Chapter One

Introduction

1.1     Background of the Study

Education is the best legacy a nation can give her citizens especially the children and youth. This is because the development of any nation or community depends largely on the quality of education of such a nation. It is generally believed that the basis for true development must commense with the development of human resources.

According to Adeboyeje (1995) the school is a formal organizational established and structured to pursue certain goals. The primary goals of the school is to educate the children and youth who are the future of the nation. Future is in the hand of the children and these children are the pillars that are being built and developed in schools for tomorrow’s responsibilities. If the future is to be prosperous, then special attention must be given to the children’s education. While dealing with education system and finding the way to improve it, one cannot over emphasis the fact that parents alos play very important role in children’s education.

The public schools are controlled and funded by government. In public schools their teachers report to the school regularly and punctually, individual pupils needs are attended to on a more personalized basis with teacher making themselves calculable for discussion and guidance session with parents (Oloruntoba 1999). The study is designed to investigate the influence of school factors such as availability and qualities of teachers, provision  of instructional equipment and facilities, location of the school and class size on the academic performance of the public school students.

According to Dwyer (1995) most parents send their wards to public schools because of high school fees collected by the called private schools. Public school provide good and qualitative education to the public as this is the fundamental stage of the educational industry, thus the expectation  gathered from that level will always influence the pupils performance in the secondary schools

1.2              Statement of the Problem

The purpose of study is to investigate the influence of school factors on the academic performance of pupils in public primary schools in Abeokuta South Local Government Area in Ogun State.

1.3              Objectives of the Study

The specific objectives of the study include:

To determine the availability of instructional materials in public primary schools. to examine the extent of usage of instructional materials in public primary schools to establish the availability of teachers in public primary schools to find out how school related factors influence the academic performance of pupils.

1.4              Research Questions

The following questions are raised to serve as anchor for the study

To what extent are instructional materials available in public primary schools? Does availability of instructional materials results in a positive change in the academic performance of the pupils Do the teachers make good use of instructional materials in schools How can school related factors be used to improve on the academic performance of pupils in public primary schools.

1.5              Significance of the Study

The study is considered significant for the following reasons.

It would afford the government to be conscious of the influence of school related factors on the academic performance of the pupils. The study is also important to all stake holders in education in other to find lasting solutions to poor academic performance of pupils in public primary schools.

1.6              Scope of the Study

This study on the influence of school related factors on the academic performance of pupils in public primary school is limited to public primary schools in Abeokuta South Local Government of Ogun State.

1.7              Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms as used in the study are operational defined below:

·                            Academic Performance: Defined as the obtainable standard or grades by the pupils from the school work.

·                            Public School: Refers to schools owned, controlled and financed either by the local, state or federal government

·                            Primary School: First phase in Nigeria education and it start from the nursery to basic 6 or primary 6

·                            Parent Involvement: Any interaction between parents, child and schools that may contribute to the child’s development

·                            Influencing Factors: These are circumstance that stimulates the interest of a person or his/her performance.