Seasonal migration of students abroad: A case study of the University of Cape Coast.

Abstract

Before the 1990s, seasonal emigration of students from tertiary institutions in Ghana during holidays was an uncommon phenomenon. But in recent times, students in Ghanaian universities migrate abroad during holidays. Using students of the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana as a case study, the objectives of the paper are to assess how the decision to migrate is determined, examine the reasons for migrating and outline the implications of migrating abroad on academic performance of the students. Data for the study were collected using both survey questionnaire and in-depth interview from 336 students who had ever travelled abroad, through the snowball technique. The study indicates that most of the students migrated due to economic reasons and were influenced by their parents/guardians to migrate. Results from a binary logistic regression showed that male students were more likely to migrate abroad than their female counterparts. The effects on some of the students who migrated abroad were poor academic performance, deferment of programme and payment of penalty for late registration of courses. Seasonal migration of students is an initiation process for future brain drain. Policies aimed at addressing brain drain in Ghana should therefore incorporate seasonal migration of students as part of a holistic approach to addressing brain drain in the country.