CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The appalling failure of pupils in public tests, especially at the secondary level of education, characterizes Nigeria's educational system. According to Abigail Uduh (2009), the large proportion of applicants who fail WASSCE every year reflects the low percentage of candidates who fulfill university entrance standards. The situation is so pitiful that stakeholders are left scratching their heads as to why this level of education has consistently failed to match the society's desires and hopes. Apart from the fact that widespread failure in public exams represents a waste of money spent on secondary school, it also casts doubt on the country's secondary education quality. It has been a story of misery and national disgrace every time the results of pupils in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) are revealed. Various captions in the daily suggest that pupils failed the SSCE in large numbers. '79 percent fail English Language as NECO publishes SSCE', 'NECO records mass failure in June/July SSCE', 'Mass failure in both the WASSCE and SSCE', 'Mass failure in public examinations: a national calamity', 'Examination failure: everlasting disgrace of a country', and so on are some of the titles (Etsey Sagey 2005). In the last five years, the majority of students who took the SSCE did not get credit in at least five courses, including English Language and Mathematics. Every year, the situation deteriorates. Internal or external examinations may be done. Internal exams are often created and delivered by schools utilizing tests created by teachers. These might be done on a weekly, termly, or year-end basis. Public exams bodies design and deliver external examinations. The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), the National Teachers' Institute (NTI), and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) are some of the public examinations bodies in Nigeria (Etsey Sagey 2005).

Incredibly, abysmal failure in academic achievement among Nigerian kids is no longer news in recent years. This is axiomatically noted in the public's dissatisfaction, which becomes more prominent following the annual release of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination results, because student outcomes do not match government and parental investments in senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions. The situation is so pitiful that stakeholders continue to question why this level of education has consistently failed to match the society's desires and ambitions (Etsey Sagey 2005).

The failure of a large number of pupils in external exams in Nigeria may be traced to a variety of causes that can be divided into the domains of parents, students, instructors, schools, government, and society. In other words, the reasons of widespread student failure in public tests are multi-faceted. Parents play a very significant part in their children's education. Parents are expected to supervise, monitor, and help their children in their academics, as well as give them good moral training and advice, in addition to paying their children's school fees and purchasing textbooks, uniforms, and other materials that their children require. Parents are not only expected to purchase the required material; they are also expected to supervise, monitor, and help their children in their academics. Parents are also required to visit their children's schools on a regular basis to learn how their children and wards are behaving and coping, and to take remedial action as needed. Failure of parents to fulfill these tasks, on the other hand, may have a detrimental impact on kids' academic success.

According to studies, parents are to blame for their children's low academic achievement. Polygamous households, according to Ajala & Iyiola (1988), led to kids' low academic achievement. Parents' failure to provide food, textbooks, and other basic school necessities for their children, as well as reduced engagement with instructors and participation in the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), led in pupils' low academic achievement (Etsey Sagey 2005). Insufficient parental income and family type were also recognized as reasons of low academic achievement by Akanle Olaghesin (2007). Other reasons of widespread student failure in public exams that may be linked back to parents include parental lack of direction, failure to give sufficient resources for their children to work with in school, and family collapse (Ajayi & Ekundayo, 2010). However this study is aimed at investigating the factors responsible for secondary school student mass failure in external examination.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Incredibly, the abysmal failure of Nigerian pupils' academic achievement has become old news in recent years. This is axiomatically noted in the public's dissatisfaction, which becomes more prominent following the annual release of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination results, because student outcomes do not match government and parental investments in senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions. The situation is so pitiful that stakeholders continue to question why this level of education has consistently failed to match the society's desires and ambitions (Etsey Sagey 2005). The failure of a large number of pupils in external tests may be traced back to a variety of causes that fall within the realms of parents, students, instructors, schools, government, and society. In other words, the causes of mass failure of students in public examinations are multi-dimensional in nature.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The general objective of this study is to investigate the factors responsible for secondary school student mass failure in external examination. The specific objectives that guide the study are:

i.                       To find out the factors responsible for mass failure in external examination in Nigeria.

ii.                       To investigate the effect of  mass failure on the student performance in external examination.

iii.                  To examine the influence of teachers qualification on the academic performance in external examination.

iv.                     To discover student’s commitment to the learning process

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question have been prepared for the study

i.          What are  the factors responsible for mass failure in external examination in Nigeria?

ii.        What are the effect of  mass failure on the student performance in external examination?

iii.      What is the influence of teachers qualification on the academic performance in external examination?

iv.      Are  student’s committed to the learning process?

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