THE ROLE OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT IN THE EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOL IN LAGOS STATE
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
There is no gainsaying the fact that education is very vital to the pace of social, political and economic development of any nation. This is why most nations of the world strive to devote a sizeable proportion of their Gross National Income to develop the educational sector. In Nigeria, between 7.6% and 9.9% of our annual expenditure is devoted to education (Durosaro, 2003). The proportion earmarked in the approved national budget is meant to finance capital and recurrent expenditure of schools. The physical structures which is capital intensive takes the larger part of the cost and since the physical environment of a school adds a lot of value to the school (Obong, 2007).
Egim (2003) observed in her study that the physical school environment contributes either negatively or positively to the administrator’s role performance in the school. The school physical environment includes the buildings, classrooms, furniture, equipment, instructional materials, laboratories, libraries, play grounds, and so on. Others are walls, machinery, decorative objects, play fields, skating rinks, swimming pools, audio-visual equipment (Egim, 2003). Egim (2003) maintained that in a bid to expand the educational enterprise, educational planners are more interested in issues such as the number of schools, teachers, students’ infrastructural facilities like classrooms and school buildings. Little attention is paid to the quality of the environment (Obong. 2010).
Maintaining a sound and healthy environment has always been a challenge to man (Akintola, 2011). For example, the different inputs from anthropogenic activities include energy generating heat, uncontrolled sound turning into noise, and other land using agencies that causes spoliation of the physical environment. Various human activities that requires planning and coordination demands a comprehensive and deliberate effort to keep the physical environment fit for the total man to function well. Hence, the management of built environment is determinant to the quality of man at any given time. Where this is undermined, there is bound to be poor physical conditions and the consequence is poor human output. Of particular interest is the school environment.
The physical outlook of the school environment is very important in contributing to healthy academic exercise. It forms the fulcrum on which other activities revolve. This is because it creates an atmosphere of the mind for study. The challenge of developing and managing a school environment taking into consideration some parameters is a great one; one of such is the school location. Where a school is located can determine to a large extent the stability of the student’s mind for academic readiness.
A school located along air-traffic route, roadside (especially without a fence), in neighbourhood of industrial activities, markets, and so on will constitute a nuisance and interference with the students’ learning process. It will generate noise enough to badly affect the study adventure. As indicated by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI, 2008 & Egim, 2003) school supervision and sanitation. These are capable of affecting the quality of learning environment. This refers to all the strategies adopted by a school system in managing the wastes (noise, water, and other effluents), drainage pattern, and the facilities provided in the school. Equally crucial is the greening of the school environment. Sanitation Connection (2001/2002) maintains that a school management that provides sanitation and planting of flowers, trees and maintaining lawns, well cleared grasses, etc. improves quality of life and study environment. Aesthetics of a school environment is another aspect of managing a school environment. Regular painting and maintaining the quality of buildings, channeling of sewage, well planned landscape and trimming of flowers, clearing of grasses, proper disposal of refuse, sweeping and removing cub webs among others provides a relaxed atmosphere for the molding of minds. All these issues above constitute school environmental management strategies that could make a school a place to live and not to leave.
In spite of this all-important top burner matter, very little have been done in managing school environments for fruitful academic venture. It becomes necessary to conduct a study on the strategies employed in managing school environment in Nigerian secondary schools.
How a school environment is managed in aesthetics, recreation, waste, drainage pattern, and other physical outlook of the environment has telling effect in the quality of learning environment of students and effective school administrative effectiveness. It is opined that regular grass clearing, sweeping of the school compound and painting, landscaping and planting of flowers, good drainage and refuse disposal are strategies adopted for managing the school environment. While lack of gardeners to keep the school compound clean, erosion, students and teachers not being responsive to environmental issues, difficulties to inculcate in students environmental values due to different home upbringing, lack of funds to procure working tools/implements and waste disposal challenges were some identified challenges in the school environmental and school administrative effectiveness.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
There has been a public outcry on the poor quality of education and continual decline in the standards of education in the country especially at the secondary school level. A careful examination of the environmental factor revealed some of the problems bedeviling the system which have been hindering effective administration of any school in Nigeria.
