- 1. IMPACT OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION TO THE DEVELOPMENTOF
SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ACADEMIC STANDARD IN IJEBU EAST, NIGERIA.
BY SHOAGA AYODELE RAPHEAL 04/36ED120 A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOUNDATION AND MANAGEMENT, FACULTY
OF EDUCATION, OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY, AGO-IWOYE, OGUN STATE IN
PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF
BUSINESS EDUCATION (BBE) MAY 2009 1
2. ABSTRACT This research work was carried out to examine the
impact of community participation to the development of students
educational standard within Ijebu East, Local Government Area. The
objective of this research work is to identify various measures
that could be put in place to ensure greater community
participation towards the development of students academic standard
in Ijebu East, Ogun State. The population covered in this study
consisted of all schools and community members in Ijebu East, Ogun
State. The sampled population were drawn from some selected
community members, schools administrators, teachers and students as
well as from some members of Parent-Teacher Associations within the
Ijebu East Local Government Area. Survey method was used to gather
information from the sampled population. Correlation coefficient
and chi-square methods were used to analyse the data gathered from
the respondents. The data were also used to answer the research
questions and test the research hypotheses raised in this study.
The findings from the data analysed revealed that there is a
significant relationship between the schools and the Ijebu East
community and that the community participation in school programmes
has positively influenced the students academic performance and
behaviour. It is then recommended that the formation of
Parent-Teacher Association, the inclusion of the community members
in school decision making and so on would bring about greater
community participation towards the development of students
academic standard. 2 3. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background to the
Study Education which is seen as the transmission of the knowledge
and values of a society from one generation to another is designed
to guide a child in learning a culture, moulding his behaviour in
the ways of his community and guiding him towards eventual roles in
the society. In primitive culture with no organized form of
education, the entire environment constitutes a school while all
adults particularly parents represent teachers. In complex
societies, the quantity of knowledge is so much that there arise a
need to evolve a more advanced and effective means of cultural
transmission called formal education. While the most components of
formal education are the school, academic staffs (teachers), non
academic staffs and students, the parents and the community also
play significant roles in the development and growth of formal
education in order to improve and maintain the academic standard of
a child. A child receives his early education from his parents,
uncles, aunts, friends, neighbours and his immediate environment
but as the childs faculty of reasoning 3 4. progresses due to age
and experience, he is sent to a more advanced school where he
learns many things like craft, moral attitudes, discipline as well
as associating with other members in the school, learning other
cultures etc. that are not only beneficial to him alone but also to
the entire community at large. Before the arrival of western
European type of education in Africa, the youths in the community
learn by imitating the ways of life and activities of the elderly
members of the community. For example, the young boys learnt the
art of farming by following their fathers and other male elders in
the community to the farm and watching how these leaders
cultivated, planted, nurtured and harvested crops after which they
began to participate in such activities. Similarly, the girls
learnt the domestic works by imitating and watching how their
mothers and other female elders in the community carried out their
domestic works. For example, the watched how their mothers took
care of the babies by bathing, feeding, putting babies at their
backs and rocking them to sleep. On the arrival of the Christian
missionaries in Africa in 1842, the tune of education in Africa
took a new dimension and hereby became more complex. The child at
the age of six years was being introduced to the four walls of the
formal school systems where his education was harmonized with that
of his 4 5. home. However, the missionaries could not have
succeeded in the introduction of their western type of education
without the contributions of the local communities. The local
communities assisted the Christian missionaries morally, physically
and financially by providing direct labour, donation of harms and
so on. The African communities saw western education as the main
instrument that could bring progressive change and rapid
development in the society. In Nigeria, the contributions of local
communities towards the spread and development of western education
can never be over-emphasized. Evidence has shown that since 1939 up
till date, many schools (both primary and secondary grammar
schools) have been established through the agitative efforts and
the contributions of the local communities. That is, communities
have played a variety of roles in the provision and management of
education and learning systems. Apart from contributing financially
or in-kind to the support of the schools, the community also
participated in a much broader range of functions, including
administrative (e.g. school maintenance), managerial (such as
student and teacher discipline), financial (mobilizing funds and
resources), pedagogical (establishing a pre-school), or personnel
functions (monitoring and teachers attendance) and so on (World
Bank, 2005: 39). 5 6. Also, communities act as critical resources
in the provision of education in emergencies and during
construction and reconstruction of the schools. To Berry (1976),
community resources are material resources, agencies, activities or
persons within the community which could be used to provide
effective teaching and learning experience. Community resources
could also be seen as the human and socio-natural resources within
the community that could be utilized to provide learning
opportunities. These opportunities are provided either by taking
the school into the community or by bringing the community into the
school. The vehicle for taking the school into the community could
be through field trips, excursions, tours, school visits etc. In
the course of this, students have the opportunities to hear, see,
smell, touch or examine the real object(s) under discussion. More
so, students have the opportunity to ask questions, photograph
objects, record sounds and sketch items of interest. Bringing the
community into the school is another way through which the
community resources can be used for effective teaching and learning
in an educational system. This involves inviting resource person of
high status in the community to the school for teaching and
learning purposes. Ultimately, the mobilization of community
resources together with a sense of community ownership, have a
significant impact on the sustainability of learning activities and
educational systems. 6 7. In Nigeria, there is no how we talk about
the impact of community participation in education without
discussing the roles of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in
educational system of Nigerian schools. This is because, as the
community mobilizes, consultative and representative groups may
emerge in form of parent-teacher associations (PTAs) or broader
community education committees (CECs). Parent-Teacher Associations
(PTAs) consists of school teachers and parents of students of
particular schools coming together or forming a group with the
objectives of improving the running of such schools so as to
enhance maintain and improve the quality of education as well as to
improve the academic performance of the students. In the 1960s when
schools were not too many in Nigeria, governments were able to
effectively fund education and only few PTAs existed. However, in
the 1980s when governments stopped infusing adequate fund to the
educational sector, the quality (standard) of education in the
country started declining. As a result, most of the things a
primary school leaver in the years gone by can do, cannot be
effectively done by most of the secondary school leavers of today.
