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COMMUNICATION PROCESS AND EFFECTIVENESS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background of the Study

In Nigeria public discussions frequently focus on educational standards. The public’s unhappiness becomes more prominent following the annual release of the public examinations results. Student outcomes do not match the government and parental investment. All stakeholders are concerned about why the system is turning out graduates with poor results. To them, it is questionable whether or not teachers in the public secondary schools, the most important factor in the effectiveness of schools and in the quality of a child’s education is the competent to communicate and teach effectively. The National Policy of Education states, “No Education system can rise above the quality of teachers in the system” (FGN, 2006). Ogunsaju (2004) opined that the academic standard in all Nigerian educational institutions has fallen considerably below societal expectations. Blumende (2001) corroborated this view when he reported that the decline in the quality of education cannot be ignored by anyone who is aware of the significant role of education as an instrument of societal transformation and development. There is a need to focus on teachers’ adequacy and competency in respect to their pedagogical practices and strategies and mastery of the curriculum and subject content (Chall & Popp, 1990; Stuart, 2004; Rodgers, 2001). In support of the aforementioned scholars, Ekwesili (2006) institutionalized the Private Public Partnership (PPP) and School Based Management Committee (SBMC) to manage secondary education and to promote school effectiveness since students' success depends on the amount of learning that takes place in the classroom and other related ‘how effective and efficient the teacher performs in schools’.

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), education remains the largest industry and government continues to ensure that funds, instructional materials and teaching personnel are made available for the sector. Government has also continuously encouraged secondary education by adopting the social demand approach towards planning the sector and by subsidizing the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) fee in the Territory over a long period of time. An indication of government interest in the general education in the FCT is reflected in the budgetary estimates of the Territory.

Academic achievement is usually established through examinations, which consist of set questions that seek to determine how much an individual perceives the subject as a result of learning. Commendable performance is an indication of effective learning. Secondary education in Nigeria has been characterized by poor performance in national examinations, especially in core subjects such as Mathematics and English Language (MoEST, 2005).

One of the most potent barometers so far, if not the strongest, of measuring school and teacher effectiveness is the performance of pupils in public examinations such as Senior School Certificate Examination (S.S.C.E.) in Nigeria.  The issue of declining academic performance of secondary school students in two principal subjects (English Language and Mathematics) at the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) has generated much interest among stakeholders in the education sector, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The quality of education and performance of students depends on the teachers as reflected in the discharge of their duties. Over time pupils’ academic performance in both internal and external examinations had been used to determine the effectiveness of teachers and teaching (Ajao, 2001).

Teachers have been known to have important influence on students’ academic achievement and they also play a crucial role in educational attainment; because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating educational policies and principles into actions based on practice during interaction with the students (Afe, 2001). Both teaching and learning depend on teachers: no wonder an effective teacher has been conceptualized as one who produces desired results in the course of his duty as a teacher (Uchefuna 2001). Considering governments’ huge investment in public education, its output in terms of quality of 

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