EXAMINATION OF THE PHYSICAL FACILITIES OF BAUCHI STATE-OWNED SCHOOLS: IMPLICATION ON SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS

V. E. OKEREKE (ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR)
Education Foundations Programme, ATBU, Bauchi State

ABSTRACT

Effective school studies often overlook physical facilities as part of their work. However, the effect of learning environment is becoming a concern to school improvement studies. This study endeavours to look into the conditions of the physical facilities of 20 Bauchi Schools with a view to determining the implication of the findings on educational sustainability in the region.

Five research questions were raised for the study. Data was collected by the use of Checklist. Results revealed that the schools operate with worn out broken facilities, dilapidated roofs and walls and no libraries. Furthermore, most of the classrooms were overcrowded and Space Utilization Rates (SUR) was too high. In addition, the analysis revealed that the schools could be operating with very high overhead cost which may be injurious to the efficiency of the system as fewer classrooms are used for teaching/learning activities. The implications of the findings on sustainable school effectiveness were also addressed.