This falling educational standard emerged from inadequacy of
funding, lack of modern classrooms and teaching tools, poor
numerations and acute shortage of 7 8. qualified teachers. Also,
lack of dedication and punctuality to duty by teachers contributed
to the falling educational standard. Parents also shared in the
blame. Most of them simply did not care about their childrens
education. As a result, the childrens projects, home work and
assignments would not be done; neither would they be reminded to
study at home. This even made some children derail and drop out.
Government is largely responsible for this falling educational
standard. Government frequently changes policies concerning
education leaving both the teachers and the students confused
(Adamu Muhd Usman 2009). With the advent of numerous problems in
the educational sector resulting in falling educational standard in
Nigeria, it became necessary for most of the schools (primary and
secondary schools) to have PTAs to assist in solving these
problems. As a result of the proliferation of PTAs all over the
country, it became necessary to organize them into schools as
Institutional PTAs, Local Government Central PTAs, State PTAs and
National PTAs of Nigeria. This development is a clear indication
that parents (communities) would no longer sit and watch the
educational standard of their children to fall. The followings
entail some aims and objectives of the National PTA of Nigeria; 8
9. i. To provide platform for parents, guardians, sponsors and
teachers of Nigerian students at primary, secondary, and tertiary
level to meet, exchange views, analyze issues deeply, make
recommendations and pursue implementation of decisions on matters
affecting education in Nigeria with appropriate agencies; ii. To
co-operate with and support morally and financially the Federal,
State, and Local Governments, Ministries, Boards, Commissions and
all other appropriate organizations, institutions and
establishments of education to achieve high academic standard and
performance, discipline, morality, service and integrity in
Nigerian schools; iii. To foster mutual understanding, harmonious
relationship and co-operation among parents, guardians, sponsors
and teachers in the fulfilment of their common goals, the welfare
of the schools and the students therein; iv. To make for healthy
and sympathetic understanding of the educational policies and
programmes of government and thus influencing some to create
suitable climate for schools teaching and learning activities; 9
10. v. To ensure a suitable, uniform and high standard of
discipline, both at home and at schools; vi. To assist materially
and otherwise in providing the schools with such additional
requirements that will enable it carry out its educational
functions adequately and vii. To assist in the proper and all-round
development of the children physically, morally, socially and
mentally so as to make them grow to become useful and law abiding
members of the society From the above objectives, it is obvious
that the National PTA is playing crucial roles in the maintenance
and development of Nigerian educational system. Some of the
achievements of school PTAs could be seen from the following; a)
They enhance understanding and good rapport between teachers and
parents; b) Enable parents come to grip with the problems of the
schools their children attend; 10 11. c) Complement government
efforts in the provision of infrastructures (building, water and
electricity supplies, etc), materials maintenance of the schools;
d) Giving their parents interests in their schools, students are
encouraged to give their maximum best towards their studies; e)
Lobby government for support on the schools. f) They also serve as
the watchdogs by monitoring and supervising the schools activities
and that of the students. g) They also provide the schools the
security officers to prevent their children from unnecessary
roaming about outside the school premises as well as within the
school compound during the class period. h) They also organize
extra moral lessons for their children so as to improve their
academic standard and performance. Community education committees
(CECs) also perform some similar roles with those of PTAs. It is
essential that the committees roles and responsibilities 11 12. be
defined. CECs are organized to primarily focus on primary and
secondary education (INEE, 2004: 15-16) some responsibilities of
CECs are listed below: Promoting good relationship between the
school and the community members; Communicating and meeting
regularly with the school to discuss issues of concern as regards
to the educational performance and improvement of their children;
Advising school to provide culturally appropriate approaches (e.g.
flexible school calendars, education programme curricula that
reflect the community context and involve community members in
decision-making; Participating in school project implementation and
so on. Conclusively, it can be noted that PTA is the best way the
community can participate on matters affecting education in
Nigeria. Virtually, every school in the country in which PTA exists
has benefited from the activities of the PTA. The benefits include
provision of infrastructural facilities, materials (such as books,
chalks and some other instructional materials) as well as assisting
in crisis 12 13. solving and giving useful and valuable advice to
school management. All these activities are carried out by the PTA
and the community to improve and maintain the educational standard
of their children and to make them useful not only to themselves
alone but also to the community as a whole (Baku and Agyemans,
1997). However, the efforts of Nigerian governments towards the
growth of western education in the country should not be shunned.
Many schools (including primary, secondary, universities and other
tertiary institutions) at various levels (local, state and federal)
have been established and are being financed by the government.
During the last decades, government has made strong efforts and
commitments to education which may be seen through the formulation
and implementation of various educational policies and programmes.
The Universal Basic Education (UBE) organized by the government is
a positive step towards educational success. Its purpose is to
create an educated public whose interests are to support the
unified nation, Aborisade oladimeji (1999). In a nutshell, there is
need for communities and the schools as well as the Nigerian
governments to operate hand in hand towards the development of
students educational standard in the country. 13 14. Statement of
the Problem The researcher intends to find out the rationale behind
the community participations in the academic programmes of their
children. Evidence has shown how communities partake in the school
programmes to ensure that their children get sound, better and
quality education. Based on the problems militating against the
smooth running of many of schools in Nigeria, which include poor or
inadequate teaching infrastructures and aids, lackadaisical
attitudes of governments towards financing education, inconsistent
educational policies and poor implementation of such policies, low
teaching salary, constant teachers strikes, etc., parents and the
community find it necessary to participate in the school programmes
and fight the educational problems. This is based on their beliefs
and anxieties that without their support, participation and
involvement in school programmes, their children education may not
be promising. The fluctuations in the school programmes which may
affect the educational standard and performance of the children
also necessitate the participation of the community (parents) in
the school programmes. Also, if the school activities of the
students are not monitored, they may keep bad company 14 15. or
engage in some vices at school. Hence, the need to examine the
community participation in school programmes is essential. Purpose
of the Study Many researchers have carried out various research
works on the community participation in the school programmes.
