CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Nigeria as a nation strives to experience real growth and development. This requires a clearly defined developmental strategy that allows intensive utilization of resources with which she is endowed. These resources include the various school physical facilities that are indispensable in the educational process. They include the furniture, the building and physical equipment and recreation places for the achievement of educational objectives (Oluchuckwu, 2000).
The issue of poor academic performance of students in Nigeria has been of much concern to the government, parents, teachers and even students themselves. The quality of education not only depends on the teachers as reflected in the performance of their duties, but also in the effective coordination of the school environment (Ajao, 2001). It has also been observed that adequate attention is now being paid to school plant planning throughout the world’s educational systems including Nigeria. Educational facilities such as school plant have been repeatedly found to have positive relationship with standard and quality of educational system (Ojedele, 2000).
School factors, which include the classrooms, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, teachers’ quality, school management, teaching methods, peers, etc, are variables that affect students’ academic achievement (Ajayi, 2001 and Oluchukwu, 2000). Hence, the school environment remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance students’ academic performance.
More so, school factors such as instructional spaces, infrastructural spaces and the teachers are essential in teaching-learning process. The extent to which student learning could be enhanced depends on their location within the school compound, the structure of their classroom, availability of instructional facilities and accessories. It is believed that a well planned school will gear up expected outcomes of education that will facilitate good social, political and economic emancipation, effective teaching and learning process and academic performance of the students.