AN ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICAL RESOURCES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE UBE OBJECTIVES IN AKOKO NORTH WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ONDO STATE
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BY
AFOLAYAN EMMANUEL ATOLAGBE
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The primary purpose of the teaching and learning process is to bring about in the learner desirable change in behaviour through critical thinking. This process does not take place in a vacuum but rather in an environment structured to facilitate learning. Stoner, Freeman and Gilbert (1996) described the environment of an organization as all elements relevant to its operation and they include direct and indirect action elements. School facilities, constitute the major components of both direct and indirect action elements in the environment of learning. Several studies have shown that a close relationship exists between the physical environment and the academic performance of students. Nwagwu (1978) and Ogunsaju (1980) maintained that the quality of education that children receive bears direct relevance to the availability or lack thereof of physical facilities and overall atmosphere in which learning takes place. The school facilities consist of all types of buildings for academic and non-academic activities, equipment for academic and non-academic activities, areas for sports and games, landscape, farms and gardens including trees, roads and paths. Others include furniture and toilet facilities, lighting, acoustics, storage facilities and packing lot, security, transportation, ICT, cleaning materials, food services, and special facilities for the physically challenged persons.
These facilities play pivotal role in the actualization of the educational goals and objectives by satisfying the physical and emotional needs of the staff and students of the school. Knezevich (1975, p.563) emphasized that the physical needs are met through provision of safe structure, adequate sanitary facilities, a balanced visual environment, appropriate thermal environment, and sufficient shelter space for his work and play. Ihuoma P. Asiabaka New York Science Journal, http://www.sciencepub.org, ISSN 1554-0200
The national-wide free universal primary education, UPE, programme was launched by the then Military Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday, 6 September 1976 at a ceremony at Oke Sunna Municipal Primary School, Lagos but its origins are rooted in the early 1960’s and 70’s to provide free and compulsory education to children at the primary school level. Unfortunately, because of several unanticipated problems such as enrolment explosion, shortage of teachers, inadequate infrastructural facilities among others that emerged in the early stages of the implementation of the scheme the programme failed to achieve the objectives.
The collapse of the UPE brought about Universal Basic Education (UBE) which was launched in September 1999, by the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to Taiwo (1985) and Ajayi (1994) the UPE was a great contribution to education in Africa and Nigeria in particular and due to the recognition of education as an important catalyst for nation development the collapse of the UPE thereby brought about the rise of UBE which is an improvement on the UPE programme. UBE has a wider scope and a more embracing coverage than UPE because UBE is developed as a people-oriented programme with a consultative process, the scheme is free, universal and compulsory.
It has been observed that UBE would achieve or correct the irregularities, inappropriate and irrelevant curriculum of the UPE. He stated that there is increasing awareness of basic education which should be tailored to meet the needs of the learner and community in which he or she lives.
It could be seen that the percentage of government expenditure given to education is not very encouraging. Perhaps this may be one of the major reasons why the full implementation of Basic Education in Nigeria is not visible. The programme to be fully implemented needs more than what is being given to it. The implication of this is that if the government is actually serious about providing formal education for all Nigerians through Basic Education, government should re-order its priorities by allocating the lion-share of the annual budget to education. Not only that, whatever money that is allocated to education must not be trapped anywhere. It must reach its destination and such money must be spent on nothing but education.
It is important to note that some of the problems that led to the failure of Universal Primary Education to achieve its set objectives which was launched in 1976 still manifest in the implementation of UBE programme. Such problems which largely bother on finance, infrastructures such as laboratories, libraries, classrooms, furniture and fittings are still inadequate in Nigeria primary schools. (I. A. Ajayi, 2007).
However, the recent relaunching of a similar programme –– the UBE scheme by the Federal Government of Nigeria would suggest that after the failure of the earlier programme –– UPE scheme, and after a careful analysis of the factors that brought about the failure of the earlier scheme, a more careful planning would have taken place. Nigeria’s educational system has witnessed a catalogue of changes in policies and programmes. Some of the changes have appeared to a number of people desirable while one continues to wonder, why some of the other changes were ever initiated.
In fact, many of the changes in educational policies in Nigeria have been described as the product of confusion (Ayeni, 2000). There is therefore, a high level of uncertainties, which is beclouding meaningful planning in Nigeria’s educational system. This can be very dangerous particularly as the future of Nigeria will be determined by the level of education the citizens have acquired.
The following are some of the problems undermining the achievement of objectives and implementation of Basic Education in Nigeria.
Lack of publicity concerning the introduction of Basic Education in the country. It is not an exaggeration that much is still needed in the area of publicity. Many Nigerians are not even aware about the existence of Basic Education. (B. O. Lawal, 2007)
The required physical structures, instructional materials, recreational facilities, poorly equipped libraries, laboratories, inadequate classroom accommodation and scarcity and prohibitive cost of books are inadequate or not available to achieve the objectives of UBE. (A. A. Adeyinka)
Religion is another factor militating against the full implementation and achieving the objectives of Universal Basic education in Nigeria. Many Moslems in the Northern part of the country believe that Islamic education is important than formal education. The use of sharia law may also affect the full implementation and achieving Universal Basic Education. As a result of this, most girls in the Northern part of the country hardly attend schools. Finance is another problem facing Basic education. No matter how good a programme may be, without substantial amount of money, it may be difficult to achieve anything. Politics is another problem. In Nigeria as at 2006, there are about fifty political parties and each party has its own manifestos which may be different from others.
Another problem facing Universal Basic Education is poor statistics. Education statistics are not being properly kept. Even where statistics are available, there may be different statistics on the same issue. The problem that always arises under this circumstance is which one of such different statistics will one believe or rely upon.
Population census is another problem facing the full implementation of achieving Universal Basic education in Nigeria. Any nation that does not know the number of citizens or school age children or adults in her country will not be able to plan very well for her citizens in terms of provision of social amenities which include education. There is problem of inadequate infrastructure for the Basic Education. Teachers are not adequately motivated.
The quality of education is believed to be getting poorer. Odiete, (1988) observed that there were complaints and comments that the standard of education had fallen, things were no longer what they had been in the “good old days”. Abolade, (1994) also observes that there is disquiet among many discerning members of the public not only about the quality of education that our schools are offering but also whether in the situation most schools find themselves, they are capable of providing the kind of education that will make the product proficient in the use of head, heart and hand. The factors which contribute to the perceived decline in the quality of education are many and varied. Obemeata, (1995) identified non-effective supervision, inadequate preparation for lessons and poor staffing among many other factors. The decline in the quality of education in the country requires quality control measures. The Inspectorate Department is an organ of surveillance and quality control in the Ministries of Education at both the Federal and State levels. According to Aiyepeku, (1982) the Inspectorate is commonly referred to as the “eyes” and “ears” of the Ministry of Education in the monitoring of the educational system.
The National Policy on Education (NPE) put the responsibility of ensuring quality control and uniform standards in education on the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and the Ministries of Education at the State level through the Federal Inspectorate Services (FIS) at the Federal level and the Inspectorate Departments at the State level. The assignment of this function is also backed by decree 16 of 1985 titled Education - National Minimum Standards.
Lack of supervision and monitoring of schools for several decades was one of the major drawbacks of UPE and UBE. Obinaju (2001) “ educational supervision is concerned with those particular activities and aspects which maintains and promote the effectiveness of teaching and learning in schools as Onoyase (1991) perceived supervision as an action directed towards the improvement of teaching-learning process. Supervision is the life wire concerned with the efficiency and effectiveness of the UBE scheme.
