a lasting or relatively permanent society. Even when they have friends, and peers, the relationships do not last long because of the migratory nature of nomadism. Children are always on the move with sad memories of lost friends. Social deprivation of course may have impact on emotional health of nomadic children. Nwachukwu (1995) opines that children who are socially deprived are usually nonsocial, a situation where a child s roles are not socially approved, and who does not like people and social activities. Such child is anti-social, withdrawn, and depressed. Such child according to Ugbor (2010) has internationalized emotional disturbance, a kind of emotional problem that leads to schizophrenia and suicide. Social deprivation also has impact on the education of the nomadic children. The nomadic children spend most of their lives in isolated and inaccessible areas where they hardly interact with the wider society. They therefore do not have contact with the world with its knowledge, scientific and technological inventions and changes. So they do not see, taste and experience the changing world. Because they have not tasted the world, they are not bothered about what happens in it. They do not know what they lose by being isolated. “n adage says that what the eye does not see the heart does not desire . One of the most serious factors militating against nomadic education programme is that the nomads are not interested in going to school, as they do not know the importance of education. Deprivation of Healthcare Services In Nigeria, nomadic populations are likely to be deprived of healthcare services partly due to their lifestyles, and partly due to marginalization. The nomads usually encamp in the outskirts of settled communities which are inaccessible to many health workers. European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 7 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA As a result, their camps are often ignored medically to the extent that less than 3% of the children below two years may benefit from full immunization services in some areas (Dao & Brieger 1995). This causes the nomads to suffer from vaccine preventable health problems. Although the Fulani pastoralists are more exposed to infectious diseases such as malaria, they remain isolated from on-going malaria management campaign according to (Akogun 1999, and Omar 2000) because of the same inaccessibility of their settlements. Due to the migratory lifestyle of the nomads, they move about under very harsh climate, the intense sun, and the bitter cold, and are exposed to mosquito and snake bites, tse-tse flies, black flies and other nomad related diseases. For instance, the pastoralists according to Lar (1989) are carriers of cattle diseases such as trypanosamiases, glossina and morsitans. Other illnesses include febrile fever known as Pabboje by the Fulanis, measles etc. Although nomads experience all these diseases, Allous (2012) asserts that formal health system in Nigeria appears ill-adapted for extending health services to constantly mobile communities of nomads. For instance, Brieger et al (2012) state that in southwestern Nigeria, guinea worm case detection Scouts claimed to have forgotten to include visits to nomad camps. In addition, health workers in charge of intervention distribution in the control of enchocerciasis often marginalized nomad Fulani settlements (Brieger, Otusanya, Oke, Oshiname and Adeniyi 1997). It is due to this deprivation in health care services among the nomads that Abiodum (2010) laments that in Nigeria, the nomads underuse maternal and child health services significantly when compared with the urban population. The deprivation of the healthcare services has serious impacts on the emotional health and education of the nomadic children. It is a common knowledge that children who do not have adequate medical treatments are vulnerable to sicknesses and diseases which may lead to death and emotional ill-health as sickness saddens children s emotions resulting to anger, aggression, depression, anxiety, worry and other emotional disturbances. Ugbor (2010) avers that one of the major causes of emotional ill health among children is their health condition. Educationally, ill health hampers children s cognitive development, so even when school is brought at the door step of the nomadic children, they may not perform effectively in academic activities due to problems of cognition. Also, they may not be physically healthy enough to go to school if they are not treated adequately when sick. Again, lack of antenatal services, medical checkups and maternity units for pregnant mothers may result to giving birth to children with mental retardation, and other handicapping conditions that can affect learning (Ugbor 2010). In support of this European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 8 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA assertion, John et al believe that nomadic population s difficulty in having access to health care services due to isolation leads to increased morbidity and mortality which blocks their value system as to appreciate knowledge and education. Security Deprivation The nomadic lifestyle of moving about mostly in the wilderness and bushes deprive them of the access to maximum security of the police and army in Nigeria. They therefore face a lot of insecurities such as cattle rustling, kidnapping and rape. There is high prevalence of cattle rustling among nomadic populations, where cattle are being carted away at gun points. For