Education stakeholders have blamed the quality assurance agents (school supervisors and inspectors of education) for the falling standard due to dilapidated school buildings and structures. The complain is that infrastructures and facilities are fast decaying and depreciated and that the quality of inspection is below expectation. A lot of problems has been identified to be affecting the state of education, mostly at the secondary school level. The state at which the standard of education deteriorate cannot be overemphasized. Some of these problems could be traced to inadequate finance that is required to provide for basic school facilities, school plant planning, buildings and structures, libraries building and other social amenities.
Lack of finance for upgrading existing school facilities and for creating new additional students’ places have become problems. While majority of the nation’s educational system are low standards as regard educational infrastructure including school plants. Problems of insufficient classroom facilities, damaged furniture and almost non-existence educational teaching aids tends to affect school performance of both teaching staff and students performance.
However, the consequences of inadequate finance for upgrading existing school facilities and for creating enabling school environment have become problems for most school administrators, and this has adversely affected academic performance of students mostly at the secondary school level. Although, majority of the nation’s educational system are of low standard as regard educational infrastructure including school plant.
Most school site building and grounds have been situated in unconducive environment such as market places, industrialized placed, to industrial pollution, to the school environment, traffic, noise or destruction of any kinds also affected academic performances of students. Inadequate school plants will lead to poor performance of students in examinations. Inadequate teaching materials and school plant such as classrooms, laboratories and libraries in schools environment, while effective teaching will not be enhanced unless these facilities are put in place.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The main purpose of this study therefore is to examine the role of school environment in the effective delivery of education in public school in Lagos State.
Specific purposes of study include the following:
- To ascertain whether school resource manager will influence effective school administration in public schools.
- To ascertain whether school location will influence effective school administration in public schools.
3. To ascertain whether school facilities will influence effective school administration in public schools.
4. To ascertain whether application of modern management techniques (supervision) will influence effective school administration in public schools.
1.4 Research questions
The following research questions will be answered during the course of this study:
i. Will school resource manager influence effective school administration in public schools?
ii. Will school location influence effective school administration in public schools?
III. Will school facilities influence effective school administration in public schools?
IV. Will application of modern management techniques (supervision) influence effective school administration in public schools?
1.4 Research hypotheses
Ho1: School resource manager will not influence effective school administration in public schools.
Ho2: School location will not influence effective school administration in public schools.
Ho3: School facilities will not influence effective school administration in public schools.
Ho4: Application of modern management techniques (supervision) will not influence effective school administration in public schools.
1.6 Significance of the study
This study will be of benefit to various school administrators, ministries of education and other affiliated government agencies.
The outcome of study will facilitate school resource manager towards effective school administration in public schools.
The study will help to ensure that school location is considered first in order to influence effective school administration in public schools.
The research study outcome will ascertain provision of school facilities towards effective school administration in public schools.
The research study outcome will help to utilize all types of modern management techniques like: school supervision, management by objectives, decision making, and other management tools that will influence effective school administration in public schools.
The study will help various school administrators to understand the benefit of effective school environmental factors at various levels of education. It will enable school administrators to know the best management techniques to adopt in order to have sound school effectiveness.
It will also enhance school administrators to understand their position on their job towards effective routine supervision of teachers, non-teaching staff, and students’ academic performances.
The Ministry of Education will also benefit from this study through proper planning and implementation of good policies to various school management.
1.7 Scope of study
The scope of this study is on role of school environment in the effective delivery of education in public school in Lagos State.
The study shall be limited to some selected public secondary schools within Lagos state.
- Definition of terms
The following terms have been defined as they will be used during the course of this study:
- School: this is an environment where students are taught. A typical example is a secondary school.
- Performance: this is an obligation or responsibility required from a staff by the superior officer.
- Quality: this is the degree of conformity or the process of complying with the required standards.
- Supervise: this is to be in charge of a group within and outside academic monitoring team and be responsible for making sure that they do their work properly.
- Quality control: this is the practice of maintaining the standard requires in order to be efficient.
- School supervision: it is a process of evidence gathering in order to provide assessment on how well a school is perform
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