Ezenkwensili (2007) ‘there has been no inspection and supervision of schools in the decade’. Supervision of schools is the heart of quality assurance in education. The constraints to effective supervision and monitoring of the UBE scheme is attributed to inadequate vehicles for monitoring, inadequate number of qualified vehicles for monitoring officers, inadequate office accommodation, and lack of funds, transport equipment and time factor militate against effective supervision of the UBE.
The primary school is the foundation of the formal educational system. However, this very important level of the educational system has been neglected. There are several blind spots at the primary schools that if addressed would improve the delivery system and the quality of teaching and learning. Both students and teachers need facilities such as libraries, science resource centres, good drinking water, toilets, laboratories and security for teaching and learning.
The current emphasis all over the world among educational practitioners is on learner-friendly school environment with learner-friendly instructional delivery system. Modern school environment put emphasis on the provision of facilities such as adequate and spacious classrooms, workshops/laboratories, computers, good water source/supply, toilets facilities, functional libraries, transportation, and communication systems among others. All these facilities are required in appropriate quantity and quality (Ajayi, 2001).
The learner is the centre-point of learner-friendly education, which starts at the primary school level. Primary school is the fulcrum for all other levels of education. It is therefore important that care should be taken in organizing, coordinating and managing educational activities at the primary school level.
Ndu (1991) observed that no nation could produce the kind of citizens that would think creatively and help solve problems facing humanity without sound primary education. Thus primary education occupies a critical position in the education system and its importance in the overall national and individual development cannot be overstressed. Writing about the physical conditions, equipment and facilities in schools, Mbakwem and Asiabaka (2007) lamented the unhealthy nature of the buildings: uncompleted, old and antiquated, sometimes dilapidated buildings, overcrowded and un-conducive classrooms, unsightly and unhygienic toilets, inadequate laboratories and workshops. The pupils start learning in already deprived and disadvantaged school environment. In several primary and secondary schools in most parts of the country, the buildings were either half completed or dilapidated. Population explosion, insufficient desks, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate learning materials, preponderance of unqualified teachers, poorly educated and ill-motivated teachers characterize the entire system (Ajayi, 2001). A good number of studies have focused mainly on infrastructural facilities such as buildings, classrooms, chairs, tables etc but neglected other school facilities as well as the school environment. It is important that appropriate, adequate, desirable and acceptable learning environment as well as learning experiences be provided the learners. (Ihuoma P. Asiabaka and Jem Mbakwem)
Needs assessment is a systematic exploration of the way things are and the way they should be. Through needs assessment, the government and other stakeholders in education can identify its strengths and weaknesses and specify priorities for improving and meeting the challenges of high academic standards which the public is demanding and will help the government to achieve the objectives of UBE.
The first time a call was made to make the first nine years of education in Nigeria free and universal was in March 1987 when the Dr. Samuel J Cookey-led Political Bureau, set up by the President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s Federal Military Government submitted its report. The bureau, made up of very eminent Nigerians from different works of life, did assert that: Nigeria has a literacy rate of only about 20 percent for people who are above 15 years old. This shows urgency for a scheme of mass education if the population is to be socially mobilized. In order to have a literate Nigerian society, there is need to have the education of our youths free for the First Nine Years (Emphasis mine) (FRN, 1987:66).
This suggestion did not attract any significant response from the Federal Military Government. Then came the Jomtien Declaration of Education for All, EFA of 1990 and the subsequent Decade of Summits. The year 2000 was given as the target date for the introduction of EFA programmes in those countries that subscribed to the Declaration. President Olusegun Obassnjo launched the Nigerian version of the EFA, which is the Universal Basic Education, UBE programme on 30 September 1999 in Sokoto. Two coincidences play themselves out here: one, in 1974 the then Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon announced the Federal Government’s intention to commence a nation-wide UPE scheme in Sokoto.
Bray (1981) cited in Kosemani and Okorosaye-Orubite (1993:148) indicate that Gowon maintained that “the choice of Sokoto for the announcement was to encourage educationally backward areas and not a political strategy. What then informed Chief Obasanjo’s choice of Sokoto for the launch of the UBE programme? No answer yet. Two, the same Olusegun Obasanjo who later became a civilian Head of State (1999-2007), launched the UPE and UBE programmes at two different times of 23 years interval. General Obasanjo handed over power to a civilian administration in October 1979 one month after primary school attendance under the UPE scheme was expected to be compulsory according to the Federal Government’s plan. All things being equal, some of the 5+ aged children enrolled into primary 1 in 1976 were supposed to be engaged in the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme and possibly teaching in a primary or junior secondary school by September 1999. So, if 1976 bore fruit, there would not have been any need to go back to Sokoto after 25 years and for Olusegun Obasanjo either in Khaki or Agbada to go through the same ritual 23 years after.
The Universal Basic Education programme is “in fact part of Nigeria’s efforts to uphold and renew its commitment to the provision and promotion of basic education for all as required by a number of covenants and protocols to which Nigeria is a signatory” (UBE,2002:6).These covenants and protocols emerged from the 19 World and 6 Africa specific conferences/congresses/summits mentioned earlier that were held in the Decade of Summits 1990-1999. Basic education, according to the Jomtien Declaration and Framework of Action on Education for All is not defined in terms of years of schooling. It is not limited to formal schooling and Jegede (2000) advocated for the non formal and informal media to work together complementarily to ensure that all categories of Nigerians have access to basic education. Obayan (2000) describes basic education as that level, type and form of learning needed to build firm roots for literacy and numeracy, to inculcate basic life skills and more importantly, to consolidate the skills of learning how to learn.
There are growing concerns among stakeholders and educational practitioners about the quality of education given to children. Educational practitioners and stakeholders are also lamenting the fall in the standard of education in the country. There are also calls for the need to re-vamp the educational sector to address the concerns of the citizenry and comply with millennium development goals (MDGs). These calls, gave impetus to the current educational reforms of the Federal Government. The primary school is the foundation of the formal educational system. However, this very important level of the educational system has been neglected. There are several blind spots at the primary schools that if addressed would improve the delivery system and the quality of teaching and learning. Both students and teachers need facilities such as libraries, science resource corners, good drinking water, toilets, laboratories and security for teaching and learning.
The current emphasis all over the world among educational practitioners is on learner-friendly school environment with learner-friendly instructional delivery system. Modern school environment put emphasis on the provision of facilities such as adequate and spacious classrooms, workshops/laboratories, computers, good water source/supply, toilets facilities, functional libraries, transportation, and communication systems among others. All these facilities are required in appropriate quantity and quality (Ajayi, 2001).
The 1999 constitution clearly stated that the government will eradicate illiteracy in the country. In order to do this, the government will provide free, compulsory as well as universal primary education and free education up to the university level. In order to solve problems facing primary education in Nigeria, decrees 31 of 1988, decree 3 of 1991 and decree 96 of 1993 were put in place by the Federal Government in order to solve most of the administration problems facing primary education in Nigeria. Basic Education is not only the foundation for further education but it equally helps the beneficiaries to be able to stand on their own in the nearest future.
According to the Master plan for Basic Education for all in Nigeria by the year 2000, in further pursuit of the goal of Universalizing access to education, Nigeria has now introduced a nine-year schooling programme for the children between the ages of 6 to According to the document, the scheme which took off in September, 1992 expects all children who enter primary one in 1992 to remain in the school until the end of Junior Secondary Course. The Federal Government is still committed to the establishment of a universal basic education programme for all Nigerians. The formal aspect of this programme involves nine-year schooling covering six years of primary education and the first three years of secondary education. This took effect from 1992.
The objectives of basic education in Nigeria:
-To ensure that all 6-years old children begin primary education
-To ensure 100% transition rate from primary to junior secondary level.
-To contribute to a massive reduction in illiteracy by being free and compulsory and by increasing the number of years of schooling.
-To impart the rudiments of employment-creating skills at the JSS level where technical and vocational education is emphasized.