instance, in Nasarawa settlement, over 10,000 cows were lost to rustlers in 2013 (Daily Trust 2014). This shrinks down the pastoralist s economy. On this, the former Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) Dr. N.D. Mohammed commented that the cows are a store of wealth as all the earnings of the pastoralists are stored in the animal, and secondly it gives them their status and prestige. Kidnapping also confronts the nomadic population. An interview with the nomads by Weekly Trust according to Ujorha (2014) reveals that incidents of kidnapping wrecks havocs on the nomads and ransoms run into millions of naira as 100 – 200 cows are demanded for a release of one nomad kidnapped. As a result, many nomads die in the hands of the kidnappers, and cattle rustlers, leaving the women widowed and their children uncartered for, and malnourished. This problem coupled with the poor or inadequate punishment of cattle rustling has led many nomads who lost their cattle to rustling and kidnapping to turn into cattle rustlers and kidnappers themselves. Nigerian government imposed penalty for cattle rustling to be two years imprisonment or an option of five thousand naira (N5,000.00) if the rustler confesses in court. The pastoralists resort to these options (kidnapping and rustling) due to the fact that they are predominantly illiterates with only one profession which is cattle rearing, and cannot effectively engage in any other occupation. Pastoralists also experience rape. According to Daily Trust (2014), more than 100 women have been raped in nomads settlement in Rugu forest in Kaduna State in . In April 2014, many other women were raped at 2.00am by rapists and rustlers who usually abduct women both married and unmarried. It was reported that these criminals steal cows and abduct the wives and daughters of their subjects. Due to insecurity problems, the nomads experience frustrations and a lot of emotional health problems such as stress, depression and anxiety, and many other emotional related sicknesses like hypertension, high blood pressure, etc. N.D Mohammed commented that the pastoralists experience hypertension and suicide as European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 9 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA they are emotionally devastated. She lamented that there are psychological, mental and social consequences associated with the theft of the cows among the nomads. For example, cow rustling has robbed nomadic women their feeding on, and sales of Fura de Nono Millet and Yoghurt meal , cheese, oil, and other products from the cow. This results to malnutrition, sicknesses, and depression that affect the emotional health and education of nomadic children (Weekly Trust 2014). Commenting on how insecurity affects nomadic education, the Executive secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) Prof Rashid Aderrinoye lamented that kidnapping and killing of the nomadic children by insurgents throw panic on the lives of the children which results to their not attending schools established for them (Weekly Trust). Deprivation of Social Amenities Nomads all over the country are in one way or the other deprived of many social amenities like good roads, safe drinking water supply , electricity, information links, sanitation, etc. due to their migratory nature, and isolated, inaccessible and remote settlement as lifestyles. The government may try to develop nomadic settlements, but may not even start the project before the nomads migrate to another location. Consequently, the nomadic children are cut off from the society. They are not exposed to certain privileges their urban counterparts enjoy in the cities, and so grow up uniformed and unexposed. For instance, in a group discussion interview carried out by the researcher in (2015), it was revealed that majority of the nomadic children have never seen television sets or computer. One of the children Yusuf through an interpreter confessed not having seen a television or computer and desired to see any of them as to follow the trend of events. This affects their emotional health and education as many of the nomadic adolescent feel marginalized, inferior, become aggressive, and resort to violence. One Mariam also lamented that her family does not have toilets and so use bushes as their convenience, although she has seen a toilet and liked it. She added that she hates the governments because they do not provide for them. The education of the nomadic children is also affected because even when government build schools for the nomads, it may be difficult to install electricity, build roads, and provide other social amenities due to inaccessibility and remoteness of nomadic settlements. So the school may not have laboratories, computer centers etc. for fear of vandalization, so the education may not be adequate enough. European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 10 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA Nomads’ Research Purpose of the Study Specifically, this study sought to:   Find out psycho-social deprivations among nomadic children in Nigeria. Examine the impact of psycho-social deprivations on emotional and education of nomadic children. Research Questions The following research questions guided the study. 1. What are psycho-social deprivations among nomadic children in Nigeria? 2. What are the impacts of psycho-social deprivations on the emotional health and education of nomadic children in Nigeria? Hypothesis The following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. 