IMPACT OF CLASS SIZE AND TEACHER’S PAY ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

One of the primary ambitions of every country on the planet has been to achieve educational excellence (Clinton, 1995). It has been determined that it is the key with which any nation may permanently seal the doors to poverty and ignorance while simultaneously opening the doors to prosperity in terms of economic prosperity, social environment, and civilization. The Nigerian content, however, makes little difference to the aforesaid viewpoint. Education is a constitutionally protected right for all people, regardless of their social, cultural, economic, political, religious, tribal, mental, or physical circumstances (Ajibade, 1993). Education, in other words, is a tool for achieving national development. In terms of the person and society, Nigeria's educational objectives are outlined in the National Policy on Education (FGN, 2004). The National Policy on Education established a number of goals and objectives to help the country's educational progress. Teachers play a critical role in promoting such goals and objectives. In any school institution, the role of instructors cannot be overstated. The school could not exist without them. Nigeria's government likewise recognizes the value of teaching, stating that "no education can be better than its instructors" (Western, 2001). According to history, education was not as densely inhabited as it is now, but as a result of civilization and the white-collar-job saga, everyone wants to be educated, which has led to a growth in everyone's interest in education. Furthermore, the Nigerian government, under our colonial masters, began giving a part of its revenue to select schools, encouraging parents to send their children to school (Wilson, 2003)

1.2         STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Teachers are the ones who translate educational philosophy and objectives into knowledge and skills and transfer them to students in the classroom as a safe, healthy, and happy place with supportive resources as a result of free education, and the ratio of teacher-students has now gone beyond control, and teachers are the ones who translate educational philosophy and objectives into knowledge and skills and transfer them to students in the classroom as a safe, healthy, and happy place with supportive resources (Claire, 2002). "The policy brief highlights the scholarly evidence on the impact of class size and concludes that class size is a major driver of a number of student outcomes, ranging from test scores to wider life outcomes," according to the National Education Policy Center Policy Brief (Schanzenbach, 2014). For all of the aforementioned teachers' functions to be realized, they must be motivated and adequately compensated in order to be successful and efficient in their work (Lin, 2003). To top it off, when the class is too big and the pay isn't good, kids are more likely to perform poorly academically (White House, 2012). Nigerian kids' WAEC and NECO results are no longer anything to be proud of. Secondary school students and even parents are willing to pay any amount for an unique test center. Some professors are even willing to prepare micro-sheets for their "candidates" in order for them to achieve in national exams and other tests. In Nigerian secondary schools in general, Kogi State in particular, and with special reference to several selected schools in Ajaka as a case study, class size, teacher compensation, and students' academic performance is a major concern. The cause for this might be traced to the manner and rates at which education is promoted in Nigeria's West, East, and South (Luke, 2014). The rate of increase is really rapid. On the other hand, many aspiring teachers are discouraged from pursuing a career as a teacher as a result of low compensation, paycheck delays, and other factors that may divert teachers' attention away from their job (Lake, 2010). If the foregoing is true, it will have an impact on students' academic performance, perhaps leading to an inability to meet educational goals and objectives and, as a result, backwardness among the rest of the world's countries (Claire, 2002).

1.3        OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The study's specific objectives were to:

i. examine the number of students in each class

ii. Examine the consistency of teacher and other professional pay.

iii. Assess the academic accomplishment of children in both a classroom with a typical student-teacher ratio and an overloaded school.

iv. Make actionable recommendations in response to the issues that have been identified.

1.4        RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i. What  are the number of students in each class?

ii. What is  the consistency of teacher and other professional pay?

iii. What are the academic accomplishment of children in both a classroom with  a typical student-teacher ratio and an overloaded school?

iv. What are the actionable recommendations in response to the issues that have been identified?

1.5        SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this research is limited to looking at the impact of class size and teacher salary on students' academic achievement. The study was conducted out in Kogi State due to time constraints, cost, and other logistical considerations, and three schools in the Ajaka region were chosen.

1.6            SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study was significant in that it utilized a Nigerian backdrop in order to give firsthand information on the impact of class size and teacher compensation on students' academic performance in a few chosen secondary schools in Ajaka, Kogi State. The number of pupils enrolled began to skyrocket, and the teacher-to-student ratio has now gotten out of hand. While the number of students is growing exponentially, the number of instructors is not, and governments have denied them their right to participate effectively and efficiently. Teachers also transform educational philosophy and objectives into knowledge and abilities, which they then impart to children in the classroom as a secure, healthy, and joyful environment with helpful resources. As a result, this research was more important to individual parents, teachers, and the government who want their children well. To ensure the country's long-term viability, governments at all levels must emphasize the importance of timely payment of teachers' salaries.

1.7      DEFINITION OF TERMS

Class: A classroom-like setting where teaching and learning take place for a set amount of time.

Teacher: An experienced man or woman who has been qualified to impart information to lower-level students.

Pay: This is a gift made in exchange for a service.

Student: This is the one who receives instruction from the teacher.

Performance: This is the outcome that demonstrates that the learner comprehends what has been taught to him.

Get this material NGN 5,000

Message Us on WhatsApp  »