Assessment of the Challenges Affecting the Teaching of Chemistry in Public Secondary Schools in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State

Jimoh, A., Iserhienrhien, M.O., Amanesi, A., Osondu, C. B., Airende, J.O, & Ikechukwu, I., Volume 5 Issue 2, December 2024 Pages 72-88, Published: 2024-11-19

Abstract

The achievement of the nation’s education objectives has a lot to do with curriculum implementation, and it is one of the major tasks that must be performed by teachers. These teachers need the right teaching aids to optimally carry out their duties. This study delves into the persistent problems of unqualified teachers, insufficient instructional materials, and dilapidated chemistry laboratories, which have long hindered effective chemistry teaching in secondary schools. The research seeks to determine if these issues have been mitigated in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. To achieve this, a simple random sample of 23 public secondary schools was selected from a total of 30 in the area. Data was gathered using a self-designed questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of r = 0.67. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were employed to analyze the data using SPSS, and the results were presented in tables and figures. Findings from the study revealed that out of the twenty-three secondary schools sampled, eighteen of them had chemistry teachers while five of them had no chemistry teachers at all hence didn’t participate in the survey. Of the eighteen chemistry teachers, only 16.7 % are qualified teachers while 83.3% were not qualified. Results also showed that 77.8 % of the schools had existing laboratories while 22.2 % had no laboratories. Similarly, results showed that only 5.6 % of the schools had their laboratory equipped with instructional materials while 94.4 % of the schools’ chemistry laboratories remained moribund with no instructional materials. The researchers recommend that the government with community involvement should provide adequate funds for recruiting more qualified chemistry teachers, renovation/equipping existing chemistry laboratories with tools/instructional materials in schools and setting up monitoring team to ensure teachers are performing their jobs effectively