CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Expressed briefly and clearly, school could be viewed as an institution or an educational platform dedicated to teaching and learning. To this effect, schools are veritable instrument at the disposal of the society entrusted with the arduous task of transmitting, broadening and preserving the whole gourmet or deposit of existing body of knowledge. This deposit of knowledge includes socio-cultural gains, traditions, political, economic and scientific achievements. The schools help the society to transmit these deposits from generation to another.

In effect, the progress or retrogression of any given society is directly proportional to the quality of its educational endeavors. It follows then that any valuable and holistic assessment of educational achievement within a given society must of necessity begin with the assessment of the dynamics of the quality of the educational super structure and inter-play of events.

Mission schools from the dawn of European appearance of the Nigerian educational horizon have proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Mission schools have shown her conviction in general education and formation of man.

According to Ome (2012), the church through the school participates in the dialogue of culture with her own positive contribution to the cause of the total formation of man.

Furthermore, he noted that the absence of the catholic school would be a great loss for civilization and for the natural and supernatural destiny of man.

Our schools in general and education at the secondary school level in particular are important to the extent that they produce or prepare citizens to be responsible and capable of being functionally integrated or assimilated into the productivity chain of the society. Schools have proved to be a double-edged sword. It can be an agent of transformation and change when managed effectively. If it is hijacked and mismanaged, it could become an agent of chaos, instability and destruction. The outcome of school products is hence dependent on management of various factors.

The discomfort and instability palpable within the Nigerian society speaks volume about the dwindling fortunes in our educational sector. The fallout arising from the publication of 2012/2013 WAEC, GCE and NECO results which shows a 90% failure in English Language and Mathematics is but an eye opener.

Accordingly, parents, religious groups, government and other stake holders are of the opinion that we must know where the evil rain started to encounter us before we will know where and how it will stop. The point of convergence of the crisis, many maintain that it lies with the government take-over of schools from the mission in 1975