1. There is no significant difference between the mean scores and standard deviations of female and male nomads on whether nomadic children in Nigeria are psycho-socially deprived. 2. There is no significant difference in the mean scores and standard deviations of male and female nomads on whether psycho-social deprivations have impact on emotional health and education of the nomadic children in Nigeria. Methodology Descriptive survey was adopted for this research work. The population of the study was the entire nomadic children of pastoralists, migrant fisherman and migrant farmers in Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 400 respondents among the nomads in Nigeria. 200 males and 200 females were selected from different nomadic settlements scattered all over the country. Data was collected using focus group discussion built into interview. Interpreters were employed where languages became barriers in eliciting information from the respondents. The instrument comprised of 24 research structured interview items European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 11 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA which had 4 point Likert Scale of Agree (AG), Strongly Agree (SA), Disagree (DA), Strongly Disagree (SD). The data collected were analyzed using mean scores, and standard deviations. The criterion for acceptance of the mean scores was 2.50 and above, while any mean score below 2.50 was rejected. The Z-test was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Research question I: What are the psycho-social deprivations among nomadic children in Nigeria? Table I: Mean scores of respondents for Research question one: S/N Item description Male  Decision Female  X 1 Decision X Emotional deprivation: Children are depressed as they feel lonely in a remote environment without parental attachment and care. 2 3.24 * 3.14 * 3.15 * 3.01 * 2.95 * 2.85 * 2.95 * 2.82 * 3.03 * 3.01 * 2.56 * 2.51 * 3.10 * 2.97 * Nomadic children are usually sad due to their having layers of loss of friends and belongings as they migrate from place to place. 3 Intellectual deprivation: Nomads living in isolated, remote and inaccessible environment deprive children of opportunities of developing intellectually. 4 Nomadic children s homes are usually unstimulating and uneducative and so children are deprived intellectually. 5 Social deprivation: Nomads living in isolated and inaccessible environment prevent children from coming in contact with agents of socialization. 6 The migratory lifestyle of the nomads robs the children of having time for organized social activities, hence they are socially deprived. 7 Deprivation of health care service: The nomads usually encamp in inaccessible outskirts of settled communities, and so the children do not benefit from health care services just like others inside towns. 8 The migratory lifestyle of the nomads prevents nomadic mothers from having access to European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 12 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA immunization and anti-natal care during pregnancy. 3.15 * 2.81 * 3.14 * 3.00 & 2.91 * 2.71 * 2.81 * 2.60 * 3.00 * 3.00 * 2.87 * Security deprivation: 9 Nomads usually encamp in bushes and isolated areas, and so are deprived of maximum securities 10 Nomadic children are usually kidnapped and raped because they live in areas that are not accessible to organized security. 11 Deprivation of Social amenities: Nomad s culture of living in isolated and inaccessible areas deprives children access to social amenities. 12 The nomads lack of permanent settlement hampers the governments plans of providing social amenities like electricity, good roads etc to the nomads and so the children are deprived. Cluster Mean Scores 3.00 From the data presented in Table I, it was revealed that all the 12 items have means scores above 2.50 .this means that they have been rated as the psycho-social deprivations among nomadic children in Nigeria. However, it can be observed that there were two items per one aspect of psycho-social deprivations. This means that the psycho-social deprivations identified were six in number. Research question 2: What are the impacts of psycho-social deprivations on the emotional health and education of nomadic children in Nigeria? Table II: Mean scores of respondents: S/N Item description Male  Decision Female  X 1 Decision X Emotional deprivation of the nomadic children leads to psychological traumas that can have lasting damaging effect. 2 2.99 * 3.14 * 3.02 * 2.60 * 2.56 * Intellectual deprivation results in children being depressed and withdrawn. 4 * When children are emotionally deprived, it hampers their learning and education. 3 3.15 Children who are intellectually deprived do not benefit maximally from any educational European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 13 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA programme. 5 3.00 * 3.00 * 2.71 * 2.95 * 2.92 * 2.93 * 2.90 * 3.06 * 2.88 * 2.90 * 2.84 * 2.93 * 2.99 * 2097 * 2.77 * 3.03 * 2.74 * 2.62 * Children who are socially deprived tend to be anxious, depressed and jealous. 6 Children who do not have contact with agents of socialization such as school do not benefit much from education. Children s lack of health care services can lead 7 to sickness which in turn can result to depression and sadness. 8 Lack of antenatal check-ups among expectant mothers can result to giving birth to children with learning disabilities. 