Balgopah, (2000) examined the roles of community in promoting the
standard of education; Sherry Arnstein (1969) and Roger Hart (1992:
9) indentified eight major areas where community can participate to
the educational development of a nation and so on, but nothing has
been done to enhance the community to participate more in the
improvement of childrens academic standard. The purpose of the this
study include the following; 1. To make it known to the parents and
the communities that their involvement in their children
educational programmes is an enhancement of their educational
understanding and their ability to prevail over any negative
circumstances that may stand in the way of their children academic
programmes; 15 16. 2. To make it known to the parents that the
education of their children should not be left in the hands of the
teachers alone, parents should also partner with the schools in the
provision of some basic teaching materials to promote effective
learning for their children. 3. To make it known to the parents
that their educational achievement is their children educational
success and they should participate more in their children academic
programmes. To bring out various measures that should be put in
place to facilitate and enhance a better community participation in
educational system. In a nutshell, it is hoped that this research
work achieves the above purposes it is aimed to serve and lead to a
greater and further critical research on this significant topic.
This research work is aimed to be of great benefit to the parents,
the school, the students and the entire community. Research
Questions This research work is designed to address the following
questions; i. What is the relationship between the community and
the school? 16 17. ii. Why should the community participate in the
academic programme of students? iii.To what extent has the
community participated in the maintenance and improvement of
students academic standard? iv. Does the community participation in
childrens educational programme have any influence on their
academic performance? v. What are the measures to be adopted to
ensure greater community participation for better and quality
education for their children? Research Hypotheses The following
hypotheses are formulated from the research questions Ho1: There is
no significant relationship between the school and the community.
Ho2: There is no significant reason for the community participation
in students academic programmes Ho3: There is no significant
influence of community participation to the development of students
educational standard. 17 18. Ho4: There is no significant influence
of community participation on the academic performance of the
students. Scope of the Study This study focused on five (5)
selected senior secondary schools in Ijebu East Local Government
Area. The population under this scope entails all the community
members, the schools, the students and parent-teacher
association(s) within the Ijebu East Local Government Area.
Operational Definitions of Terms For the purpose of clarity, the
following terms are briefly defined. Community: - This refers to a
group of people living together in a particular area, having common
interests, rights, beliefs and privileges in civil, political and
local ties. Participation: - This refers to an act of taking part
in an event. Education: - This is the process of acquiring
knowledge through teaching that will lead to change in behaviour.
18 19. Role: - This deals with some certain functions performed by
an individual or group of individuals. Educational Standard: - This
refers to the quality of education in a system. Programme: - This
refers to a planned series of events that must be carried out in
the school for effective functioning. School: - This refers to an
educational institution meant for educating children. PTA: - This
is an abbreviation for Parent-Teacher Association. Significance of
the Study It is not an exaggeration to say that the existence of
human being is fruitless without education. This study stresses in
examining the importance of education to a child and the needs for
both the parents and the community to participate in children
academic programmes so as to maintain, improve and develop their
educational standard. The quality (standard) of education acquired
by the children makes a worthy contribution to their lives by
making them responsible citizens. It is this standard (quality) of
education that would positively mould the children 19 20. behaviour
and make them to be useful not only to themselves alone but also to
the development of the entire community. Another significance of
this study is that, a child with good and quality education has the
ability to change the world as he/she brims with confidence, makes
the right moves and decisions, differentiate between the right and
the wrong and gets a secured future. Also, the quality of education
given to children lies in its ability to open new vistas for the
children, expands their outlook, broadens their mental landscape
and makes them to be tolerant towards other views. Therefore, it is
very essential for the community, the parents, the schools and the
governments to work hand in hand and participate more towards the
development of students academic standard. 20 21. CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Many schools including those in the
poorer parts of the country have been constructed through the
efforts of the community in educational system in Nigeria. This
chapter reviews the related literature on the influence of
community participation to the development of Nigerian education
and begin with the following; a) The Concept of Community
Participation; b) The Concept of School Programme; c) The Concept
of Community-School Relationship; d) The Concept of
Student-Community Relationship; e) The Concept of Educational
Standard; f) Historical Overview of Community Participation in
Nigerian Educational System; g) Appraisal of Literature Review. 21
22. a) The Concept of Community Participation The concept of
community has been seen by Webster (1975: 366) as a group of people
in a society, having common interests, common religions, common
rights, common traditions and cultures, with common political
background and living under the same laws and regulations. This
means that a community is a set of people, living in the same
locality with the same historical background and under the same
government. A community may be adopted, radical or national. An
adopted community is the one in which a group of people living in
the same locality and sharing common interests do not necessarily
have strong historical links and ties. Muzaazi, (1982: 238), stated
that this type of community is built through education, employment
and business. The members of this type of community have different
historical, ethnic and cultural background but are brought together
either by social, political or economic ties or both A radical
community is often referred to as dispersed community because the
members do not necessarily live together as neighbours but share
strong ethnic, cultural and religions ties. For instance, the
tribal and religion 22 23. communities scattered all over country
e.g. hausa community in Oyo, Anambra etc., Yoruba community in
Sokoto, Oweri etc., Muslim or Christian communities in the city
etc. A national community as seen by Okeke, (1985) consists of all
members or citizens of a country. That is, the national community
embraces all the people (nationals) residing within the
geographical boundary of a country irrespective of their religions,
ethnicities and genders. Therefore, a community could be seen as a
brand grouping of the people, located within a defined territory
and related to each other by social, economic and civil activities
which produce cohesiveness to a history and an identity.
Participation is the act of taking part in an event. With regards
to this study, it could be seen as taking part in the provisions of
educational programmes. The community as an important organ of the
school takes part in the school educational programme by assisting
in establishing a conducive atmosphere for effective learning,
providing some educational facilities as well as helping in the
implementation of the school decisions. The participation could
also be in form of moral support, financial aid, scholarship and
direct participation in form of free labour etc. 23 24. To Pateman
(1995), while participation may be a vague term, its advocates
often rely on two key arguments about its value It makes for
injustice in decision-making. It has an educative value. Kathmandu
(1996) stated that community participation is the process by which
individual and families assume responsibilities for the development
of educational programme in the community. Richard Knut (2001)
defined community participation as the creation of opportunities to
enable all members actively contributes towards influencing the
development process and to equitably share the fruits of
development b) The Concept of School Programme The concept of
school has been defined by Homby (1985: 761) as an institution for
educating children the school has its own boundary which separate
it from outside world and consists of the classrooms, members of
the teaching and non teaching staffs. The school as one of the most
powerful agents of socialisation in the society socialises its
members in a distinct way because of 24 25. its peculiar structure
(Merton and Kitt, 1976). The school provides physical care and
transmits to the child the culture of its immediate environment.
