Voices from the Margins: A Phenomenological Exploration of Educational Realities in High-Elevation Communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Educational realities in high-elevation communities remain largely unexplored in the academic literature, despite the distinctive geographical, infrastructural and socio-economic constraints such communities face. This study addressed this gap by exploring the educational realities of residents of three high-elevation communities – Diiv, Ityuluv and Injoov – in Nyiev-Ya, Mbaikyor Council Ward of Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria. The study was conceptually informed by phenomenology, Ecological Systems Theory and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. Ten key informants – two teachers, two school-enrolled children, two out-of-school children, two parents/guardians and two community leaders – were purposively selected across the three communities and interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule, while an observational checklist was used to document the condition of educational infrastructure and facilities. Interview data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA); observational data were analysed descriptively. Findings revealed that geographical isolation and infrastructural deprivation profoundly shaped participants' educational realities, even as strong community resilience partially offset institutional neglect. Participants' lived experience of hardship coexisted with an enduring belief in education as a pathway to individual and community transformation. The study concludes that sustainable educational improvement in high-elevation communities requires integrated interventions addressing infrastructure, teacher deployment and instructional resources, planned as a response to the distinct, compounding demands of high-elevation isolation rather than folded into generic rural development strategies.