ABSTRACT
This study examined the teachers perception of the challenges of extended school hours on public primary school pupils in Benin City. The aim was to find out the impact teachers perception of the challenges of extended school hours on public primary school pupils. To achieve this aims, six research questions were raised. Descriptive research design was adopted for this study. The population of this study consisted of all public primary school pupils in Benin City. A sample size of 100 was used which was gotten from the three(3) local government areas in Benin City which include Oredo, Egor and ikpoba okha local government areas. The Instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed Teachers in public primary schools in Benin City face several challenges with the implementation of extended school hours, including managing classrooms effectively, increased workload and fatigue, sustaining pupil engagement, difficulty maintaining a worklife balance, and inadequate infrastructure. Despite these challenges, teachers perceive that extended hours positively impact classroom dynamics, enhance pupil collaboration and interaction, and allow for diverse instructional strategies. For successful implementation, teachers highlight the need for adequate school infrastructure, additional resources, and sufficient administrative support. Additionally, extended school hours are seen as significantly benefiting the emotional well-being of pupils. It was therefore recommended amongst others, that government should ensure that classrooms, libraries, playgrounds, are provided to support extended school hours, secure funding to hire more staff, purchase teaching materials, and provide the necessary tools to support extended school hours and also stakeholders in the educational sector should offer training and professional development opportunities for teachers to help them adapt to extended hours.
