Teenage Pregnancy and Its Influence on Secondary School Education in Nigeria (Published)
Teenage pregnancy continues to rise in today’s society. It is estimated that about 16 million girls are married off every year (WHO, 2018) contributing to the number of teenage pregnancies across the globe. In Nigeria, 23% of females aged between 15-19 years are bearing children. This can be attributed to illiteracy, societal practices and poverty encouraging girls enter into sexual relationship at an early age. This condemnable situation leads to numbers complications which include; sexually transmitted diseases, school drop outs, pressure on the health sector, increased mortality to mention but a few. These impacts of school enrollment and drop out have significant implications on national development and therefor needs to be tackled urgently. This study therefore, seeks to analyze the influence of teenage pregnancy on secondary school education in Nigeria using a case study of Obio-Akpor L.G.A, Rivers State. The instrument for data collation was a semi-structured questionnaire and the data obtained analyzed employing SPSS version 2.0. A total of 802 respondents responded to the interview making the rate of response 96.2 %. Majority of the respondents were teenagers and 151 (18.1%) being parents. Findings from the study revealed that teenage pregnancy significantly impacted school enrollment, that a significant percentage of teenagers are pregnant before 15, lack of education of parents and teenagers increased the probability of teenage pregnancy, poverty and drug abuse increased the likelihood of teenage pregnancy while teenager mothers 61.2 percent likely to withdraw from school because of the financial obligations of being a mother. In addition, the study makes a number of recommendations which include; sensitization programs should be initiated by relevant bodies to educate the populace on the impact of teenage pregnancies, Policies that facilitate better health care services for teenagers should be deployed by government and non-government organizations, Government and non-governmental organizations should make contraceptive services easily accessible and affordable, School-based daycare facilities should be provided for soon to be/already teenage parents, Psychological help should be provided to students in secondary to help them deal with pressures of peers and societal stigmatization.
Keywords: Education, Nigeria, Teenage Pregnancy.
The Effect of Corruption on the Educational System in Nigeria (Published)
Corruption universally plagues societies and its impact has disastrous effects on national development. It has been established by scholars that no sector is Immune from the fangs of corruption. Corruption however varies; across societies and countries but globally its impact on the educational sector undermines the national advancement of any country. In the Nigerian context, corruption has deep roots in the fabrics of the society, impacting virtually every aspect of the Nigerian economy. Scholars have highlighted the impeding impact on the technological, political, moral development of the country. In the educational sector, it causes infrastructural insufficiencies which leads to poor educational delivery and inaccessibility to education while impacting the empowerment of citizens within the society. This has left the citizens feeling frustrated, disgruntled and disenchanted and possibly inducing the rise in insurgency, kidnapping and militancy in the country. As such, the need to mitigate and tackle the growing trend of corruption in the educational sector because of impact on manpower and national development. The research makes a number of recommendations which include that; Accountability and transparency should be sensitized and imposed on every aspect of the Nigerian society in such a way those public officer holders, contractors, tutors and stakeholders view transparency and accountability as key aspects of carrying out projects and serving the people. Sensitization on the dangerous impact of corruption on education should be carried out by non-governmental agencies and religious bodies. An effective and reliable financial management system should be established to control and monitor the use of educational resources and supervision of programmes and projects embarked in the educational sector to mention but a few.
Keywords: Corruption, Education, educational development
School Location and Educational Opportunity in Nigeria (Published)
It is obvious that the place a school is located has an impact negatively or positively on the educational opportunities available to those committed to it. There is a general consensus therefore that improving the availability of school opportunities increases greater equality in gender and socio-economic status participation. This therefore influences the policies and measures being embarked by numerous administrations across the world to tackle the educational imbalance between classes, states and ethnic groups in the country. In this paper, equality of educational opportunities entails a lot of things. It means giving the same type educational treatment to everybody without any form of discrimination regardless of any location, disability or barriers the individual may have. The 1999 Nigerian constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria coded, institutionalized and legitimized political patronage representative for sharing the national positions and resources. It provided not only the clauses of “federal character” at the national level and diversity at the local and state level of government, but also instituted a Federal Character Commission to oversee, implement and ensure compliance. There are educational disadvantaged states in Nigeria that led to the introduction of “Catchment Area” which is another phrase in the admission policy to promote equalization of educational opportunity. In this paper, the type of school, topography of site, population, nature of host community, aesthetic value of the site, availability of amenities, pollution levels are some of the factors put into consideration prior to the establishment of a school. Barriers to educational opportunities as identified in this paper include; individual differences amongst pupils, selection methods, quota system of admission, unaffordable costs, gender discrimination, armed conflicts and limited admission spaces.