-To enhance the acquisition by children of life skills and thus contribute to their personal development.
-To serve as foundation for school learning and offer a second chance for children who have dropped out of the formal educational system as well as adults who never enjoyed the benefit.
In order to achieve the above stated objectives, the Evolution of western education in Nigeria. Many scholars have explored the development of western formal education in Nigeria. They included Fafunwa (1974) and Taiwo (1985). Fafunwa (1974) observed that western education commenced with the advent of the Christian missions such as the Wesleyan Methodist, the Church Missionary Society, the Baptist, the Presbyterian and the Roman Catholic Mission. The earliest arrival was the Wesleyan Methodist represented by Thomas Birch Freeman in 1942. The primary assignment of the missionaries was to make conversion for the various missions which they represented but require education for the converts to enable them read the scriptures and propagate the gospel.
In this connection, education was seen as a powerful instrument for the evangelization of the people of the Dark Continent. Education became therefore synonymous to evangelization. Schools were therefore opened to welcome children from the pagan communities. The aim was to convert and train them as teachers and catechist who would serve in the native minorities. Education therefore is seen as very important for human development. It can be concluded that through education, men acquire the civilization of the past and take part in the civilization of the present and because the future is only partially and uncertainly predictable and because human facilities are inventive and resourceful, education for the future implies education for a future which is man's own (thinking and) making. It was between 1870 and 1881 that the colonial government made small irregular grants to the missionaries in Nigeria and in 1882 the first educational ordinance was passed to provide grants-in-aid to the mission.
In 1908, another educational ordinance was passed which had a provision for the classification of schools in the colony and protectorate of southern Nigeria.
According to Taiwo (1985) the classification is as follows :-
• Infants-Infants I-III and sub-standards I and II
• Primary-Standards I-VII, with most finishing in standard VI
• Secondary-Class I-V of which I-III corresponded, more or less to primary standards VI-VI
• Trade or technical
• Agriculture
1.1 Statement of the Problem
There has been public outcry and growing concern about the falling standard of education, generally and of the basic education in particular in Nigeria. The falling standard in basic education can be attributed to many factors such as dearth of instructional facilities in public schools, unavailability’s of laboratories, libraries, science resource corners, dilapidated structures in our public primary schools. It is on this note that this study carried out on an assessment of physical resources put in place in order to achieve UBE objectives in Akoko North West LGA of Ondo State.
According to Oyedele (1985) cited in Atakpa (2001) Nigerian children and youths are being educated more in accordance with yesterday’s world rather than in preparation for tomorrow’s living. This is agreement with what Umoh-Mac and Nkume cited that all our equipment in schools are obsolete and school structures and in dilapidated condition. Instructional materials are also lacking and these instructional materials are means of making teaching and learning process easy, more meaningful and understandable, (Uzoegwu, 2001).
With the forgoing, the aim or purpose of this study is to assess the availability and non-availability of both school facilities such as toilet, library, laboratory, furniture, stationary’s such as dairy, register and dossier and other equipment such as computer, availability of electricity in schools and recreational facilities such as swing, ladder, seesaw and merry-go-round also assessed.
1.2 Scope of the study
This study covered selected primary schools in Akoko North West Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State and it would assess availability of physical facilities needed to achieve UBE programmes. This study will assess the availability of science resource centres, recreational facilities, and functional toilets, source of water supply, electricity, communication and transportation facilities as related to the achievement of UBE objectives.
1.3 Significant of the Study
The significant of this study would assess the physical resources needed to achieve UBE objectives in Akoko North West LGA of Ondo State, at the end of this study, solution will be proffer to the problems facing the educational sectors in achieving the objectives of UBE, which if accepted by all the stakeholders to this educational level, and implemented, the objectives of UBE will be achieve.
1.4 Research Questions
1. Which of the needed instructional facilities that aid teaching and learning in schools available in Akoko North West LGA?
2. To what extent do science resource centres, available in the UBE schools in Akoko North West LGA
3. To what extent are the following social amenities available in the UBE schools:
(a) Recreational facilities
(b) Functional toilets
(c) Good water source
(d) Communication and transportation facilities
4. What are the modes of refuse disposal available in the schools?
5. Average number of teachers available per school?
6. What is the average number of pupils in a class in both rural and urban schools?
7. What is the teacher: pupil ratio in both rural and urban schools?
1.5 Operational Definition of terms
Assessment: Fact finding activity that describes conditions that exists at a particular time.
Supervision: Facilitates and reinforce learning and learning activities in schools.
Monitoring: Assessing learning and teaching activities in schools.
Physical resources: It embraces the permanent and relatively permanent possessions of the school resources such as laboratory equipments, chalk, black board machines and so on.
Universal Basic Education: Universal Basic Education programme established by the Federal Govt. to provide compulsory and education free education.
Education objectives: To develop full potentialities of every child, while at the same time taking into consideration the needs and welfare of the country.
UBE objectives: Set goals, aims to be achieved at the end of the programme.
UPE: Universal Primary Education programme established by the Federal Govt. to provide free, universal and compulsory throughout the country.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE
This chapter reviews previous research works and other related literature that assess the availability of physical resources needed to achieve UBE objectives in Akoko North West L. G. Area of Ondo State.
The following areas are to be review in this chapter:
1. Inadequate Planning and Preparation
2. Physical facilities
3. Shortage of textbooks and instructional materials
4. Millennium challenges of education
5. Planning and Management
6. Challenges of UBE and Education for All (EFA)
7. Sources of supply and replenishment of Instructional Materials to Schools
8. Resource Utilization
9. Constraints to the use of Instructional Media in Public Primary Schools:
Inadequate Planning and Preparation
The UPE proposal from the Federal Ministry of Education to the State Ministries was done in October, 1973 and the decision to commence the programme in 1976 was made in 1974 by the Gowon Administration which was toppled in June, 1975. It was against the advice of education experts who considered a gestation period of two and half years as too short to embark on a project of this nature, that the Murtala/Obasanjo regime launched the scheme in 1976. Consequently, the teachers to meet with the expected rise in enrolment were not produced; the projected classroom spaces and the relevant institutional materials including text books were not ready. This situation had serious implications for the quality of education given.
Coupled with the haste in which the Federal Military Government pursued the programme, there was also the issue of wide- spread corruption at all levels of governance and within the school system. In the hurry to train teachers and construct school buildings some supposed teacher trainees simply enlisted only to collect the monthly allowance of N10.00 which in 1974 was a lot of money. They were doing full-time work somewhere else and never showed up in the training centres. At the end of the training period the names of such absentee trainees were forwarded for automatic employment and they earned GL04 as TC II teachers (awaiting result). Thus, the statistics presented by government as teachers trained between 1974 and 1976 were made up many of ghost names.
On classrooms, FRN (1987:66) confirms that “the UPE scheme for which the sum of N360.03 million was allocated for the construction of 150,955 classrooms during the 1975-80 Third National Development Plan, only 63, 000 classrooms were completed and yet an additional N126,000,000 was incurred at the end of the plan period”. Ministry officials and primary school head teachers were reported to have signed contract performance certificates to contractors who had not located the sites of the buildings they were supposed to construct. (Anyamebo K. Okorosaye-Orubite, SSG Monograph No.1, March 2008)
Physical facilities
School plant management is the process of planning to meet the need of the school for physical facilities, constructing such facilities and keeping the facilities in good conditions so that they can be put into operation when required for teaching and learning. The school plant is the space interpretation of the school curriculum. One of the ways in which curriculum finds its physical expression is through the construction and internal arrangement of the school plant, An effective school is a controlled environmental condition which aids the teaching learning process and at the same time protects the physical well-being of the occupants. Maintenance of school plant is concerned with keeping grounds, buildings and equipment in their original condition of completeness on efficiency. Knezevich (1975) has rightly stated that the time it takes for a building to become physically obsolete depends on the quality of the original construction and materials as well as the quality of house keeping and maintenance. The problem of lack of adequate facilities in Nigerian schools is dated back to the beginning of formal education in Nigeria. The provision of educational facilities was not given adequate and proper attention it deserved. The resultant effect was overcrowding of pupils in schools-leading to overstressing of the available facilities (Adesina, 1990). Physical education facilities, equipment and supplies are essential for the attainment of educational goals and objectives.