The child as a member of the school learns the aspirations of his
teachers and interacts with other members of the school. He also
learns about the norms in the school which helps to sustain
discipline both at home and at school. The child is deliberately
and consciously taught some skills and values by the teachers in
the school which have everlasting influence on the child. According
to the state superintendent of public instruction, Dr Tony Evers
(2009), a school is an administrative unit designed and dedicated
to impact skills and knowledge to students. That is a school is
organised to effectively deliver sequential valuable instruction to
students. Therefore, the school as a place for educating the
community children undoubtedly deserves a special attention so as
to function effectively and meet the expectation and requirement of
the community. Such attention could be in form of active support of
the school by the community morally and financially. When this is
done, the school stands a better position to provide active and
effective services to the community. The word programme as
described by the Oxford American Dictionary (1980:534) is
assistance, helpful and beneficial acts, indoctrinating people to
25 26. respond automatically in learned behaviour patterns.
Programme could be seen as a planned series of events or a set of
related measures organised to achieve a goal. Farlex Clipart
(2003-2008) sees school programme as a system of project or
services intended to meet the educational needs of the people and
to promote the development of the community at large. A school
programme is an educational programme designed to meet the needs of
students and adolescent that cannot be adequately addressed in a
traditional setting environment. Therefore, school programme
encompasses a set of activities that must be carried out to the
running and operation of the school. This can be set for each
school term or session. School programme also entails the daily
class period, breakfast, closing hour, general break (holiday) and
resumption etc. c) The Concept of Community-School Relationship
Relationship is the connection between two variables. With regards
to this study, the relationship entails the connection between the
school and community. The school and the community are brought
together by the students (community children) for effective
teaching and learning that would enable their children not only to
be useful for themselves but also for the entire community.
Therefore, the relationship between the school and the community
can never be under- 26 27. estimated. This is because the community
provides the land on which the school is built with moral, physical
and financial support. It also assists the school in the provision
of some teaching infrastructures to ensure effective and smooth
functioning of the school. On the other hand, the school impacts
values, knowledge and attitudes on the students (community
children). The school also assists in the growth and development of
the community. From the historical perspective, the community had
been of substantial assistance to the school both morally,
materially, physically, financially and economically. As a result,
the school needs to maintain a sound relationship and close contact
with its locality. To Muzaazi (1982), the school cannot effectively
function when the community in which it is meant to serve is
neglected. As noted by the report of the Commonwealth Conference on
Education (1970), the school if it is to use the environment of a
child cannot function effectively in isolation from the community
of which it is an integral part. Dangriffuh who supported this view
in a seminar of international visitation programme (1982)
reiterates that schools do not operate in isolation from the
society, the school should closely identify the community
educational and cultural needs and relate them as part of its aims
and objectives. The school 27 28. curriculum should reflect its
community needs so that it can enrich its programmes through its
contact with the community. Similarly, Afolayan (1982) shared his
opinion with Fafunwa (1974) by emphasising that school involvement
in community activities enriches educational experiences of the
staffs and the students i.e. the school can take part in
agricultural show, art exhibition, operation keep the town clean
and campaign against illiteracy which may be organised by the
community from time to time. For school to strengthen further its
relationship with the community, the school can allow reputable
clubs and society to use the school facilities such as football
pitch, assembly hall etc. In review of Okimola (1974), for school
to project itself into the community, it must have a principal and
a team of teachers who are community oriented. If a healthy school
community relationship is to prevail, students should be sensitised
on the need for good community relationship through the community
oriented programmes. However, Muzaazi (1982) advanced the above
view by stressing that both school and the community should not
forget that education is a co-operative enterprise that involves
parents, school and the community. 28 29. Education is an activity
which involves the co-operation of parents, teachers, students and
the community at large. Parents in particular are naturally
interested in the education of their children to the extent that
they create time to know what their children are being taught and
who are teaching them. Similarly, Fafunwa (1974; 165) said once you
have the majority of the community children in your school, you
will discover that even if you do not want to relate with the
community, the community will force itself open the school. This
statement could not be far from the fact that parents whether poor
or rich make greater efforts and sacrifice by spending large
proportion of their income to make sure that their children possess
good, better and quality education. d) The Concept of
Student-Community Relationship Students as perceived by the
Encyclopaedia World Dictionary (1971: 1555) is one who is engaged
in a course of study and instruction at a college, university or
professional/technical school or one who studies a subject
systematically or in details. This perception has shown that is one
a student is one who is in attendance at an educational institution
and pursuing course of instruction. To Zhao and Kuh (2004) student
engagement occurs when people make a psychological investigation in
learning. They try hard to learn what 29 30. school offers.
