DISTRIBUTION PATTERN AND FACILITIES AVAILABILITY IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study focused on distribution pattern and facilities availability in Public Secondary Schools in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. The research instrument employed in this project work is the questionnaire which was used to elicit information on the distribution of public secondary schools and infrastructural facilities on perceived academic performance.

A total of 325 questionnaires were administered to 13 public schools located in the study area. The analyses of the primary data were subjected to both descriptive, inferential statistical procedures, and spatial analysis using the framework of Geographic Information System (GIS). Subsequently, tables, statistical charts, spatial statistical output by way of visual map were generated to provide insight into the nature of the data. Chi-square statistical test was used to validate hypothesis 1. The validated hypothesis 1 revealswhether the students live within the school neighbourhood or outside the neighbourhood, the distance does not impact on the academic performance of the students. The stated hypothesis 2, based on spatial statistical analysis using nearest neighbour analysis tool-set shows that there is spatial randomness in the distribution of the school. This means that the establishment of public schools was not based on the need to ensure even distribution of schools without having to walk a considerable long distance. It was observed that the average distance of the relative near distance of schools was computed to be 1.4 km. Again, the study reveals that in the schools, quite a large number of the students do not live within the school neighbourhood and for that reason go late to school either due to traffic problem they contend with or the long distance they put up with before getting to school. On how the school infrastructural facilities impact on academic performance, the reliability test on the various schools range between 0.7 to 0.9 shows that there is high correlation between school infrastructure and academic performance.