LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OTA

Based on the findings of a previous study on learning environment and academic performance of secondary school students in selected schools in Ota, it was concluded that the learning environment in secondary schools in Nigeria has significant relationship with academic performance of secondary school students. It was also concluded in the study that private secondary schools in Ota within the scope of the study provides better learning environment than their public sector counterpart, more so the public secondary schools which accommodate more student population suffers from infrastructural neglect as the principals do not control any budget even to maintain the existing structure. Given the general and widespread nature of this finding, it became necessary to examine deeply the management styles of public secondary schools in Nigeria with the view to advising policy makers on ways of improving the situation so that public schools would breach the gap not only on provision of conducive learning environment but also on the performance of the students that attend those schools, who remain the vast majority of the post-primary populace in the country. This study applies qualitative data sourced from in-depth interview and documented materials. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the pertinent question that arose from the study. The outcome of the research would be used to advocate better school management in Ogun state and the entire country with the view to improve the overall outcome in the country's secondary schools.