American Heritage Dictionary of English Language by Houghton
Mifflin (2009) see student as a person following a course of study
in a school, college, university and so on. This means, a student
is a person who makes thorough study of a subject. To Collins
English Dictionary (2003), student is a learner who is enrolled in
an educational institution. This means, a person who is enrolled in
a course of study could be seen as a student. Students therefore,
when broadly looked at are those community members that are taken
to school for the purposed learned organised and systemised
programmes and are expected to serve their community after the
completion of their studies. e) The Concept of Educational Standard
Educational standard could be simply seen as the quality as of
education in a system. To Dike, V. (2003), the standard of
education is how education contributes to the public health,
socio-economic and political development of a nation. Teachers
without Boarders (2006) look at the educational standard from the
perspective of how the products of school can be measured in terms
of their outcomes. That is how school leavers contribute to the
society in term of cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Equally,
measuring educational standard entails adequate educational
infrastructures, teaching materials, teachers quality, 30 31. level
and degree of learners, condition in which the learning takes
place, the quality of method of assessment and some types of
contributions to the society and so on. However, as noted by
Babalola, A. (2006) and Dike, V. (2006), Nigerian educational
standard is falling as a result of constant strikes, shortage of
qualified teachers, inadequate educational teaching facilities,
politicising education, corruption, over population of students
etc., leading to low students educational standard, indiscipline
and mass examination mal-practices. f) Historical Overview of
Community Participation in Nigerian Educational System There is a
long history of community participation in educational programmes
in Nigeria. According to Fafunwa (1974), education has never been
one mans business especially in the African context where communal
attitude in education is as old as man himself and hence, community
participation in educational activities in Nigeria. In the
traditional system, a child is made to appreciate his role as a
member of his immediate and extended family as well as that of the
community at large. The newly born child immediately becomes the
child of everyone and his early 31 32. education is the
responsibility of not only his parents but also of everyone in his
immediate environment. The scholarly perception of the traditional
African community which clearly explained the communal attitude of
the Africans in the education of their children showed that
education is valuable, dignified and respected in the life of every
human being. In Nigeria and other West African countries, formal
education was brought by the Christian missionaries who came along
with the white colonisers as early as 1842. Since then, this type
of education has been formally recognised as the main instrument of
bringing about progressive changes, rapid growth and development in
a nation. Over the years, Nigerian demand for this type of
education has become progressively spread, wider and complex. In
the words of Fafunwa, (1974: 140), many Nigerian parents had seen
education as a key for human development and were determined to
send their children, wards or relatives to school at any cost. This
clearly testifies to the kinnes of the Nigerian society towards the
western education. Fafunwa (1974), noted that this quest for
knowledge did not stop at the ethnic level but also transcends to
religion organisation such as Muslim and Christian organisation. 32
33. When the Muslim intellectual saw the importance of the western
type of education, science and technology, and also, when they
realised that they were not participating enough in the
administration of government, they felt the need to combine a sound
Islamic education with a sound western type of education without
changing their religion and culture. During the late 1930s, some
Muslim organisations such as Ansar-ud Deen Society, Nawar-ud Deen
society, Al- madiyya Movement, Jamaatu Islamiya etc., esterblised
primary and secondary schools in places like Sokoto, Katsina, Kano
and some others. In the western part of Nigeria, community
participation in the western education began through their support
with the missionaries in the establishment of a number of schools
in the Yoruba and Mid-west states of Nigeria. WAJ (1973) noted that
the period between 1939 and 1960 was a period of local community
efforts. During this period, the number of community school
increased from 27 in 1937 to 227 in 1960. It is imperative to know
that this attitude continued until 1970 when the government took
over the complete control of the school. Fafunwa stressed the
importance of the community [participation in Nigerian educational
system by emphasising that Nigerian community had been a source of
pride to the development of education in 33 34. Nigeria from the
period of missionaries, via the colonial era and even after the
independence. Similarly, two Nigerian authors as quoted by Ezeoch
(1985; 165), Alani (1977) and Akobogu (1981) working in different
part of Nigeria on community participation in schools found out
that communities provide lands, funds, game equipment, teaching
aid, put-up building and render free community labour, as well as
giving prizes and scholarship to students. This clearly demonstrate
that the Nigerian communities apart from giving moral and financial
to the development of western education, they also participate
physically in order to make learning concrete and possible for
their children (Ezeochi, 1985). The impact of community
participation in education may well be felt by themselves in terms
of joy of being a better community and as a result, their community
economic prosperity and cultural development will be enhanced. This
means that while participating in education, the communities are
making efforts toward their development. This is because, education
improves economic growth and socio-political awareness which are
inevitable to any rapid and progressive development. 34 35.
Conclusively, community participation in education had been the
feature of Africans from the indigenous type of education to the
other alien educational system brought by the Muslim and the
Christian missionaries. Therefore, the history of community
participation in education is a new one in the Nigerian context. g)
Appraisal of Literature Review This chapter began with the review
of related literature in which the perceptions of scholars on
concepts such as the concept of community, school, programme,
student, educational standard and some others are discussed.
Webster (1975: 366) sees community as a group of people in a
society, having common interests, common rights, common religions,
common traditions and cultures with common socio-political,
economic and historical background under the same government. Homby
(1985: 761) sees school as an institution formally organised and
designed for educating children. 35 36. Dike (2003) sees
educational standard as the quality of education in a system in
terms of how education contributes to the public health,
socio-economic and political development of a nation. Farlex
Clipart (2003) sees school programme as a system of project or
services intended to meet the educational needs of the people and
to promote the development of the community at large. Kathmandu
(1996) stated that community participation is the process by which
individual and families assume responsibilities for the development
of educational programme in the community. It can be concluded that
the community efforts towards the development of students
educational standard can never be over-emphasised. 36 37. CHAPTER
THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the methodology to
be adopted in this research work. This is presented under the
following; a) Research Type; b) Population, Sample and Sampling
Techniques; c) Instrumentation; d) Procedure for Data Collection
and e) Data Analysis Techniques. a) Research Type This research
work is a descriptive research. To Odewumi and Mohammed (2004), a
descriptive research is a systematic method of survey which
involves observing and describing the behaviour of a subject
without impacting it in anyway. The reason why it a descriptive is
that, it examined the roles, contributions attitudes and behaviour
of community towards the 37 38. educational programmes of their
children. This survey method also looked into the motivating
factors that gear the community to participate in their childrens
education. b) Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques Population
consisted of all schools and communities in Ijebu East, Ogun State.
With regards to this study, the targeted population consisted of
all the members of the community, the schools administrators, the
teachers and the students as well as the parent-teacher
associations within the Ilorin East Local Government Area. The
sample was based on the five (5) selected schools and some
prominent community members within the Ijebu East Local Government
Area to represent the targeted population. The sampling techniques
under this study were based on random selection (simple random
sampling techniques) from the targeted population. That is, some
community members and five (5) different schools were randomly
selected within the Ijebu East Local Government Area. This gave
every community 38 39. member and school in the area an equal
opportunity of being selected in the sample. c) Instrumentation
With regards to this study, the researcher made use of direct
source of data collection such as; i. Oral interview and ii.
Questionnaire. Oral interview was adopted to enable the researcher
to extract some useful information from some community members of
Ijebu East Local Government Area most especially those who could
neither write nor read while the questionnaire was used to obtain
responses from the staffs of five (5) selected secondary schools.
The questionnaire was both closed and opened as some possible
responses were provided. The questionnaire was developed and
designated into section A, B and C. The section A part required the
respondents to give or state their personal particulars such as
age, sex, marital status, occupation, educational 39 40.
qualification etc. while section B part contained 15 closed
questions in which the respondents were required to tick the
provided options based on their opinions and perceptions. Finally,
the section C part contained only 3 questions that were open, which
gave the respondents an opportunity to express their views which
were recorded and used as backup information for the analysis of
data. The face-content validity of the research instrument
(questionnaire) was determined by the project supervisor and some
assigned lecturers in the department. The questionnaire was also
given to them for some amendments. The reliability of the
questionnaire was determined through the use of test re-test
techniques. The test re-test techniques entail comparing the
results of the questionnaire after it is administered and
re-administered to determine its reliability. d) Procedure for Data
Collection The questionnaire was carefully administered to 50
people made up of the school administrators, the teachers,
students, parents, guardians and other members of the community.
