CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The introduction of adequate school plant by the most schools in the developed part of the world has increased overtime. In recent times stakeholders in the Nigerian education system have been agitated as a result of persistent and alarming slide being experienced in the Nigerian Education system. The situation has worsened in spite to effort by successive governments which have sought to revamp the glory of the Nigerian Education system to no avail. Multifarious problems ranging from mismanagement of allocated resources to declining standard of education are being experienced (Ajayi, 1999). The foregoing result in dwindling performance of students in external examinations such as the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) organized by West African Examination Council (WAEC) as posited by Dada (1987), Enacsator (1995), Ajayi 1999 and Akinbuiro and Joshua (2004). Okafor, Ugbe, Iheagwam and Betiang (2003) opines that the avalanche of problems faced in the education system culminate in falling standards and loss of confidence in the Nigerian education system. Public outcry about the debilitated state of Nigerian education has yielded little or no result. Government and its education policy making apparatus seem to be slap happy as evidenced by shoddy handling of the economy, without much result to show for its effort at tackling a plethora of problems. Political parties also cash in on the heightened public concern for improvement in the educational system, however they only pay lip service to this urgent situation. Adebayo (2009) Aptly captured the level of decline in Nigerian education system by stating that “a casual visit to any public school in Nigeria would reveal the extent to which these educational institutions have decayed”. Educational facilities at all levels are in a terrible shape; schools are littered with battered structures; worn out equipment (where they are available at all); overcrowded classrooms; inadequate manpower in quantity and quality; instability in the academic calendar owing to strikes; very low teacher (staff) morale due to poor remuneration and working conditions”. Therefore it is pertinent to redress the deplorable situation of the educational system in order to shore up academic standards. A veritable means of achieving this feat is to look into the situation of crumbling infrastructures.

          Similarly, Alimi, Ehinola and Alabi (2012) opine that in South-West Nigeria secondary schools, instructional space such as classrooms, libraries, technical workshops and laboratories are structurally defective, that is, classrooms are not spacious enough”. The foregoing trend definitely portends grave consequences for Nigeria secondary school system. A situation in which facilities are grossly inadequate would likely lead to mass failure in external examinations. The implication for instance is that where students lack necessary learning experiences due to inadequately of facilities, the achievement of pre-specified objectives of the curriculum becomes unattainable and leads inevitably to failure of students when they are assessed based on objectives of the curriculum that were not achieved during teaching/learning evaluation of student.

          The pathetic situation in Nigeria schools is worsened by the fact that enrolment in schools increase without commensurate expansion of school or provision of adequate facilities in schools. (Asiyai, 2012). Most Nigerian public schools have been in existence for a relatively long period with the same limited classrooms, open space, library, laboratory etc. Such schools have witnessed little or no renovation over time, while virtually nothing is done to expand the size of facilities in such schools.

          That school plant occupies a premium place among factors which impinge on students achievement is an understatement. In fact the quality of teaching and learning in schools, which is also a determinant of students’ performance, is contingent upon adequacy of school plant (Asiyai, 2012; Odufowokan, 2011). School plants are made up of the indispensable systems and structures required by any viable educational institution to function effectively and achieve the objectives for which it was established in the first instance (Alimi, Ehinola and Alabi, 2012). They are facilities which physically and spatially enable teaching and learning and by extension help in producing desirable results as evidenced by good academic performance of products of an education.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The nature of school environment especially in the areas of adequate plant in the school environment may have effect on the academic performance of students in Jos north L.G.A. Most secondary schools in Jos North local government area, Plateau state have been on the list of school with poor academic performance in recent times in SSCE examination (Kehinde, 2010). Effort have been put in to enhance the learning environment and to influence the academic performance of students but most of the efforts seems ineffective; in the course of solution to the problem facing schools in Jos north, some problems were identified but the study will focus on the area of school plant

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The main aim of the research work is to determine the influence of school plant on the academic performance of secondary school students in SSCE in Jos, North. Other specific objectives of study are:

1.   to determine the relationship between school plant and the academic achievement of secondary school students in SSCE in Jos north local government area, Plateau state

2.   to investigate on the factors affecting the introduction of plant in most secondary schools in Jos north local government area

3.   to determine the extent to which school plants can influence the performance of student in SSCE examination

4.   to proffer solution to the above problem

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study came up with research questions so as to ascertain the above stated objectives of study. The research questions for the study are:

1.   What is the relationship between school plant and the academic achievement of secondary school students in SSCE in Jos north local government area, Plateau state?

2.   What are the factors affecting the introduction of plant in most secondary schools in Jos north local government area?

3.   To what extent do school plants influence the performance of student in SSCE examination?

1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0: school plant does not influence the academic performance of students in SSCE in Jos north local government area of plateau state

H1: school plant influences the academic performance of students in SSCE in Jos north local government area of plateau state

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The study on the influence of school plant on the academic performance of student in SSCE will be of immense benefit to the entire secondary schools in Jos north local government area of plateau state,         the study will also serve as a repository of information to other researchers desire to carry out similar research on the above topic. Finally the study will contribute to the body of existing literature and knowledge in this field of study and provide a basis for further research

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY

The study on the influence of school plant on the academic performance of student in SSCE will be limited to five (5) secondary schools in Jos north local government area of plateau state

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Plant: Plants are mainly multicellular, predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae

Academic performance: is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their short or long-term educational goals