INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Of The Study

Education in all countries of the world has been considered very important for personal and societal development. Adedeji (2008) defined education as the conscious efforts to prepare students through monitoring, teaching and learning for their role in the future. Amadi (2015) also posited that education remains the biggest instrument for academic progress, social mobilization, political survival and effective national development of any country. It tends to constitute the largest enterprise/industry in Nigeria, the reason for which the government continues to ensure that funds, school facilities, instructional materials, teaching personnel and a beneficial learning environment are to some extent made available. Educational activities cannot take place in a vacuum but in a well-structured formal setting or environment called the school. The school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for teaching of students under the direction of teachers. The levels of education (Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary levels), are geared toward adequate development of learnersthrough the process of impacting knowledge, skills and the right attitude. The school system as important as it may be is an integral and indispensable element of actualizing the set of educational goals and objectives; particularly secondary education. Secondary education is the education given to pupils after the primary education. It is the education received after the primary education and precedes tertiary education. Secondary education is meant for children between 11 to 17 years (FGN, 2013). The major functions of secondary education are to prepare individuals for useful living within the society and for higher education (FRN cited in Amie-Ogan & Osuji, 2018). Secondary education functions amongst others to inspire students with a desire for achievement and self-improvement both at school and in later life. To achieve the goals of secondary education, it is important that all stakeholders in the academic circle be it teachers, students, principals, school administrators etcetera synergize and collaborate in conjunction with the inspectorate division of the State Ministry of Education to work together for students’ academic success and improvement. Inspection of schools is an important of school administration which aids in attaining students’ academic success. It is a regulatory exercise that ensures standardization in the use of educational resources and principles in the education sector for the actualization of primary and secondary school goals. Ojelabi in Olele (2020) conceptualized it as the critical examination and subsequent evaluation of a school as a designed place of learning so as to make it possible for the necessary advice to be given for the purpose of improving the school. Consequently there is need for school inspection in all secondary schools in Rivers State particularly because of the inexorable rise of students’ enrollment at the Universal Basic Education level with an aim of having a literate society. Government pursuit for effective inspection was clearly delineated in the National Policy on Education, FRN (2013). There it was categorically stated that government shall establish efficient and effective quality assurance agencies at the Federal, States/FCT and Local Government levels for monitoring and maintaining self-standards at all levels of education below the tertiary level. Furthermore, the objectives of planning, administrative, supervisory and financial services in education were stipulated thus to provide efficient administrative and management control for maintenance and improvement of the system; ensure quality assurance through regular and continuous supervision of instructional and other educational services as well as place a machinery for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the provision of the policy (FRN cited in Amie-Ogan, 2015).

In Nigerian States, many public secondary school teachers are wary and skeptical about inspection which has led to uncooperative attitude(s) during inspectors’ routine visits. This is not unconnected with their years of experience, qualifications and status. Some teachers claim to be above school inspection based on their years of qualification, professional experience, and years of service. In many instances such teachers often fail to submit their records of lesson note, continuous assignment, practical and examination scores to the principal’s office for scrutiny by the inspectors who are denigrated as so young to evaluate their performance. Some newly engaged ill prepared teachers are often petrified during such exercises and scamper into surrounding bushes to hide or obtain sick leave for the stipulated period of school inspection. Similarly, some school administrators who view inspection as a herculean task dislike inspection and often refuse to submit relevant records required for total inspection. These challenges in the school system have compromised the quality of education in Nigeria especially as indicated in the outcomes of National Examinations. A report by the Federal Ministry of Education (2013) stated that an average of 13.8 percent and 20.2 percent of candidates who sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examination Council Examination (NECO) between 2006 and 2010 had five credits (including mathematics and English). This infers that 86.2 percent and 79.8 percent failure rate as such students cannot access universities of their choice even when they are successful in the Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Based on the above background, the study investigated influence of school inspection on academic performance of students in secondary schools in Nigeria.