However, it should be noted that the distribution of this
questionnaire was based on simple random techniques. 40 41. The
researcher went to five (5) selected schools and distributed the
questionnaire. Equally, some friends assisted the researcher in the
distribution of and collection of the questionnaire. Moreover, a
period of two (2) hours was given to the respondents for sample
time to complete the questionnaire. It should be noted here that
the method used in distributing the questionnaire was also adopted
to collect it back. e) Data Analysis Techniques In analysing data,
the researcher employed; i. Correlation coefficient and ii.
Chi-Square The Spearmans Ranking Correlation was employed because
it is suitable for calculating coefficient of data. This measured
the relationship between the two variables (i.e. the school and the
community).The formula for ranking correlation is given below;
Where 41 42. = difference in each pair of rank n = number of object
being ranked = summation sign R is correlation coefficient. When R
is equal to +1, there is perfect positive correlation between the
explanatory (community) and the dependent (school) variables but,
when R is equal to -1, there is perfect negative correlation
between them. Chi-square method was also adopted to analyse the
data gathered from the questionnaire. This helped to compare the
deviation of observed value from the expected value and to
determine whether the result is significant or not. The formula for
chi-square is given below; Where; = the frequencies observed = the
frequencies expected = the sum of 42 43. CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS This
chapter presents the results of the data gathered in this research
work. The purpose of this chapter is to answer the research
questions and test the research hypotheses. This chapter is
presented under the following; a) Data Analysis and Findings. b)
Summary of Findings. a) Data Analysis and Findings The analysis of
the data gathered in this research work is presented under the
following tables. Analysis of Section A Table 1: Gender
Distribution of the Respondents Respondents Frequency Percentage
(%) Cumulative Frequency 43 44. Gender Male 36 72 - Female 14 28 50
Total 50 100 From the table1 above, it is observed that the
majority of the respondents were male having 72% of the sample
population while 28% of the respondents were female. This shows
that the respondents comprised of more male than female. Table 2:
Age Distribution of the Respondents Respondents Frequency
Percentage (%) Cumulative Frequency Age 15 20 4 8 - 21 25 10 20 14
26 30 16 32 30 31 40 14 28 44 41 50 6 12 50 Total 50 100 From the
table 2 above, it is observed that the majority of the respondents
fell within the range of 26 30 years having 32% of the total
respondents. This was followed by the range of 31 40 years which
contained 28% of the total respondents while the range of 21 25
years, 41 50 years and 15 20 years 44 45. had 20%, 12% and 8%
respectively. This shows that the majority of the respondents
comprised of adults. Table 3: Marital Status of the Respondents
Respondents Frequency Percentage (%) Cumulative Frequency Marital
Status Single 18 36 - Married 32 64 50 Total 50 100 From the table
3 above, it is observed that the majority of the respondents who
were married had 64% of the total respondents while the 36% of the
respondents were single. This shows that the majority of the
respondents were also parents. Table 4: Educational Qualification
of the Respondents Respondents Frequency Percentage (%) Cumulative
Frequency Educational Qualification WAEC/NECO Certificate 6 12 - B.
Sc Certificate 42 84 48 45 46. M. Sc Certificate 2 4 50 Total 50
100 From the table 4 above, it is observed that the majority of the
respondents acquired B.Sc Certificate having 84% of the total
respondents while those with WAEC/NECO contained 12% and the
remaining 4% was made up of those with M.Sc Certificate. This shows
that the majority of the teachers in all secondary Schools in Ijebu
East local Government Area are first degree holders. Analysis of
Section B Table 5: Relationship between the School and the
Community Items Yes No Rank Yes Rank No The community has cordial
relationship with the school. 50 0 1.5 1.5 0 0 The school involves
the community in decision making. 38 12 3 1 2 4 The community
provides the school some teaching materials, human resources,
financial aids etc. 50 0 1.5 1.5 0 =4 From the table above 5, it is
observed that R = 0. This shows that there is positive correlation
between the school and the community. 46 47. Table 6: Reasons for
Community Participation in School Programmes. Items Yes No Rank Yes
Rank No The community partakes in the school to influence the
school programmes 20 30 3 1 2 4 The community partakes in the
school programmes to curb students deviant behaviour. 42 8 1.5 1.5
0 0 The community partakes in the school programmes to maintain and
improve students educational standard 42 8 1.5 1.5 0 0 =4 From the
table 6 above, it is observed that R is positive (i.e. R = 0). This
shows that the community should participate in the school in order
to influence the school programmes, curb educational problems and
maintain and improve the students educational standard. 47 48.
Table 7: Community Participation towards the Maintenance and
Improvement of Students Educational Standard. Items Yes No Rank Yes
Rank No The community organizes extra moral lessons for the
students. 42 8 1 3 -2 4 The community awards scholarship to the
exceptional students. 22 28 2 2 0 0 The community helps to
encourage discipline to improve students moral and academic
standard. 20 30 3 1 2 4 =8 From the above table 7, it is observed
that R= -1. This shows that there is perfect negative correlation
between the community efforts in students academic programmes and
the students educational standard. 48 49. Table 8: Impact of
Community Participation on Students Academic Performance Items Yes
No Rank Yes Rank No The students perform better in their exams as a
result of community participation. 33 17 3 1 2 4 The students
academic performance has improved as a result of community
involvement in the school programmes. 42 8 1.5 1.5 0 0 The students
exhibit high social conduct in the community as a result of
community participation in school programmes. 42 8 1.5 1.5 0 0 =4
From the table 8 above, it is observed that R=0. This implies that
there is a positive correlation between the community participation
in students academic programmes and the students academic
performance. 49 50. Table 9: Measures to be Adopted for Greater
Community Participation in School Programmes. Items Yes No Rank Yes
Rank No The Formation of Parent-Teacher Associations should be
encouraged in the school. 50 0 2 2 0 0 The community members should
be included in the school decision making. 50 0 2 2 0 0 The
community needs should be part of the school curriculum. 50 0 2 2 0
0 =0 From the table 9 above, it can be deduced that R=+1 i.e. there
is a perfect positive correlation. This implies that the formation
of Parent-Teacher Association in the school, the inclusion of the
community in the school decision making and the inclusion of the
community needs into the school programmes would definitely bring
about greater community participation in the school programmes. 50
51. Hypothesis Testing Hypothesis 1 H0: There is no significant
relationship between the school and the community. H1: There is a
significant relationship between the school and the community. Yes
No x2 cal x2 tab Observed Value 46 4 1 0.05 35.28 2.91 Expected
Value 25 25 From the above analysis, it is observed that at () 0.05
level of significant and degree of freedom (df) 1, the calculated
value (35.28) is greater than the tabulated value (2.91).