Keywords: Education, Federal Character, School Location, educational opportunity
Administration Education Modernity and its impact in relieving the written burdens about teachers (Published)
The present study aimed to identify the impact of the only modern educational management in alleviating the burdens written for teachers, and to achieve the objectives of the study researcher followed the descriptive analytical approach, and then the researcher tool, a major search one which is a questionnaire consisting of (20) items have been applied to the study sample Which was randomly selected from the study society to reach (400) teachers and administrators. The study found that there is a statistically significant effect of the modern educational administration in reducing the written burden on teachers, The lack of Gedo and the impact of a statistically significant management of modern education in alleviating the burden of clerical teachers according to sex, the study recommended the need to work on activating the standards and principles of modern educational management
Keywords: Administration, Education, Modernity, written
Education And The Assertive Woman: A Case Study of Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes (Published)
The research looked at the relevance of the African educated woman in contemporary African society: A case of Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes. The purpose of the study was to use Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes to showcase the position of the African educated woman living in Africa. A qualitative approach was employed to look at views related to the indigenous African woman and her means of asserting herself through education and also adopted the traditional library research approach through the use of books, articles, journals and publications in as much as they contribute to the worth of the study. It was informed by the Feminist, Womanist and the Stiwanist theories. The main findings of the study indicate that there have been positive changes in the roles of women over the years. This change has come about as a result of women’s quest to assert themselves through education and contribute towards freeing their families from cultural and societal dogmas in which women were treated to subjugation and marginalization. A remarkable observation was the intentionality of ascribing to female characters more respectable roles in novels by various writers as the years go by. A conclusion drawn from the study is that education is still a major weapon of enhancing assertiveness in women but it is not the ultimate.
Keywords: Educated Assertive Woman, Education, Feminism, Womanism and Stiwanism
Challenges on Development and Education of Nomadic Children in Sokoto State: Implications for Education and Sustainability (Published)
Globally, education as birth right and sustainable development in human capacities and societal progress are being pursued with vigour. The nomadic Fulani are the second largest population of inhabitants in Sokoto state. However, they are among marginalised, underserved, underdeveloped and less educated group not only in the state but the country at large. The paper identifies nomadic life styles, inadequacies in policies and provisions for nomadic education and wide spread corruptions as major sources of constraints to development and education of Fulani children thus affecting the sustainable development prospects. The paper suggests the need for more concerted efforts form individuals and government, need for accurate census figure, mass mobilisation, wide spread campaign and use of culture-friendly integrated health, socio-economic welfare and education packages for all nomads. The paper concludes that it seems obvious that the nomads prefer sending children to cattle rearing than schooling because to the nomads a child who can rear and milk cow is more desirable than a certificate-holder that has no job or cannot breed cattle, thus it is imperative to make nomadic education more relevant to ideals and values of nomads for sustainable development to be a reality and achievable.
