The main pUlpose of this study was to examine the status oj primwy school participation of pastoral nomad Afarrnchildren of 'he Afar region, identify the major constraints that hinder 'heir participationrnGildrnindicate possiblernintervention strategies for educational planners and policy makers to alleviate the educationalrnmarginalization of pastoral nomad Afar children.rnTo this end, descriptive survey method was employed. Apart from consultation of documents Fom relevantrnsources, data were gathered from 573 Afar students, 188 teachers and 19 educational officials, eightrneducated Afars, four primary school PTA members and two Afar tribal chiefs. Applying diversifiedrnsampling techniques drew these respondents. The data obtained Fom questionnaires were analysed usingrnstatistical tools like, percentage, mean, ANOVA, Scheefe methods and Pearson rank order correlation.rnThe data Fom documentary analysis indicated that the status of pastoral Afar children participation in thernprimary schools of the region is low. Based on findings FOIll data analysis, socio- cultural constraints like,rnearly marriage tradition of Afar society (Absuma and Abi-beda), belittling of the value of educationrn(especially that of girls), circumcision, gender role socialization and stereotyping, fear of marriage of Afarrngirls with non Afars, lack of role modelJear of losing of time of training of pastoralism have been identifiedrnas major problems in the educational participation of pastoral Afar children.rnOn top of this, socioeconomic constraints like mobility, poverty, child labour, parents illiteracy, conflict,problem of health and market center have been found to be major constraints. Moreover, school intrinsicrnfactors:- school distance, lack of school facilities and teachers, inflexible school calendar, irrelevance ofrncurriculum and inappropriate medium of instruction were considered as barriers. Furthermore,rnadministrative factors like, low administrative capacities, absence of policy and strategy to the education ofrnpastoratists, low sensitization of the people are also found to be major barriers to the educationalrninvolvement of pastoral Afar children.rnHence, it is concluded that, in most cases, the participation of pastoral Afar children in the primary schoolsrnof the region was a function of socio-cultural, socioeconomic, school intrinsic and administrative problems.rnDepending 011 the results of findings, formulation of policy and strategy for pastoral Afar education, schoolrnlocation mapping, flexible educational calendar, semi-sedentQly multi-grade school, sensitization of thernsociety on value of education, boarding schools, mobile tent schools, hostels, reforming of the curriculumrnand language of instruction, sustaining the school feeding program, participatOlY conflict managementrnapproaches, lion formal educatioll, mobile health service and promoting capacity building trainingrnprogrammes for educatiollal personnel were recommended.