CHAPTE RONE

Introduction

The National policy on Education (2004) defines education as the process that helps to develop the whole man and enables him to discover his potential towards achieving self-goals. Since through it, individuals are expected to manifest the trait of national ethics such as discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice and self-reliance patriotism. According to Fafunwa as cited in Okonkwo (1999) Education is a powerful instrument devised by man for improving his own lot.    

Bamisaye (2000) sees education as a cumulative process of development of intellectual abilities, skills, and attitudes, all of which form our various outlooks and disposition to action in life generally. Good (2001) define education as the process by which a person develops ability, attitude and other forms of behaviours of positive value in the society in which he lives. He also said education can be viewed as any process by which an individual gains knowledge or insight, or develops attitudes, insight, or skills which aid him in wise decision and choice making, enabling him to develop socially, politically, religiously, economically, scientifically and technologically.

            Learning according to Osakwe (2006) is a natural process of pursuing meaningful goals, discovering and constructing meaning from information and experience filtered through the learners unique perceptions, thoughts and feelings. Hilgard (1998) views Learning as the process by which an activity originates or is changed through reacting with the environment provided that the change cannot be explained on the basis of automatic response (i.e. reflex),  maturation (i.e. growth) or temporary state of the individual, that is tiredness, hunger and drugs. Okoye (2000) defined Learning as any change in behaviour that is a result of experience and that cause people to face latter situation differently.

Learning facilities plays a very important role in the teaching-learning process. It enhances the memory level of the pupils Adekoya (1998). In our time, education has spread wide and the entirely oral teaching cannot be the key to successful pedagogy; therefore, the teacher has to use learning material to make the teaching-learning process interesting (Nicholls, 2000; Raw, 2003). The use of learning facilities can enhance learning. School facilities have been observed as a potent factor to quantitative education. According to Akande (1999), learning can occur through one’s interaction with one’s environment. Environment here refers to facilities that are available to facilitate pupils learning outcome. It includes books, audio-visual, software and hardware of educational technology; so also, size of classroom, sitting position and arrangement, availability of tables, chairs, chalkboards, shelves on which instruments for practicals are arranged (Farrant 1997 and Farombi, 1998). According to Oni (2003), facilities constitute a strategic factor in organizational functioning. This is so because they determine to a very large extent the smooth functioning of any social organization or system including education. He further stated that their availability, adequacy and relevance influence efficiency and high productivity. Emphasizing that a society that is wealthy will establish good schools with quality teachers and learning infrastructures. With such, pupils may learn with ease thus bringing about good academic achievement. Writing on the role of facilities in teaching, Balogun (1997) submitted that no effective education programme can exist without equipment for teaching. This is because facilities enable the learner to develop problem-solving skills and scientific attitudes. In their contribution, Ajayi and Ogunyemi (2000) reiterated that when facilities are provided to meet relative needs of a school system, pupils will not only have access to the reference materials mentioned by the teacher, but individual pupils will also learn at their own paces. The net effect of this is increased overall academic performance of the entire pupils. If learning facilities is used, the prediction would be rewarding and consequences will justify the work done by person, he will have full satisfaction. Learning facilities is used efficiently and actively to facilitate the teaching learning process in most of the advanced countries. However, the situation is not good in most of the developing countries. Only the lower quality little quantity of learning facilities are provided to schools. In this way, the availability of learning facilities is very low. Conbac (1999).

However, all educational institution irrespective of their location and levels are expected to function using various inputs in compliance with the achievement of the stated objective as spelt out in the national policy on education (Federal Government of Nigeria, 2004). It is therefore expected that no educational institution can bring out the desired result if the input in them are not adequately and properly maintained. These inputs includes facilities. School learning facilities are pre-requisite for effective teaching and learning in any educational system. It is against this background that this study attempts to examine the provision of learning facilities as it affects the social and academic performance of pupils in primary schools.

1.1        Statement of the Problem    

This study set out to find out learning facilities as it affect the social and academic performance of pupils. This research is concerned with the availability of learning facilities in primary school, how effective are the use of learning facilities in teaching, how learning facilities promote quick understanding in pupils and the sources of supplying of the facilities to schools. 

1.2      Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is:

-          To investigate the learning facilities with regards to primary level of education as it affects their social and academic performance.

-          To be able to establish a relationship between learning facilities and academic performance of the pupils.    

1.3       Research Question

i.                    How can the parent help the academic performance of their children?

ii.                  What are the contributions of learning facilities to pupils academic performance?

iii.                How adequate are the maintenance activities carried out in the schools?

iv.                How adequate are the learning facilities in the schools.

1.4       Scope of the Study

The research work is on the learning facilities as it affects the social and academic performance of pupils in some selected primary schools in Abeokuta North Local Government Area.

1.5       Limitation of the study

The study would concern itself with learning facilities as it affect the social and academic performance of pupils in selected primary schools in Abeokuta North Local  Government Area of Ogun State.

1.6      Definition of terms

Provision: It means the act of supplying something that is needed. Learning: Involves a change or modification in the behaviour that is a result of experience of learner. Performance: It means a manner or quality of functioning. Facilities: means the services provided to support activities of a learners.

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