Analysis of Factors That Are Militating Against Effective Teaching and Learning of Secondary School Students

Teaching is a set of events, outside the learners which are designed to support internal process of learning or the process through which information often education training is passed. While learning is about a change; the change brought about by developing a new skill, understanding a scientific law and changing an attitude. Education as a tool for the empowerment and sustainable development is indispensable both to the individual and the state at large. This is one of the major philosophical objectives that education is set to achieve as entrenched in the national policy on education (FRN 2004). Education is held as a major tool that can liberate a man from the fangs of ignorance. Some of such poverty indicators which education tackles are identified by UBE (2002) to include ignorance, hunger, lack, complex and social weakness among others.

Education should be that, that guarantees the development of sterling qualities and skills that will enable one embrace that challenge of leadership and practical statesmanship in the affairs of this country Nigeria. On attaining Independence status as a nation in 1960 what seemed a major concern to most Nigerian leaders then was how education would be accessible to all citizens of the newly created nation. Education was seen as the necessary instrument immediately and essentially for the consolidation of the independence, for securing the new nation against neo-colonialism and for making workable newly established self-government in a multi-ethnic society. Mass education, at least to the level of literacy, was also seen by the Nigerian leaders to be necessary to create a proper foundation for a democratic government (Best, 2011).

The desire to use education for nation building was (and is still) very compelling and so much was the faith in education that the schools of the nation were not only meant for political socialization but also for other social functions and for economic growth. To achieve these goals Universal Primary Education (UPE) was introduced nationwide in 1976, although hitherto this has been practiced in some parts of the country. Toward the end of the second decade of achieving nationhood status, therefore, Nigeria witnessed a phenomenal expansion at all levels of her education. A number of studies have been carried out to identify and analyze the numerous factors that affect secondary school student learning and academic performance in various centres of learning.