PHYSICAL PLANNING CHALLENGES OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OVIA NORTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

The school building and its environment facilitate teaching and learning in secondary schools. The study focused on the physical planning challenges of secondary schools in Ovia. North-east Local Government Area of Edo State. The investigation is a sample survey of 365 students drawn from four electoral wards of Ovia North-east that were randomly sampled from the thirteen wards. Two government owned secondary schools where randomly sampled from a ward. Questionnaires instrument were administered on 553 services secondary school students in each school. The resulting data were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially with the aid of SPSS. The study revealed that the building blocks were not spatially linked in their organization; the day light condition in the classrooms was inadequate; and the critical facilities of laboratories, libraries, desks and chairs were inadequate. The Spearman correlation of school building design with learning was low (.033); there were statistical significant differences in the variability of adequacy of classrooms, open space for games, conduciveness of school environment, and facilities of learning among the sampled schools. The following were recommended: the design of school blocks should have site plans, sizeable doors and windows should be used for improved day lighting; critical facilities of water, electricity, libraries, laboratories should be provided; and the implementation of physical planning standards should be jointly monitored by the ministries of Education and Physical Planning.