Therefore, the null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected while the alternate
hypothesis (H1) is accepted. Thus, there is a relationship between
the school and the community. Hypothesis 2 51 52. H0: There are no
significant reasons for the community participation in students
academic programmes H1: There are significant reasons for the
community participation in students academic programmes Yes No x2
cal x2 tab Observed Value 34.7 15.3 1 0.05 7.52 2.91 Expected Value
25 25 From the above analysis, it is observed that at () 0.05 level
of significant and degree of freedom (df)1, the calculated value
(x2 cal=7.52) is greater than the tabulated value (x2 tab=2.91).
Therefore, the null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected while the alternate
hypothesis (H1) is accepted. Thus, there is a reason for the
community participation in students academic programmes. Hypothesis
3 H0: There is no significant influence of community participation
on the development of students academic standard. 52 53. H1: There
is a significant influence of community participation on the
development of students academic standard. Yes No x2 cal x2 tab
Observed Value 28 22 1 0.05 0.72 2.91 Expected Value 25 25 From the
above analysis, it is observed that at () 0.05 level of significant
and degree of freedom (df)1, the calculated value (x2 cal=0.72) is
lesser than the tabulated value (x2 tab=2.91). Therefore, the null
hypothesis (Ho) is accepted while the alternate hypothesis (H1) is
rejected. Thus, there is no community effort on the development of
students educational standard. Hypothesis 4 H0: There is no
significant impact of community participation on the academic
performance of the students. H1: There is a significant impact of
community participation on the academic performance of the
students. 53 54. Yes No x2 cal x2 tab Observed Value 39 11 1 0.05
15.68 2.91 Expected Value 25 25 From the above analysis, it is
observed that at () 0.05 level of significant and degree of freedom
(df)1, the calculated value (x2 cal=15.68) is greater than the
tabulated value (x2 tab=2.91). Therefore, the null hypothesis (Ho)
is rejected while the alternate hypothesis (H1) is accepted. Thus,
community participation has influence on students academic
performance. b) Summary of Findings In summary, the followings are
derived from the research analysis and findings. 1. There is a
cordial relationship between the school and the community. 2. There
are reasons for community participation in school programmes. 3.
The community participation in school programmes has positive
influence on the improvement of students academic performance. 4.
There are measures that could be adopted for greater community
participation in school programmes. 54 55. CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Under this chapter, the research
findings are discussed, conclusions are made and recommendations
are given. Discussion This research work was specifically carried
out to look into the impact of the community participation to the
development of secondary school students educational standard
within the Ijebu East Local Government Area, Ijebu, Ogun State.
From this research work, it is discovered that the majority of the
community members in the area are civil servants and traders (p.
39). Also, the majority of the schools within the area are
community/public schools while most of the school teachers acquired
B. Sc certificates (Table 4; p. 51). The major findings from the
data analysed in this research work showed that there is a good
rapport and cordial relationship between the community and the
various secondary schools within the Ijebu East Local Government
Area 55 56. (Table 5; p. 52). From the findings, the community
provides the schools some teaching facilities like lands,
classrooms, and other instructional resources. The community also
renders direct labour and provides the schools the security
officers to guard the school properties. In the other hand, the
schools within the area involve the community in school decision
making concerning their childrens education. The findings also
revealed that Ijebu East Community partakes in school programmes in
order to curb the educational problems that may stand in the way of
their childrens education and to maintain and improve the
educational standard of their children (Table 6; p. 53). However,
the findings revealed that the community has not made significant
efforts towards the development their childrens educational
standard (Table 7; p. 54). The community does not give scholarship
and assist the children to meet their educational needs. As a
result, most of their children stop furthering their education
after acquiring WAEC/NECO Certificate and start learning trades.
From the enquiry, these children quitted formal education based on
the fact that their parents could no longer afford their
educational expenses. 56 57. The findings also revealed that Ijebu
East Community has done well towards improving the students
academic and non academic performances (Table 8; p. 55). As a
result of community participation in school programmes, students
are motivated and encouraged towards their studies. This made them
to perform well in both academic and non-academic activities of the
school. The research findings showed that the formation of
Parent-Teacher Association and t inclusion of the community in
school decision making as well as the inclusion of the community
needs into the school programmes have brought about greater
community participation in secondary schools within the Ijebu East
Local Government Area (Table 9; p. 56). This research work also
observed that the Formation of Parent-Teacher Association and
Community Education Committee is the best way the community can
participate in educational programmes of children. This research
work also revealed that the educational standard in Nigeria is
falling and the Nigerian government is largely responsible for it
(p. 6). This falling educational standard started when Nigerian
governments stop infusing adequate funds into the educational
sector coupled with frequent change and poor implementation of
educational policies. Other causes of this falling educational 57
58. standard include; inadequate funding of schools, lack of modern
classrooms and teaching tools, poor numerations and acute shortage
of qualified teachers, lack of dedication and punctuality to duty
by teachers. Parents also shared in the blame. Some of them simply
did not care about their childrens education. As a result, the
childrens projects, home work and assignments would not be done;
neither would they be reminded to study at home. Lastly, this
research work also laid emphasis on the importance of education and
the needs for both the parents and the community to participate
more in the educational programmes of children. Conclusion From the
findings, it can be concluded that; 1. There is a cordial
relationship between the Ijebu East Community and the various
secondary schools within the area (Table 5; p.52). 2. Community
partakes in school programmes to curb the educational problems that
may stand in the way of students education and to improve and
maintain the academic standard of students (Table 6; p. 53) 58 59.