Shortage of textbooks and instructional materials
To generate a desirable change in the learner, good teaching must take place and to bring about good teaching, teachers should be able to convey their messages in the simplest, most convincing and practical way to the learner using concrete objects. These objects according to Umoh – Mac and Nkume (1998) are regarded as instructional materials. They enhance real and meaningful teaching and learning. Appropriate instructional materials are imperative for implementing' good quality education programmes. Unless adequate and good quality facilities and superlative human resources are available, the quality of the programme will be reduced and learning will be deterred
The importance of textbooks and instructional materials in teaching-learning process cannot be over-emphasised. For learning to take place, there is the need for the teacher to sensitize pupils’ senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. In order to do this, the teacher must use instructional materials (Ajayi, 2004). Without the provision of adequate textbooks and instructional materials, it will be difficult to implement the school curriculum. As part of a measure to achieve the objectives of UBE programme, Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) the action in the area of textbooks and instructional materials will be closely linked to the work to be done on enriching school curricula. (Universal Basic Education Commission, Standard Action Plan). In view of the anticipated increase in social demand for education as a result of universal, free and compulsory UBE, the quantity of textbooks and instructional materials required in schools and other Basic Education Centres will be enormours with very high financial implications. UBEP (2002) and Salami (2004) reported that instructional materials such as curriculum modules, textbooks, continuous assessment booklets and introductory technology materials were inadequate in schools.
From the UBEC Standard Action plan, the commencement of instructional materials production was slated for year 2005 - 2006 while the UBE was launched and commenced in 2005. Another contributing factor is that over the years, little progress has been made in improving teaching-learning conditions, that is, unavailability or shortage of relevant textbooks, lack of curriculum relevance to the needs of the society and poor supervision management at all levels of education in Nigeria.
Instructional materials are to help teachers to teach in order to make teaching more permanent in the minds of the learners but some of these materials are lacking in our schools. Lack of instructional materials for teaching in spite of their value, brings about lack of interest in the part of pupils. Aliyu (2001) carried out a study of secondary school in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State and reported inadequate supply of instructional materials
Millennium Challenges of Education
Education is been regarded as the saviour of this nation and yet, it’s the worse treated if compared with other sectors of the national economy. Fagbamiye (2004:123) believed that, many Nigerians are justifiably apprehensive that in spite of the fact that so much money is being expended on providing social welfare services, particularly education, we are comparatively worse off in 2003 than we were in 1976 when Universal Primary Education programme was introduced nation-wide. However, Fafunwa (2003) provided a contrary opinion that the standard of education is not what is at issue, “what is actually falling is our ability to meet the set standards”.
The implication and challenges of this statement is that, good standards have been set for education sector but we have not often succeeded in ensuring that such standards can be attained or maintained.
Planning and Management
Different levels of government and community organizations share the responsibility for primary education. The State Primary Education Board (SPEB) and Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) were establishment in 1993. They have been charged with the responsibility for the management and funding allocations in the primary school subsector.
The Local Government Councils appoint Education Secretaries who then report directly to the SPEBs. These arrangements have resulted in general conflicting pressures on the Education Secretaries due to the different roles played by the SPEB’s and the Local Government Councils (LGC’s). There are also areas of overlap in the functions of different levels of management which need to be addressed.
The framework provided by the National Development Plan guides education plans. The responsibility for data collection and planning is shared between the Federal and State planning units as well as the NPEC. The planning capacity is weak and this has led to delays in the processing of data and the production of reports. Late in 1999, the NPEC had not completed processing the data for 1997. Data collection and processing at the Federal level has also been very poor. Significant changes and improvements have taken place since the re- instatement of the NPEC in 1993. Teachers’ salaries have been paid out generally on time and their overall conditions of service have been somewhat improved. These changes have raised the morale of teachers from its very low point. Previously, the education system had suffered from problems of high turn-over and difficulties in recruitment and retention. These improvements in the stability of teacher assignments have, to some extent, contributed to improved enrollment figures and better retention rates of pupils. Another notable change has been the effort to update the curriculum even though the teaching and learning materials were inadequate to support it. A national committee for the improvement of the curriculum was also established and has started to function.
Democratization of school governance structures can often create new problems even as it solves others. Conflicts may emerge when the roles of stakeholder representatives are not clear, or when stakeholder representatives not adequately trained and supported to play their new roles effectively. In addition, there are no clear legislative guides to describe the roles of new decentralized governance structures. The PTA’s, School Committees and CBOs have been reported to operate and act on an ad- hoc basis. Their activities are therefore characterized by a general lack of transparency and by low expectations for accountability.
Changes in management structures within the education system have helped to halt the negative trends relating to timely payment of teachers salaries, provision of basic equipment, maintenance of school buildings and the supply of instructional materials. This has led to some restoration of public confidence in the public school system and to associated gains in school enrollments. However, much remains to be done in this area.
Challenges of UBE and Education for All (EFA)
Child labour is a major challenge for the attainment of the goals of UBE and Education For ALL in Nigeria. Child labour, defined as the participation of young children under the age of 15 years in the labour force in order to earn a living or support household income (Grootaert and Kanbur, 1995)1.
In developing countries 1 in 5 children work, with significant differences in economic activity rates across regions; and 1 in every 3 children in Africa work, Nigeria inclusive (World Bank 2007)2. Child labour is widespread and is increasing in Nigeria, where 45 per cent of over 140 million of the country’s total population are children under the age of 15 years (PRB, 2007). A huge 15 million children under the age of 14 are engaged in one form of labour or the other in Nigeria. Majority of these children are exposed to long hours of work under very dangerous and unhealthy environment. Children in Nigeria are employed in public places and markets as street vendors (64%), beggars and shoe shiners (4%), car washers/watchers (6%), scavengers (5%) and feet washers (8%). In northern Nigeria, children who survive on the streets by begging are referred to as ‘almajirai’. The rise in the rate of child labour in the country could have been a consequence of the demand for cheap labour and poverty (UNICEF, 2006). Children have always worked in Nigeria. The philosophy of most cultures in Nigeria encourage children to work with their families, learning skills they would need as adults, but today children are forced to work for their own and their family’s survival. The money earned by child family members has become a significant part of poor families’ income. Child labour could lead to mass drop out from primary and secondary schools; involvement in crime and drug related habits; hamper human capital development and the potentials of developing countries like Nigeria. There is widespread belief that employment is destructive to children’s intellectual and physical development, especially that of young children. Children in Nigeria spend their time in four main activities, namely work, school, work and school and leisure/idle. ILO estimates in 1999 indicted that 24.2 percent of children in Nigeria, between the ages of 10 and 14 years work. Child labour, child trafficking have adverse effect on both UBE and EFA since some of the children of the school going age are involved or being used in these activities.
Child labour affects both the ability to attend school, and to benefit from schooling; hence it is a big challenge to the attainment of the goals of UBE. When children are employed in one form of labour or the other the other, they tend to drop out of primary and secondary schools. Child domestic labour in third-party households represents a major barrier to access and completion of quality basic education in Nigeria.
