The study was on adequacy of teachers in secondary schools in rural areas to prepare students for Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE) in Bayelsa State. Data was collected using the Infrastructure Availability Index (IAI) in terms of motorable roads, electricity supply, health facilities, educational facilities, portable drinking water, telecommunication and sanitation. Subjects offered in SSSCE were obtained from the Ministry of Education and school principals. The subjects offered and teacher/school ratio in the LGAs was used to ascertain the adequacy of quality teachers to prepare students for SSSCE. The findings showed that the mean average teacher ratio of 10 to a secondary school in rural LGAs was twice less than that of secondary schools in urban LGAs with 24. In addition, the rural secondary schools lacked adequacy of quality teachers to prepare students for the SSSCE. Thus, the performance of students in SSSCE in rural areas was affected and such students were deprived of the benefits of passing the SSSCE which will affect their employment and future academic opportunities and when seeking elective positions. The study therefore, recommended that government should ensure equitable distribution of adequate teachers in rural and urban secondary schools.
Keywords: Senior Secondary School, quality teachers, rural areas, teacher/school ratio, teacher/subject ratio, terminal examinations