3. Community participation in school programmes within the area has
greatly influenced the students academic and non academic
performance in school (Table 8; p. 55). 4. It is also glaring from
the findings that this community has not done much towards the
development of childrens academic standard (table 7; p. 54). It is
this standard (quality) of education that would positively mould
the children behaviour and make them useful not only to themselves
alone but also to the entire community. Therefore, the Ijebu East
Community has a vital role to play in their childrens educational
programmes. Recommendations From all that have been discussed and
analysed so far, it is then imperative to give some useful
suggestions in form of recommendations that would encourage,
improve and bring about greater community participation in school
programmes to maintain, improve and develop students educational
standard. These recommendations would also be useful for further
research on this significant topic. The recommendations are given
below; 59 60. 1. Community Education Committee should be set up to
promote good relationship between the school and the community
members. This committee should also mobilise the community
resources towards the maintaining, improving and developing
students academic standard. 2. Parent-Teacher Association should be
introduced in the secondary schools to foster mutual understanding
and communication between the community (parents) and the schools.
Under this, parent participation in PTA should be made a condition
for admission of students into schools. This would also make the
parents know the area in which the schools are in need of them for
the realisation of better and quality education for the children.
3. The schools should involve the community in the school decision
making concerning the students education and include the community
needs into the school programmes. This would bring about greater
community participation in school programmes. 4. School exhibition,
home visits by the teachers and speech and prize given day should
also be introduced to attract the community to the school. This
would make the community appreciate the school efforts in students
academic programmes and participate in school programmes. 60 61. 5.
The community should assist the school financially morally
physically and materially in the provision of some teaching
facilities that would enable it carry out its educational functions
adequately and join the school to fight any educational problem
that may stand in the way of students education and hinder the
effective functioning of the school. 6. The schools should
cultivate the habit of bringing the community resources to school
for instructional purposes. This would help to create effective
teaching and learning in the school and improve the quality of
education being transmitted to students. Also, when the community
resources are brought to school, there would be mutual relationship
between the school and the community. 7. The community should
organise extra moral classes for the students, organise special
education for the exceptional students and assist students to meet
their educational needs by rendering guiding and counselling
services, giving scholarship to students and so on. This would
maintain and improve the academic standard of students. 8.
Government should embark on stable educational policies for stable
educational programmes and infuse adequate funds into the
educational 61 62. sector. Also, remuneration should be made
attractable to teachers with constant payment and increment of
salary to curb the problem of strike among teachers. 9. Government
should also equip the public schools with modern teaching
facilities to maintain and improve the educational standard of
Nigerian students. 10. There is need to make use of mass media and
other communication agencies to enlighten the parents and the
community about the importance of education and make them aware
that their children education should not be left in the hands of
the teachers alone, they should partakes in the school programmes
to promote effective learning for the students. 62 63. REFERENCES
Abiri J. And Jekayinfa A.A. (2008); Prospect on the History of
Education in Nigeria. Baku and Agymans (1997); Role of
Parent-Teacher Association as an Instrument of Community
Participation in Education. Balgopal and Pallassana (2000); Role of
Community in Promoting the standard of Education. Burkeys S.
(1993); A guide to Self-Reliant, Participatory Rural Deveplopment
Craig G. And Mayo M. (1995); Community Empowerment; A Reader in
Participation and participatory techniques. David Martins (2000);
Role of Community Participation in Nation Building. London. 63 64.
Dudley E. (1993); The critical villager: Beyond Community
Participation. London. Federal Republic of Nigeria (1995); National
Policy on Education, Yaba Ikeja, Federal Government Press. Gregory
J Clzek ed (2001); Setting Performance Standard, Concept, Method
and Perspective. France. Hougton Mifflin (2009); American Heritage
English Dictionary. London Kanfman M. and Alfanso H. (1992);
Community power and Grass Root Democracy. 64 65. QUESTIONNAIRE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOUNDATION AND MANAGEMENT, FACULTY OF
EDUCATION, OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY, AGO-IWOYE, OGUN STATE
Stakeholders opinion on Community Participation in the Development
of Secondary School in Ijebu East Local Government Area, Ijebu,
Ogun State. Dear respondents, This questionnaire is designed to
gather information on the stakeholders opinion on community
participation in the development of secondary schools in Ijebu East
Local Government Area. All information supplied will be
confidential. However, you are enjoined to respond to this
questionnaire with utmost sincerity. Thanks. Yours faithfully,
Shoaga Oladele Rapheal INSRUCTION; Do not write your name on the
questionnaire. Tick ( ) the correct answer with sincerity. Section
A: a) Name of the school: b) Gender: (i) Male (ii) Female a. Age:
(i) 15 20 (ii) 21 25 (iii) 26 30 (iv) 30 40 (v) 40 50 65 66. (vi)
50 and above c) Marital Status: (i) Single (ii) Married d)
Educational Qualification/Certificate: (I) Primary School
Certificate: (ii) WAEC/NECO Certificate: (iii) B.Sc Certificate:
(iv) M.Sc Certificate: (v) Ph.d Certificate: Section B:
Instruction: Tick ( ) the correct options below No. STATEMENTS
OPTIONS YES NO 1. The community has cordial relationship with the
school. 2. The school involves the community in decision making. 3.
The community provides the school some teaching materials, human
resources, financial aids etc.. 4. The community partakes in the
school programmes to maintain and improve the educational standard
of the students. 7. The community organizes extra-moral lessons for
the students. 8. The community awards scholarship for the
exceptional students. 9. The community helps to encourage
discipline to improve students moral academic standard. 10 The
students perform better in their examinations as a result of
community participation. 11 The students academic performance has
improved since the community has been involved in the school
programmes. 12 The students exhibit high social and moral conduct
within the community as a result of community participation in
school programmes. 66 67. 13 The formation of Parent-Teacher
Association should be encouraged in the school. 14 The community
members should be included in the school decision making. 15 The
community needs should be part of the school curriculum. Section C:
Interview Schedule with the Community Members This section requires
the respondents to suggest and put in their view with regards to
the following; If your answer to question 1 of section B above is
Yes, 1) Mention two reasons why the community relates with the
school. i) ii) 2) Mention two major roles performed by the
community in the school. i) ii) 3) State how relationship between
school and community can be improved further. 67
