Children from low-income families usually lack parental care, inspiration and supervision.

Studies show that such children score significantly lower in vocabulary, communication skills, knowledge number, copying and symbol use. They cannot concentrate and cooperatively play with children who come from higher income families.

Children who are raised in poor families start school already behind their age mates coming from rich families. They also take more time to complete their school education.

A study has shown that poverty decreases a child's readiness for school. And a child's home has a great impact on school readiness. Children from poverty-stricken families usually do not get motivated and show interest to learn the social skills necessary to prepare them for school. Generally, children raised in poor families cannot benefit from higher level cognitively stimulating materials compared to those children raised in affluent families.

Even now, children from poor families have to attend low quality schools where their talents are neither looked for nor nurtured. Since financial problem limits the housing and neighbourhood choices available to poverty-stricken families, children are greatly affected by them. Poverty has a negative impact on different aspects of children's lives, including educational outcomes. In Nepal, poor school children are forced to do the worst or most risky jobs to support their families financially.

Since most of them don't go to school regularly, their academic performance obviously declines. When they attend school, they are unlikely to be attentive due to their poverty and hopeless mindset.

Most of them are filled with pessimism and have an inferiority complex.

Feud between a husband and a wife in a poor family is common.

When a child's parents quarrel over trivial matters frequently, the father is likely to exert his anger on his children.

Consequently, some children tend to leave home forever and be deprived of an education.

When children become mature to understand their family problems, many of them shift their attention from study to employment. Even if poor children attend schools regularly, they usually fall behind their classmates in terms of presentation, English speaking skills and mathematics. It is because their parents cannot provide them with the necessary materials.

Poor parents are unable to counsel, inquire and help children with their homework.

They fail to inculcate good manners in their children; consequently, they get expelled from school. Actually, a child's financial condition is to be blamed for his misconduct and mischief.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 9, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.