AN INVESTIGATION TO THE CAUSES OF MASS FAILURE IN EXTERNAL EXAMINATIONS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

 Educational system in Nigeria is the abysmal failure of students in public examinations, particularly at the secondary level of education. According to Uduh (2009), the high percentage of candidates who failed WASSCE yearly is reflected in the low percentage of the candidates that meets the university admission requirements. The situation is so pathetic that stakeholders keep on wondering why this level of education has persistently failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the society. Apart from the fact that the mass failure of students in public examinations constitutes wastage on investment in secondary education, it puts a big question mark on the quality of secondary education in the country. Each time the results of students in Senior school Certificate Examination (SSCE) are released, it has been a tale of woes and national embarrassment. Various captions in the dailies point towards mass failure of students in the SSCE. Some of these captions include, ‘79% fail English Language as NECO releases SSCE’, ‘NECO records mass failure in June/July SSCE’, ‘Mass failure in both the WASSCE and SSCE’, ‘Mass failure in public examinations: a national disaster’, ‘Examination failure: endless shame of a nation’. In the past five years, most of the students who sat for the SSCE each year did not have credit passes in at least five subjects including English Language and Mathematics. The situation is getting worse every year. Examinations could be internally or externally conducted. Internal examinations are usually developed and administered by schools using teacher-made tests. These could be conducted on weekly, termly or end of the school-year. External examinations are developed and administered by public examinations bodies. The public examinations bodies in Nigeria include 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) among others. Pathetically, shameful failure in students’ academic performance in Nigeria is no longer news in the recent years. This axiomatically noted in the public’s unhappiness which becomes more prominent following the annual release of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination results, since the student outcomes do not match the government and parental investments both at the senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions. The situation is so pathetic that stakeholders keep on wondering why this level of education has persistently failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the society.

Mass failure of students in external in Nigeria examinations can be looped to different factors that can be categorized into the domains of parents, students, teachers, schools, government and the society. In other words, the causes of mass failure of students in public examinations are multi-dimensional in nature.Parents performs a very important roles in the education of their children. Apart from them paying their children school fees, they buys textbooks, buys uniforms and some other materials their children needs, parents are not just to buy the required material alone they are also expected to supervise, monitor and help their children in  their academics also give them a good moral training and advise. Parents are also expected to visit their children schools from time to time so as to find out how their children and wards are behaving and coping with a view to taking corrective measures where and when necessary. However, failure of parents playing these roles could negatively affect the academic performance of the students. Studies have shown that the poor academic performances of students are caused by the parents. According to Ajala & Iyiola (1988), polygamous families contributed to poor academic performance of the students. Parents’ inability to provide breakfast, textbooks and basic school needs for their children, less interaction with children’s teachers and less involvement in the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) resulted in poor academic performance of students (Etsey, 2005). Akanle (2007) also identified insufficient parental income and family type as causes of poor academic performance. Moreover, other causes of mass failure of students in public examinations that could be traced to the parents include lack of proper guidance by parents, failure of parents to provide necessary materials for their children to work with in school and family breakdown (Ajayi & Ekundayo, 2010).However this study is aimed at investigating the causes and proffer solutions to mass failure in external examination.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Pathetically, shameful failure in students’ academic performance in Nigeria is no longer news in the recent years. This axiomatically noted in the public’s unhappiness which becomes more prominent following the annual release of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination results, since the student outcomes do not match the government and parental investments both at the senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions. The situation is so pathetic that stakeholders keep on wondering why this level of education has persistently failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the society.

Mass failure of students in external in Nigeria examinations can be looped to different factors that can be categorized into the domains of parents, students, teachers, schools, government and the 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 main objective of this study is to investigate and find out the reasons, causes and proffer solution the problem mass failure in external examination in Nigeria. The specific objectives that guide the study are:

1.     To find out the percentage level of mass failure in Nigeria.

2.     To investigate the factors contributing to mass failure in Nigeria

3.     To find out if there is any policy formulated by the education ministry stop mass failure

4.     To discover the family factor contributing to the incase rate in mass failure

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question will guide the researcher during the course of this research:

1.     What factors contribute to mass failure in Nigeria?

2.     Is there any policy to decrease the level of mass failure in Nigeria?

3.     What family factors affect the student’s performance in external exam?

4.     What is the percentage level of the increase in mass failure in Nigeria?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

 This study will expose the teachers, government parents and other stakeholders involve in formulating education policy in Nigeria on the causes of mass failure and the effect it has on our economy.

Also this study will serve as reference to other researcher that would embark on the same research in the nearest future.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study investigate all the senior secondary school students in Nigeria but samples is taken from four local government in two south west states, Oyo and Osun state the local government are Olorunda and Ede-Norh LGA in Osun state and Ibadan South-west and Ibadan North-east in Oyo state.

1.7 DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The major problem encountered during this research is time and insufficient fund, this study is supposed to cover at least 10 states in Nigeria but due to the financial constraint to visit those the researcher has to limit the samples to just two states.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Investigation: a formal research conducted to find causes of an event

Causes: factor that contributes to the happening of an event

Mass: large no of people

Failure: not meeting a desired or specified result

External examination:  test conducted or set outside the school where the exam will take place.