Mostly, working children neither have time, money nor the energy to go to school. Working children generally do not attend school at all; 1 million children are forced to drop out of school due to poverty or because of parents’ demand to contribute to the family income. Over 8 million children combine schooling and work. This group of children works in their spare time to pay education fees, in this process they often skip classes due to demand in their work place (UNICEF, 2006)6. Missing out on education makes it impossible to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation and prevents children from having a better life and a safer future. There is dearth of data on primary school attendance rates in Nigeria. Though, a school enrollment rate is a sign of the level of commitment to education, in Nigeria however, they do not always reflect a child’s participation in school.
It is pathetic to find students, especially in primary schools, sitting on floor without desks, or being taught in classrooms which are equivalents of death traps due to their poor construction or due to their being insensibly located near market places or too close to busy highways.
There has been little or no consideration for the effect the school plant would have on the teaching-learning situation and for the achievement of the laid down educational goals. Educational building and facilities also connote ‘school plants’. Either is an integral part of the over-all process of developing an effective educational system. Education is the development of attitudes and potentialities which are inherent in the individual and which permits the individual to live a full life. It is the function of the school, as a formal place of learning, to achieve this objective. The mere mention of the school brings to mind the issue of the school plant. School plant planning is an integral part of the over-all educational planning. Planning, according to Derner (1977) ‘is the process by which an organization solves the problem of determining its relationship with its environment’. It is the process of collecting the desired facts or information and making decisions by which the authority enunciated objectives and determines the pattern of action to solve these objectives. Dermer (1977) also stressed the importance of planning when he postulated that ‘planning encourages innovation, mind-stretching and search for more and better alternatives.’ He added that planning reconciles objectives, opportunities and capabilities and lends itself as a factor for selecting targets and mean of achieving those targets. It is clear, therefore, that planning is absolutely needed in order to avoid the frustration that may arise in the absence of adequate planning.
Education has remained a social process in capacity building and maintenance of society for decades. It is a weapon for acquiring skills, relevant knowledge and habits for surviving in the changing world. Invariably, the major problem identified in the Nigerian UBE system lies in the automatic promotion, that is, 100% promotion and transition for 9 years. This indeed is a mockery of any form of evaluation done at this level and is bound to reflect on the standard of education in no distant future. In particular the provision for the out of school population has remained obscure since eight years of its introduction and inception. (Adunola Adepoju and Anne Fabiyi) Yoloye (2004) observed that, the concept of Basic Education is not a completely new term to the Nigerian society and that within the last decade; it has assumed a global significance and its meanings has been broadened. The expanded vision of UBE comprises the universalizing of access and promotion of equity, focusing on learning and enhancing the environment of learning and strengthening partnerships.
The quality of education given by any institution can be attributed to the provision of adequate educational buildings; students’ performance is affected by the school plant. This is exemplified by a study of the performance of students in two classrooms under controlled and uncontrolled situations respectively. The results, reported in American School Board Journal (1963), showed that students in the controlled classroom situation with adequate teaching facilities and conducive environment performed better than students in the uncontrolled situation.
Sources of supply and replenishment of Instructional Materials to Schools
Uzooegwu (2001) tells us that the federal government of Nigeria in recognizing the importance of instructional materials in the process of teaching and learning has made arrangement to provide them under the Universal Basic Education Programme. The government blue print, she says has it that the Federal Government will provide 50%, while the State Government will provide the remaining 50% instructional materials to be used in the UBE scheme at the Junior Secondary Schools. In her implementation guideline for the UBE, the Federal Government lays great emphasis on the use of instructional materials, for example in section 7, it is stated that there should be an encouragement to the provision of facilities for early childhood care and specialization. The guideline also stressed that for the effective takeoff of the UBE programme and for proper implementation, there should be available and adequate instructional in schools for the acquisition of the appropriate level of literacy especially in the manipulation areas.
It is time the school teachers recognized that the days of calling and talking are far gone, expert believe that no matter how excellent the teacher in the primary and secondary school is, unless he supports and complement his teaching with the right educational tools, the right effectiveness is never achieved. Learning is maximized and speeds up when the right materials are used to complement teaching. It is therefore, for the teacher to go an extra mile to sort for these materials to complement his/her teaching. It is time also the educational policy makers were sensitized to the need for making arrangement/plans for the provision of instructional materials to schools alongside trained teachers, with experience in the manipulation and maintenance skills.
A teacher’s resource corner provides a resource area, a space within the centre where a collection of teaching materials could be displayed, stored, worked with copied or possible borrowed (Kahn 1991)
The corner, he says, provide for meeting and talking with colleagues from other schools who share similar problems with other educationist who can give advice, help and suggest ways for improving individual morals and skills in the classroom.
Resource Utilization
The extent to which educational resource inputs are utilized efficiently can only be properly assessed in relation to a standard unit of educational output, which is based on both quantitative (enrolment and grade attainment) and qualitative (learning outcome) indicators. However, assessments of the overall cost effectiveness or productivity of educational service delivery are rarely undertaken in developing countries, due mainly to data limitations.
Constraints to the use of Instructional Media in Public Primary Schools:
Although instructional materials are necessary for the achievement of the objectives of UBE, there are problems militating against their use in public primary schools. These problems include unavailability and inaccessibility of instrumental material, absence of educational resources centers, and classroom settings.
Most of the instructional materials for effective implementation of UBE scheme are not available. Research indicates the paucity of these materials in public primary schools. For instance, the Federal Government of Nigeria/UNICEF (1993) in their study found that the material inadequate for effective instruction in primary schools. Recent research reports, such as Olibie (2000) and Nwoji (2000), indicate that the situation has not changed for good. Even when some of these media, such as charts, real objects, and maps may be available in some schools, they may not be really accessible to the teachers who need them.
The National Policy on Education (FRN, 1998) lists educational resource center (ERC) as one of the services that should be provided to enhance instruction in primary schools. ERC is an agency of educational technology which facilitates the acquisition, development, storage, retrieval, evaluation and use of instructional materials. The absence of ERCs has left public primary schools without the impetus required to facilitate the use of instructional materials. The fact that this important educational service has not been provided in public primary schools means that the structure and processes required to bolster the use of instructional materials in these schools are non-existent. The implication of the absence of ERCs in public primary schools is that even if instructional materials supplied to these schools, many of the media may end up not being used to enhance learning. In fact, some teachers may not be aware of the existence of such materials.
Many primary school teachers do not possess the competence required to develop and/or use some instructional materials effectively. Okwo (2001) in a study found that in a study found that teachers’ materials/media competence level is low to support any meaningful application of instructional materials in the learning-teaching process. Therefore, even if a wide range of instructional materials are supplied to public primary schools, many of them will not be used, unless teachers are retrained. Nwachukwu (2000) identifies skill in using instructional materials appropriately, skill in involving pupils in developing materials, and skill in developing teacher-made materials, among other skills as competency and skill areas that need improvement for effective teaching and sustainability of the UBE scheme. If governments fail to supply instructional materials, and teachers have the skill to develop required materials. Then the use of these materials will be stimulated and sustained. This is not to be since the skill for developing materials is lacked by the teachers. Therefore, ignorance on the part of teachers is one major constraint to instructional media design, development and use in public primary schools.
Inadequate facilities, such as poor accommodation, and absence of electric power supply do not encourage teachers to use instructional materials during lessons. The spatial arrangement of pupils tables and seats in these schools is most primitive; resulting in over crowding; with pupils in one class flowing over to another. Permanent, collapsible or any form of demarcations between classes is absent. The minimum level of privacy required for the effective and efficient use of instructional material in a typical class in public schools cannot be guaranteed. Generally speaking, classrooms in public primary schools lack viewing and listening facilities, to the extent that some do not have where charts can be displayed. Therefore, the interior conditions of the classrooms do not support the use of instructional materials during lessons.