9 Lack of security can lead to fear and emotional trauma among children. 10 The insecurity problems of the nomads affect the nomadic children s attendance to schools. Nomadic children s inability to benefit from 11 governments, provision of social amenities makes them angry, worried and jealous. 12 Nomadic children not having access to social amenities affects their education Cluster Mean 2.87 2.91 The data in Table II identified all the items as the impact of psycho-social deprivations on the emotional health and education of nomadic children. The impact of psychosocial deprivation on emotional health was indicated in item numbers; 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23, while the items that showed the impact of psycho-social deprivations on education of the nomadic children were item numbers; 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24. However, all the items had mean scores above 2.50 which was the bench mark for acceptance of the response as positive. The cluster mean scores revealed that both male and female respondents rated the items above 2.50. Table III: Summary of the z-test analysis for male and female respondents Group  N SD X t-cal Male 190 3.00 0.39 Female 185 2.87 0.20 t-crit 0.39 Sig 1.65 0.05 The Table III above shows that the calculated z-test value is 0.39, which is less than t-crit value of 1.65. Consequently, the null hypothesis of no difference is accepted. This means European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 14 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA that there is no significant difference in the mean scores of male and female respondents on what constitute the psycho-social deprivations of nomadic children in Nigeria. Table IV: Summary of the z-test analysis for male and female respondents on impact of psychosocial deprivations on the emotional health and education of nomadic children in Nigeria. Group  N SD X t-cal Male 190 2.87 0.91 Female 185 2.91 1.04 t-crit 0.76 Sig 1.96 0.05 The Table IV above indicates that the calculated z-test value of 0.76 is less that the zcritical value of 1.96 which means that the null hypothesis of no difference is accepted. Therefore, there is no significant difference in the mean scores of males and females in the impact of psycho-social deprivations on the emotional health and education of nomadic children in Nigeria. Discussion The findings in Table I reveal that nomadic children in Nigeria experience psycho-social deprivations, and that both male and female respondents perceived all the items as the psycho-social elements which nomadic children are deprived of in Nigeria. In other words, psycho-social deprivations among nomadic children include emotional, intellectual and social deprivations. Others are deprivations of health care services, security and social amenities. The findings are in line with the findings of Adedeji (2016), that the nomads in Nigeria are constantly mobile and so suffer a lot of deprivations. The nomads in Nigeria are predominantly illiterates coupled with the fact that they do not have permanent settlement. As a result, they are deprived of a lot of privileges including political positions, and health care through marginalization (The nation Newspaper 2012) In terms of emotional deprivations, Become.com (2015) observes that constant ups and downs, or good and bad surprises confront nomadic children on daily basis as everything is new and information is not available about those new things which gives the nomadic children another unstable emotion. In support the findings that nomadic children are deprived of social amenities, studies by Jombo et al (2010) revealed strong evidence that in Zamfara State of Nigeria, and there is high rate of intestinal parasite which is attributed to deprivation of good sanitation condition, lack of good drinking water and poor housing. European Journal of Education Studies – Special Issue 15 Maria Charity Agbo – IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA The findings in Table II indicate the impact of psycho-social deprivations on the emotional health and education of nomadic children in Nigeria. The findings agree with the lamentation of the former executive secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) Prof. Aderinoye on the impact of security deprivation on emotional health and education of nomadic children in Nigeria. According to him, the kidnappings and killings of the nomadic children in Nigeria by insurgents throw panic and emotional trauma on the lives of the children and result to their not attending schools established for them. (The nation Newspaper 2014) In the same vein, Kwabe et al (2013) carried out researches on under five nomadic Fulani children, and came out with results of significant evidence of deprivation of access to medical treatments of the nomadic children due to poor road network and marginalization of the nomads by health providers. Commenting on intellectual deprivation, and how it affect the emotional health and education of nomadic children, Onyeike and Agbakwuru (2011) state that any psycho-social deprivation at critical stage of development results in permanent set back in learning. For Wikipedia Atomfeed (2015), social deprivation in early childhood development can cause neurocognitive deficits in the brain that may result to inability to perform any academic function. Deprivation is of varying degrees according to Isangedighi (1996) but the greater the extent of it, the worse for an individual child. 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