Abstract
The study is titled, ‘‘Stakeholders’ Perceptions on the Provision, Utilization and Maintenance of School Facilities in Secondary Schools in North - Central zone of Nigeria’’. The study employed descriptive survey design. Three (3) objectives were set among which are to: examine stakeholders’ opinions on the provision of instructional facilities, welfare/health, games/recreational and infrastructural facilities in secondary schools in North - Central zone of Nigeria; and ascertain stakeholders’ opinions on the utilization of instructional facilities, welfare/health, games/recreational and infrastructural facilities in secondary schools in North - Central zone of Nigeria. Three (3) research questions were raised in line with the objectives which include, how are instructional facilities, welfare/health, games/recreational and infrastructural facilities utilized in secondary schools in North - Central zone of Nigeria? what is level of maintenance of instructional facilities, welfare/health, games/recreational and infrastructural facilities in secondary schools in North - Central zone of Nigeria? Also, three(3) Null hypotheses were postulated which were stated among others that there is no significant difference in the opinions of stakeholders’ on the utilization of instructional, welfare/health, games/recreational and infrastructural facilities in secondary schools in North-Central zone, Nigeria. there is no significant difference in the opinions of stakeholders’ on the maintenance of instructional, welfare/health, games/recreational and infrastructural facilities in secondary schools in North-Central zone of Nigeria. Literature reviewed was on the concepts of perception, provision, utilization, maintenance of school facilities, theoretical framework, emperical studies. The total population for the study was 99,110 participants. This consists of 2,781 principals, 28,380 PTA Officials, 37, 450 public secondary school teachers, 24,090 private secondary school teachers and 6,406 Ministry of Education Officials. A total of 3,210 respondents took part in the study which consisted of 338 principals, 1,014 PTA Officials, 1,690 teachers, 56 Ministry of Education Officials, 56 Teaching Service Commission Officials, 56 Officials of Quality Assurance, The instrument used was a questionnaire. The questionnaire was duly validated and reliability coefficient of 0.97 was obtained. Hypotheses were tested using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from this research work revealed that instructional materials as well as needed games/recreational facilities, welfare/health facilities and Infrastructural facilities were not adequately provided, while the available ones were not maximaly utilized and poorly maintained as expressed in the opinions of Stakeholders in North-Central zone of Nigeria. The following conclusions were made among others that Instructional materials such as visual, audio, audio/visual, equipment, textbooks and ICT materials are not adequately provided, while the available ones are not maximally utilized and not adequately maintained.The study recommends among others that state governments through Ministries of Education, TESCOM should provide adequate instructional materials such as machines, audio, visual, audio-visual materials, textbooks and ICT materials.Further studies can also incorporate the public and private primary schools in the same zone or other zones of the country