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes the research design, population of study, sample and sampling techniques, description of the research instrument, validation of the instrument, administration of instrument, method data collection and analysis techniques.
Research design provides the glue that holds the research project together. A design is used to structure the research, to show how all of the major parts of the research project the samples or groups, measures, treatments or programs, and methods of assignment -- work together to try to address the central research questions.
3.1 Research Design
This research project is going to use descriptive survey research and adopt simple random sampling to select the study population.
Simple random sampling is the basic sampling technique where we select a group of subjects (a sample) for study from a larger group (a population). Each individual is chosen entirely by chance and each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample. Every possible sample of a given size has the same chance of selection. A probability sampling method is any method of sampling that utilizes some form of random selection. In order to have a random selection method, you must set up some process or procedure that assures that the different units in your population have equal probabilities of being chosen. These days, we tend to use computers as the mechanism for generating random numbers as the basis for random selection. This sampling procedure is being used due to the homogeneity of population of study. Also, it is cost effective and the level of accuracy is also high since dealing with entire population cumbersome and time consuming. Time constraints also necessitate the use of the procedure.
3.2 Population of the study
Akoko North West Local Government comprises of the following towns and villages: Oke-agbe as its headquarters, Arigidi, Ogbagi, Irun, Ikaram, Erusu, Ibaram, Ajowa, Afin, Ese, Oyin, Gedegede, Iyani, Ase, Igasi, Eriti, Iye, Surulere. In this LGA, there are 56 public primary and 40 public secondary (Junior) schools in the local government. Also we have 29 private nursery &primary and 7 private secondary schools. Source: Area Education Office.
The populations of study for this project are public primary and junior secondary schools in Akoko North LGA in Ondo State. Due to time and financial constraint, we won’t survey the entire public primary schools in Akoko North LGA in Ondo State but, 70% of the school will be covered.
3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques
Since it is generally impossible to study an entire population (every individual in a country, all college students, every geographic area, etc.), researchers typically rely on sampling to acquire a section of the population to perform an experiment or observational study. It is important that the group selected be representative of the population, and not biased in a systematic manner. For example, a group comprised of the B. ed degree teachers in a given area probably would not accurately reflect the opinions of the entire population in that area. For this reason, randomization is typically employed to achieve an unbiased sample. The most common sampling designs are simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, and multistage random sampling. In this study, simple random sampling will be used because of the homogeneity of the population of study. It is also cost effective and unbiased.
Method of simple random sampling techniques will be used to select schools to be included in this project by assigned numbers to all primary schools in Akoko North West Local Govt. Area of Ondo State and draw sample by using random number generator. www.terrainthralls.com. 70 percent of the population will be covered and 70 percent of 56 public primary schools in Akoko North West LGA is 40 schools will be covered in the study area.
3.4 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
The instruments used for data collection were the Checklist of Facilities and Record. Data for the research work was collected with the use of a checklist and rating scale of facilities and records which was completed by the project student during the visit to the primary schools. The project student in the company of a school staff observed the facilities in each school visited. The checklist solicited for information on the availability of science resource corner, recreational, toilet, communication, first aid and transport facilities. Furthermore, information was collected on the source of water supply, school sanitation and the nature of landscape in the schools. The following rating scale were used to rate the availability of facilities.
3 Available Adequate (AA)
2 Available Not Adequate (ANA)
1 Not Available (NA)
The population of the study comprised of all the selected primary schools in Akoko North West LGA of Ondo State, Nigeria. The simple random sampling technique was used to select 39 primary schools out of 56 primary schools in the Local Government Area in the State. There are eighteen towns and villages with 56 primary schools in the Local Government Council. Since this study was descriptive in nature, simple percentages were used in data analysis.
3.5 Validation of Instrument
The optional responses used in the checklist agreed with Likert Rating Scale which has been used severally and collectively by the researchers with robust result.
The project supervisor reviewed the items in terms of their clarity, the appropriateness and standardized the items with a view to capture all the required information for this project or to determine which items can actually elicit the information they are intended to elicit.
3.6 Administration of Instrument
The research student visited all the selected schools with its checklist to collect relevant data on physical facilities in public primary schools and also made use records where necessary in Akoko North West LGA. Visiting the selected was about hectic and time consuming due to distribution of the schools in the study area.
3.7 Method of Data Analysis
For the purpose of this research, descriptive statistical analysis will be used to analysis and generate data output. The data were entered in excel sheet to generate simple statistics and graph.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
This chapter presents the data analysis and study.
Research Question
Which of the needed instructional materials that aid teaching and learning in schools available in Akoko North West LGA?
All the selected schools has the following instructional materials, number chart, alphabet chart, multiplication table chart, time chart and other related instructional materials which staggered across the classrooms. These instructional materials are available but not adequate (ANA) comparing to the number of items to the pupils population.
Research Question 2
To what extent do science resource centres, available in the UBE schools in Akoko North West LGA?
In all the schools selected for this exercise, there are no resources corners and common rooms either for teachers or pupils. The implication of this is that teachers won’t be able to meet and interact with one another to discuss important issues relating to skills development or solve difficult problems encountered during the course of teaching.
Research Question 3
To what extent are the following social amenities available in the selected primary schools?
(a) Recreational facilities
The following are the facilities assessed in the selected primary schools: Swing, ladder, see-saw and merry-go-round. All these facilities were not available in all the forty primary schools.
(b) Types of Toilet
Across all the school visited, the following types of toilet are available water system, pit toilet, bush or open defecation. 13 out of 40 the schools have water system toilet, 13 of 40 have both water system and pit toilet and 28 of 40 have pit toilet alone, but they could not make use of water system toilet due to unavailability of water to flush, they are not adequately available for the number of students, in other places where pit toilets are available but not adequate, they are not well kept. Both the teachers and student are still engaging in open defecations.
Table: 1. Frequency and Percentage of Toilet Facilities
Toilet Facilities Available Toilet Facilities Available Frequency Toilet Facilities Percentage
Water System 13 16
Water System and Pit laterine 28 42.4
Pit laterine 40 49
Total 81 100
(c) Table: 2. Water Sources
Sources of Water Supply Frequency Percentage
Pipe Borne 0
Bore Hole 16
Well (Protected) 2
Well (Unprotected) 1
Rain 0
Stream 0
(d) Communication and transportation facilities
Communication and transportation are not available in all the selected schools.
(e) Table: 3. Sources of Electricity
PHCN was available in 16(40%) of the schools. In 2(5%) have both PHCN and generator and 1(2.5%) used generator.
Sources of Electricity Frequency Percentage
PHCN 16
Generator 1
Gen. and PHCN 2
Total 19
Research Question 4
What are the modes of refuse disposal available in the schools?
Table: 4. Frequency and Percentage of Disposal Facilities
Types of Disposal Facility
Frequency of Disposal Facility
Percentage of Disposal Facility
Dust bin 0 0
Incinerator 0 0
Compost Pit 0 0
Bush 40 100
Total 40 100
There are no standard ways of waste disposal in all the selected schools. Bush method is the only available way of disposing waste.
Research Question 5
Average number of teachers available per school in the selected primary schools in Akoko North West LGA, Ondo State?
