Educational Facilities

The study was carried out to investigate the influence of school environment on the academic performance of secondary schools in Edo state . The design of the study is descriptive while the population comprised principals, teachers students in the education zone. The sample size for the study was 100 respondents while a researchers’self developed questionnaire formed the instrument for data collection. A 20-item questionnaire was used to get information from the respondents. Based on the data collected and analyzed, the following results were obtained. The school location, library, school laboratories, sick bay and classroom sizes and spaces for teaching students and staff common room represented the major areas that to a great extent affect the academic achievement of students in public schools, with regard to buildings. It was also revealed that desks, current books and presence of library assistants constituted the areas of influence to the academic performance of the students with regard to library services in the public secondary schools. Both the principals and teachers agreed that access to reading materials in the school, lack of facilities, and nearness to school and insufficient qualified teachers has very greatly effect on the academic performance of the students. Inadequate teaching materials were also noted as a major factor affecting the students’ academic performance. The two groups also shared common views in terms of the great influence of school health services, fencing of school for security and provision of power supply as important variable affecting the academic achievement of the students of public secondary schools. Based on the above, the researcher recommends that schools should beprovided with functional libraries, equipped with current reading materials to help enhance both the students’ academic achievement and the teachers’ effectiveness in academic activities in the school.