Abstract:
The issue of divorce is an increasing social problem that has become a topic for discussion in
recent times. Even though divorce highly affects divorcing couple and their children as well as
societies at large, in Ethiopia, adequate studies have not been conducted on the effect of divorce
in general and children's schooling in particular. This study was aimed at investigating the
schooling experiences and challenges of children from divorced families in Fasilo secondary
school. The study was guided by a qualitative case study design. The data were collected from
four divorced parents, eight children from divorced families, and six teachers through semistructured
interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis. Children and parent
participants were selected via snowball sampling technique and teachers were selected via
purposive sampling technique. The finding shows that children from divorced families have
faced many challenges. Children had exposed to feelings of anxiety, feelings of confusion, and a
negative attitude about marriage. The economic problem is one of the challenges faced by
students from divorced parents. Children's basic needs and academic facilities had not been
fulfilled adequately. Children had less ability to socialize with their parents and peers,
they were discriminated against and marginalized by peers, stepfamilies, neighborhoods, and the
community. Children from divorced families have low parental educational support, less
classroom attention, and poor academic performance. Finally, the study forwarded relevant
recommendations to minimize the challenges of children from divorced families on parents' open
discussion about child care and support, giving time to children through regular visits. Training
and counseling services given by school guidance and counselors and stakeholders' active
participation in the process of supporting children and protecting them from divorce-related
problems are recommended to reduce the effect of divorce on children's schooling.