Paper short abstract:

Parental migration creates a care gap in the lives of left-behind children. This tends to impact positively or negatively on their educational outcome. However, this impact depends largely on the care network of these children and the support system they receive. Kin support is more effective.

Paper long abstract:

Social relations are transforming over the years from the collective communal living to individualist self-centered living in response to changing global trends. In spite of the gradual decline in African traditional social support systems from communities and extended families in most parts of Africa, there is limited studies on the role of support systems from social network on educational performance of children. The phenomenon is even worse among children left-behind by international migrants considering the role of education on the social development of children. This paper discusses the role of social networks in ameliorating the adverse effects of parental absence on educational performance of left-behind children in Ghana. Using quantitative and qualitative data from eight basic schools in Greater Accra and Bono Regions of Ghana, the study involves 227 participants and respondents. They comprise 213 basic school children from both migrant and non-migrant households, 8 basic school teachers and 6 caregivers of left-behind children from the ages of 10 to 16 years. The paper found that though left-behind children received both formal and informal care, it argues that informal care especially from kin networks is more effective compared to other forms of care networks. This paper therefore recommends that conscious efforts should be made to maintain the African cultural norms and structures of kin support system particularly at a time where community mutual support is diminishing and extended families are becoming less supportive with growing interest in nucleated families.