Table: 5. Numbers of Teachers per school
S/No Name of Schools No of Teachers Male Female Total
1 LA P/S, Ikaram 12 144 143 287
2 LA P/S Ajowa 14 181 222 403
3 Moslem P/S Ajowa 8 141 161 302
4 LA P/S Igasi 8 73 87 160
5 AUD P/S Ajowa 9 152 112 264
6 Moslem P/S Ikaram 9 126 104 230
7 BAPTIST DAY P/S Eriti 7 83 85 168
8 UNITED P/S Ajowa 14 189 169 358
9 UNITED P/S Ikaram 12 154 156 310
10 ST PAUL'S Ikaram 16 153 156 309
11 ST PAUL'S Gedegede 8 145 155 300
12 COM P/S Ikaram 7 44 65 109
13 COM P/S Ajowa 9 118 127 245
14 ST JAMES Ikaram 9 44 41 85
15 BAPTIST DAY Erusu 13 59 57 116
16 ST THOMAS Erusu 24 191 222 413
17 ST JOHN'S Erusu 10 99 109 208
18 AUD P/S Arigidi 13 143 134 277
19 Baptist Day Arigidi 13 48 36 84
20 Holy Rosary Arigidi 15 152 190 342
21 St Paul's Arigidi 20 351 338 688
22 St James' Arigidi 28 394 362 756
23 St Georges Okeagbe 22 238 241 479
24 St Theresa Okeagbe 11 102 93 195
25 St Moses' Okeagbe 14 130 133 263
26 St Mathew Okeagbe 19 313 361 674
27 St Stephen's Arigidi 18 137 154 291
28 St James' Imo Arigidi 17 154 146 300
29 Ifesowapo Arigidi 14 100 114 214
30 St Michael's Arigidi 13 113 105 218
31 Comm P/S Arigidi 8 129 108 237
32 Community Agbaluku 19 169 174 343
33 LA P/S Okeagbe 9 59 69 128
34 AUD P/S Okeagbe 10 164 203 367
35 AUD P/S Ogbagi 26 275 283 558
36 Salv Army Ogbagi 13 164 212 376
37 St George's Ogbagi 19 245 318 563
38 St. John's Ogbagi 16 246 283 529
39 Our Saviour's Ogbagi 10 136 140 276
40 Comm. P/S Ogbagi 10 256 226 522
Research Question 6
What is the average number of pupils in a class in both rural and urban schools?
Table: 6. Teacher/pupil ratio (TPR)
Urban Pri. Schls Rural Pri. Schls No of Teachers( Rural) Pupils Total (Rural) No of Teachers( Urban) Pupils Total (Urban)
St. Andrew's Schl, Akunnu LA P/S Ikaram 12 287 9 501
St. Paul's, Auga (I) LA P/S Ajowa 14 403 8 601
St. Philip's Ikakumo Moslem P/S, Ajowa 8 302 3 314
St. Paul's, Schl Auga (II) LA P/S Igasi 8 160 4 123
St. Mark's Schl. Iboropa AUD P/S, Ajowa 9 264 19 810
St. Silas Schl. I Ikare Moslem P/S, Ikaram 9 230 10 709
St. Jame's Pry Schl. Ugbe Baptist Day, Eriti 7 168 38 1118
A.U.D. Schl. I Ikare United P/S, Ajowa 14 358 13 507
A.U.D Schl. II Ikare United P/S, Ikaram 12 310 21 675
A.U.D. Pry Schl. III Ikare St Paul’s, Ikaram 16 309 14 560
A.U.D Pry Schl. IV Ikare St Paul’s, Gedegede 8 300 20 691
A.U.D Pry Schl. V Ikare Com. P/S Ikaram 7 109 17 568
L.A Pry Schl. Ikado Ikare Com. P/S Ajowa 9 245 27 1116
L.A Pry Schl. Ilepa Ikare St James, Ikaram 9 85 17 606
Moslem Pry Schl. Ikado Ikare Baptist Day, Erusu 13 116 14 680
Ese Moslem Pry Schl. Ikare St Thomas, Erusu 24 413 29 774
Moslem Pry Schl. Ilepa Ikare St John’s, Erusu 10 208 23 868
Emmanuel Pry Schl. Edo, Ikare AUD P/S Arigidi 13 277 11 307
All Saint's Schl. Ikare Baptist Day Arigidi 13 84 29 1003
Salem A/C Schl. Ikare Holy Rosary Arigidi 15 342 18 513
Ebenezer A/C Schl. Ikare St Paul's Arigidi 20 688 24 818
St. Jude's A/C Schl. Ikare St James' Arigidi 28 756 22 749
St. Stephen's Schl. Ikare St Georges Okeagbe 22 479 19 490
St. Andrew's Schl. Ikare St Theresa Okeagbe 11 195 12 319
St. Peter's Schl. Ikare St Moses' Okeagbe 14 263 30 772
St. Thomas's Schl. Ese Ikare St Mathew Okeagbe 19 674 31 704
St. Thomas's Schl. Oyinmo St Stephen's Arigidi 18 291 11 344
St. Gregory's Schl. RCM Ikare St James' Imo Arigidi 17 300 15 529
Joseph's C.A.C Okela Ifesowapo Arigidi 14 214 25 700
St. John's Edo Ikare St Michael's Arigidi 13 218 12 341
St.Mose's C.A.C Okela Comm P/S Arigidi 8 237 15 487
Comm. Pry. Schl. Ugbe Community Agbaluku 19 343 16 531
Comm. Pry. Schl. Iku Ikare LA P/S Okeagbe 9 128 18 394
Ansarul Islam Ikare AUD P/S Okeagbe 10 367 10 402
Comm. Pry Schl. Odo Ikare AUD P/S Ogbagi 26 558 10 396
St. Michael C.A.C Ilepa Salv Army Ogbagi 13 376 20 543
Normadic Pry Schl. Akunnu St George's Ogbagi 19 563 2 59
Abadara Comm. Pry Schl. St. John's Ogbagi 16 529 6 175
Comm. Pry. Schl. Akunnu Our Saviour's Ogbagi 10 276 7 317
St. Luke's Akunnu Comm. P/S Ogbagi 10 522 8 350
Research Question 7
What is the teacher: pupil ratio in both rural and urban schools?
Table: 7. Teacher: pupil ratio in both rural and urban schools.
