A STUDY ON THE DIFFICULTIES CONFRONTING SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
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A STUDY ON THE DIFFICULTIES CONFRONTING SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY
Education is the process of altering the behaviour of humans in a desirable way. It is also the process of imparting or acquiring knowledge or habits via instruction.
The purpose of education for any nation, whether developed or developing, is to aid that nation solve its problems. According to the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004:4), “Government has stated that for the benefit of all citizens, the country’s educational goals shall be clearly defined in terms of their relevance to the needs of the individual and those of the society, in accordance with the realities of our environment and the contemporary world.”
Therefore, after achieving political independence, many nations had to shift their focus to nation-building, using education as an instrument in the hopes that it could accomplish for them what it did for the “great power” (Williams/1970, cited in Omede and Omede, 2004).
It is widely acknowledged that education is an indispensable instrument for national development (FRN, 2004). For education to be effective and beneficial, it must be indigenized, or tailored to the prevailing requirements of a particular society.
This explains why, since the country’s independence, the Nigerian educational system has undergone a series of reviews to ensure that it meets the prevailing requirements of the society. Yusuf and Yusuf (2009) noted that the first serious attempt to reform the country’s educational programme occurred in 19659 through a curriculum conference held in Lagos, and that the conference’s recommendations led to the first post-independence educational policy that was tailored to meet the nation’s specific needs.
Since independence, the national policy on education and the documents that serve as the “ten commandments” for the nation’s educational practises have been reviewed more than three times: in 1977 (the first draught), 1981, 1998, and 2004.
The revision is necessary, but it suggests that our educational system has yet to meet the needs and expectations of society satisfactorily. There are conspicuous instances of underdevelopment as a result of a lack of technological and industrial advancements, poor and inadequate infrastructure provision, unemployment, and low and inconsistent electricity supply.
When the topic of the Nigerian educational system is brought up, the first things that come to mind are the decline in standards, the deterioration of facilities, examination malpractices, mass promotion syndrome, and similar issues. This necessitates an in-depth study and analysis geared at educating all stakeholders in the Nigerian education system on how their individual and collective actions and inactions have contributed to the deteriorating state of education in Nigeria.
In any event, the importance of acquiring knowledge and skills through education cannot be overstated. According to the World Bank (1999:25), “successful development requires more than investing in physical capital or bridging the capital gap.” It also involves acquiring and applying knowledge and filling in knowledge deficits.
Using secondary schools in the Agege Local Government Area as a case study, this study concentrates on the issues facing secondary education in Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The Nigerian education system is progressively deteriorating, and secondary school education in Nigeria faces a number of ignored challenges.
As for instructional staff in primary and secondary schools in Nigeria today, the problem is not availability but instability. This does not contribute to the growth of the education system.
As was the case with their predecessors in later colonial and independent Nigeria, many teachers in Nigeria’s schools today use the teaching profession as a stepping stone to more prestigious and lucrative careers.
As a result, teaching is increasingly becoming a career for recent graduates of universities and colleges of education who are willing to quit without cause if they discover greener pastures elsewhere.
Experts in the field of education have been able to link examination cheating to inadequate student preparation and a lack of self-confidence. Due to the rising costs of education (school fees, enrolment fees, cost of books and other materials), students and their guardians will go to any lengths to ensure success.
Students are subjected to an excessive amount of exploitation by school heads at both private and public schools in the name of enrolment fees and assurance of success in their examination, and they do this in collaboration with ministry officials who are tasked with inspecting and monitoring school activities to ensure standard compliance.
All of these issues make it clear that secondary schools in Agege LGA should serve as a case study for a study of the problems facing secondary school education in Nigeria.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Using secondary schools in Agege LGA as a case study, the purpose of this study is to examine the problems confronting secondary school education in Nigeria as a whole. The particular aims are:
Determine the impact of unstable personnel on school education in Nigeria.
Determine the impact of inadequate classroom space in secondary institutions in Agege Local Government Area on secondary education in Nigeria.
Examine whether examination fraud is a concern for secondary school education in Nigeria.
4. Determine whether secondary institutions in Agege LGA have well-equipped libraries, laboratories, and subject rooms.
5.To investigate the impact of politization on secondary school education in Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Relevant research concerns associated with this study include:
What effect does unstable personnel have on school education in Nigeria?
What impact does inadequate classroom space in secondary institutions in Agege Local Government Area have on secondary education in Nigeria?
Is examination fraud a problem confronting secondary school education in Nigeria?
Do secondary institutions in Agege LGA have well-equipped libraries, laboratories, and subject rooms?
What effect does the politicisation of education have on secondary education in Nigeria?
1.5 Significance of the Research
The significance of education in Nigeria and the global community necessitates this study. This study is important for students, educational stakeholders in Nigeria, and the Nigerian government. This study’s findings are pertinent to students because they illuminate the impact of students on the issues confronting secondary school education in Nigeria.
This study’s findings inform stakeholders and the government about the deterioration of secondary school education in Nigeria and their respective responsibilities to address the problem.
This study will contribute to the existing corpus of knowledge by examining previously unexplored or unconsidered areas of the literature and incorporating these factors into the current investigation. This study will therefore serve as the foundation for future research in the field.
1.6 RADIUS OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study is limited to an examination of the challenges confronting secondary school education in Nigeria, using secondary schools in the Agege Local Government Area as a case study.
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
In conducting this study, the researchers were hampered by a lack of time, respondent reluctance, and limited resources, among others.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the faculties of reasoning and judgement, and intellectually preparing oneself or others for adulthood.
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