POOR ENROLMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS IN SCIENCE: A CASE STUDY OF ONITSHA EDUCATION ZONE

Abstract

The paper examined the factors responsible for low student’s enrolment in science in senior secondary schools in Onitsha South L.G.A. The study is a descriptive research and stratified sampling techniques were used to select 10 secondary schools from 47 governments owned secondary schools in Onitsha education zone. Forty (40) students were selected from each school making it a total of 400 students. Questionnaire with well-structured items of reliability was adopted as data instrument. The results obtained from the study show that the enrolment pattern of students in science in Onitsha education zone Nigeria has been declining over the years. A number of factors implicated as being responsible include relative difficulty of science, poor teaching methods, student’s attitude; lack of motivation and science particularly physics being mathematically inclined. The researcher recommended the recruitment of qualified science teachers into the school system, provision of regular opportunities for in - service training for professional development, regular workshops and seminars for science teachers, and production of mathematical free textbook with clear illustrations as solutions to this problem.