S/No No of Teachers
( Rural) Pupils Total
(Rural) Teachers:pupils ratio (rural) No of Teachers( Urban) Pupils Total (Urban) Teachers:pupils ratio (Urban)
Schl 1 12 287 23.92 9 501 55.67
Schl 2 14 403 28.79 8 601 75.13
Schl 3 8 302 37.75 3 314 104.67
Schl 4 8 160 20.00 4 123 30.75
Schl 5 9 264 29.33 19 810 42.63
Schl 6 9 230 25.56 10 709 70.90
Schl 7 7 168 24.00 38 1118 29.42
Schl 8 14 358 25.57 13 507 39.00
Schl 9 12 310 25.83 21 675 32.14
Schl 10 16 309 19.31 14 560 40.00
Schl 11 8 300 37.50 20 691 34.55
Schl 12 7 109 15.57 17 568 33.41
Schl 13 9 245 27.22 27 1116 41.33
Schl 14 9 85 9.44 17 606 35.65
Schl 15 13 116 8.92 14 680 48.57
Schl 16 24 413 17.21 29 774 26.69
Schl 17 10 208 20.80 23 868 37.74
Schl 18 13 277 21.31 11 307 27.91
Schl 19 13 84 6.46 29 1003 34.59
Schl 20 15 342 22.80 18 513 28.50
Schl 21 20 688 34.40 24 818 34.08
Schl 22 28 756 27.00 22 749 34.05
Schl 23 22 479 21.77 19 490 25.79
Schl 24 11 195 17.73 12 319 26.58
Schl 25 14 263 18.79 30 772 25.73
Schl 26 19 674 35.47 31 704 22.71
Schl 27 18 291 16.17 11 344 31.27
Schl 28 17 300 17.65 15 529 35.27
Schl 29 14 214 15.29 25 700 28.00
Schl 30 13 218 16.77 12 341 28.42
Schl 31 8 237 29.63 15 487 32.47
Schl 32 19 343 18.05 16 531 33.19
Schl 33 9 128 14.22 18 394 21.89
Schl 34 10 367 36.70 10 402 40.20
Schl 35 26 558 21.46 10 396 39.60
Schl 36 13 376 28.92 20 543 27.15
Schl 37 19 563 29.63 2 59 29.50
Schl 38 16 529 33.06 6 175 29.17
Schl 39 10 276 27.60 7 317 45.29
Schl 40 10 522 52.20 8 350 43.75
Summary of Facilities Available in Public Primary Schools in Akoko North West LGA of Ondo State
(N=40)
Facility Number Available
Computer 21
Computer Instructor 5
Television None
Radio None
Toilet Water System 13
Pit Toilet 39
Library None
Laboratory None
Chairs and Table for pupils 100
Electricity
Water 16
Waste Disposal None
Recreational facilities i.e
Merry-go-round, see saw & ladder None
Classroom size Type A 7.2 X 6m 13
Type B 8 x 6m 40
Instructional Materials i.e number charts, alphabet charts, multiplication and time charts 100
Classroom condition
Ladder and other recreational facilities in an enclosed shed one of the selected public primary school in Akoko North West LGA in Ondo State
Pupils, charts and instructional materials in one of the selected public primary school in Akoko North West LGA in Ondo State
Hand pump borehole in one of the selected public primary school in Akoko North West LGA in Ondo State
Computer rooms in some of the selected public primary schools in Akoko North West LGA in Ondo State
Toilet in one of the selected public primary school in Akoko North West LGA in Ondo State
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Anukam (2006) and Mbakwem and Asiabaka (2007) stated that the cumulative effect of poor facilities is poor motivation and low morale of teachers, which result in low quality work output. Eddie (2000) and Obasi (2000) have lamented that lack of facilities is the major problem in Nigeria’s educational system, whereas Hallack (1990) saw these facilities as major determinants of academic achievements in the school system. Ajayi (1995) also observed that the education system has failed to inculcate the spirit of self-reliance in the recipients because there were no equipment in schools and where they existed, they were not being ultilized.
Apart from this, the main educational issue in Nigeria is erosion of quality. Many schools have no clean water supply within 500 meters of the school as stipulated in the UBE Strategic Plan (2001). There are no good toilet facilities for children’s conveniences, no functional libraries for training in reading culture and research (catch-them young); no transportation systems for conveying the young learners to places of educational interests and other outings. Some of the school buildings were in deplorable condition (dilapidated) while the government is making effort to build new building and renovated where necessary. Instructional materials for effective teaching and learning are lacking in virtually all the schools. Libraries and laboratories are also nowhere to be found in all the schools.
The survey method was used for the study. Data for the research work was collected with the use of checklist to know or assess the availability of physical resources needed to achieve UBE objectives.
Generally, the checklist revealed lots of information on teacher/pupil ratio, availabilities of instructional materials, toilet facilities, conditions of classrooms and numbers available, and other related items as itemized in the checklist.
In all the schools, there is no science resources corner for teachers, recreational facilities are also not available.
The study also shows that 13 schools among the selected schools has 4 complete sets of computer with printer but there are no computer instructors.
Also, in this study, five research questions and three instruments were used. Descriptive statistics were generated with bar chart for some of the items. The findings from our data shows average teacher/pupil ratio in the selected public schools in the study area 1:24 compare to the national figure of 1:40. This is lower in comparison with the national figure.
As revealed in this study, UBE may partially meet up the facilities needed to achieve its objectives and my only concern is the issue of sustainability. As we may all aware that our maintenance culture in this part of the world is not encouraging. There are lots of facilities available in 13 schools out of the 40 selected and among the public primary schools in the study area. These 13 schools were stand out due to the presence of Millennium Development Project that is providing intervention in the selected communities. This project is providing water points in schools, connecting schools to national grid, providing instructional materials, tables and chairs for pupil and both teachers and head teachers, renovation and building of new block classrooms to complement the existing ones and provide water system toilet facilities in the blocks of classroom constructed. All the school constructed by this project has electrical fixtures, well ventilated.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
The study focused on the assessment of physical resources needed to achieve UBE objectives in the Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State.
It is expected that the study will revealed the extent in which these physical resources availability in the pupil primary schools in other to meet UBE objectives and also proffer solution or suggest ways of meeting the objectives.
From the discussion on our findings, it can be observed that majority of the primary schools in the selected area in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State has the physical resources. The government of Ondo State is constructing new block of classroom and also providing separate toilet facilities for male and female. The provisions of these facilities are based on the facts that the Ondo State government is striving hard to meet their target, reduce over population or congestion in the classrooms and reduce illiteracy rates, although we still have some block of classrooms that are in deplorable conditions.
CONCLUSION
With the present situation in some of the selected public primary schools in the study area, government, parents and teachers, individual, relevant stakeholders and corporate organization has to come together and proffer solutions to the problems that are plaguing our public primary schools.
Availability of the needed physical resources in public primary schools will boost the morale of teachers, pupils and also influence members of the community that has withdrawn their ward from public schools to private schools to bring them back to public primary schools.
Also, availability of these physical resources will stimulate the pupils and aids maximum concentration in their study. It will also enforces all parents to ensure that their children or wards attend and complete their primary education and junior secondary school as stated in section 2 of the Act, which provides some fines for any breach of Act.
Having all this facilities in place, it will also provides equal educational opportunities for both high and low, integration of the individual into the system and development of the individual into a sound and effective citizens as stipulated in National Policy on Education. The right of every child to equal educational opportunities, irrespective of any real or imagined disabilities will be entrenched.
Furthermore, providing physical resources needed to achieve UBE must be looked into critically since sustainability is also paramount to development. Over the year, our physical resources has been eroded away due to negligence on the part of government, parents and teachers and individuals and in other not to follow the same trends, sustainability should be considered when providing these facilities, relevant stakeholders should be well involved of the role to play.
For UBE to achieve is aims and objectives and providing infrastructure and instructional materials needed, all the stakeholders need to brainstorm on the way to correct all ills and improving prevailing situations for better result and chart a new way forward. Education is a national development, without proper educational sector, there is no possibility of attaining Education for All and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In Nigeria, primary education should undergo reform because primary education is very essential in the development of a nation and the reform should be able to equip every citizen with such knowledge, skills, altitudes and values that will enable him/her to derive maximum benefit from his/her membership of the society.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The finding of this study indicated a serious level of inadequacy of facilities in all the schools in Akoko North West LGA in Ondo state except those 13 schools in the villages where that Millennium Village Project is operating. In those villages where the project is operating, some of the physical resources are still lacking too. From these findings, it can be concluded that government do not have the will to provide the physical resources needed to achieve UBE objectives. The quest for Education for All as stipulated in MDGs will not be actualized in a setting of inadequacy of facilities.
Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that:
1. There is need for facility inventory and update in the State public primary schools.
2. Communities, individuals, corporate organizations and other stakeholders should partner with the ministry of Education in running primary schools.
3. There is also a need to embark massive renovation of schools.
4. Toilet should be provided in all schools to accommodate both sexes.
5. Instructional materials and science resources corner should also be made available in all the schools
6. Churches and other religious organizations should be allowed to run schools, more especially, those primary schools originally owned by them.
7. There should be policy guidelines that state the roles to be play by each body in the society.
8. There should be advocacy to sensitize the entry citizenries of their need to be fully involved in managing of the affair of primary schools.
The finding of this study has an implication for educational policy. Educational managers and policy makers should pay attention to these blind sports in educational system. There is the need to look at the external environment of teaching and learning. Parents and teacher association should be involved in the issue of policy relating to school management. Functional PTA and Education committees should be establishment across the communities in order to ensure sustainability and good management of infrastructures.
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