Keywords: Challenges, Development, Education, Sokoto, State, nomadic children
Education as an Instrument for Promoting and Sustaining Political Stability in Nigeria (Published)
Politics is omnipotent and omnipresent in the day to day affairs of individuals and institutions of the state and the ability of politics to live up to expectations in overseeing the day to day affairs of members of the society can only be possible if there is stability in the political system. Regrettably the attitudes of Nigerians do not correspond with the high and towering status of politics as a determinant factor in the quality of life and quality of development of a people. Rather than being totally committed by actively participating in politics, majority of Nigerians embrace apathy and other behaviours whose manifestations pose serious threats to stability in the political system. Using the philosophical methods, this paper makes a case on how education through curricular and pedagogical innovations can create awareness, sensitize and stimulate in Nigerians behavivours whose sustenance can promote and lay solid foundations for political stability in Nigeria. The paper among others suggests that teaching Nigerians how to morally play the game of politics according to rules governing the game, making civic education compulsory and teaching learners to be critical, logical and analytical especially on how to build the Nigeria of their dream through politics and participation in politics can be measures for achieving political stability in Nigeria.
Keywords: Democracy Nigeria, Education, Political Stability, Politics
Compliance Level with Professional Knowledge and Skills Requirements by High School Physics Teachers in Akwa Ibom State: Implications for the Education of Science Teachers (Published)
The study examined the compliance level with professional knowledge and skills requirements in the professional standards for Nigerian teachers (PSNT) by secondary school physics teachers in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population of this study comprised all physics teachers in all public secondary schools in the three senatorial districts of the State. The sample for the study comprised one hundred and twenty physics teachers that satisfied the purposive sampling technique criteria as spelt out. The researchers made use of an adapted checklist tagged “Physics Teachers Knowledge and Skills Checklist” (PTKSC) to ascertain the professional standing of the selected teachers in two subthemes (professional knowledge and professional skills) out of the four themes in the Professional Standards for Nigerian Teachers (PSNT). The validated and reliable checklist was used to collect the needed data. The results showed that male graduate/NCE, and experience physics teachers exhibit high level of compliance with the professional knowledge and skills contained in the PSNT. Based on the findings of the study, several implications for the education of science (physics) teachers were advanced. Recommendations were made to include that the TRCN in conjunction with teacher education supervising agencies should explore ways of raising the quality and relevance of teacher education curricula in line with the professional standard demands.
Keywords: Education, Physics Teachers, Professional Knowledge, Professional Skills, science teachers
Factors Affecting Students’ Academic Performance in Colleges of Education in Southwest, Nigeria (Published)
This study was carried out to assess factors affecting students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in southwest, Nigeria. Four hundred and eighty students from six Colleges of Education were randomly selected for this study. Data collected were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The results obtained showed that 52.4% of the respondents were between 20 – 24 years of age, predominantly female (67.6%), supported by family/guardian (88.9%), stayed off-campus (69.8%), had personal motivation for studying Education (65.8%) and bold (91.1%). Also, results of parental background revealed that the parents were married (63.8%), educated (68.2%), and earned average income of ₦60,604.5/month. The study concludes that students’ factors, parental background, school factors, and teachers’ factors have serious influence on students’ academic performance. It is hereby recommended that school facilities should be adequately provided; Colleges of Education should be given appropriate attention and funding while government should provide alternative power supply by purchasing generator plant for Colleges of Education.
Keywords: Academics, Affecting, Education, Factor, Performance
Gender Metamorphoses in the Use of ICT Tools: A Case Study at Offinso College of Education (Published)
The role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education cannot be overemphasized, hence teachers as agents of education are expected to acquire the essential skills to help train the 21st century child to survive in the current competitive and technologically driven world. The study aimed at the impact of ICT on Male and Female student-teachers in Colleges of Education in Ghana. The Mixed research design which takes into consideration the various factors that influence ICT access and usage in Colleges of Education was used. It outlines the various factors that militate against successful integration of ICT tools in teaching and learning. The extent to which student-teachers are embracing technology in their learning have been analysed. The study used questionnaire and participatory observation of classroom activities to collect data from hundred and forty (140) Student-teachers at Offinso College of Education. The findings show no significant difference in access and usage of ICT tools among male and female student-teachers. The study revealed lack of technical support and maintenance as a significant impediment to the development of ICT in the College of education. However, there was no significant difference in access and use of ICT tool since student-teachers share similar backgrounds.
Keywords: Education, Gender, Ghana, ICT, ICT tools, Learning, Student Teachers, Teaching, Technology