By Fr. Chukwudumebi Norbert Atta
Introduction
In efforts at improving the quality of education and learning, educationists (mainly educational planners and administrators, and teachers), have been concerned with the subject of Class-Size (CS), among other issues (of education). While class size is often discussed together with Students Teacher Ratio (STR), the two are not synonymous. Peers (2016) notes that the student/teacher ratio is the total number of students divided by the total number of students, and should not be confused with class size which refers to the number of students being taught together in a single class. So, we are concerned with the issue of students taught together in a single class in public secondary schools in Nigeria.
Avowedly, in underlining the place of class size in school, or education(al) improvement, educationist (and some social scientists too!) are concerned chiefly with improving the quality of the learning that students gain in schools, and subsequently achieving the nation’s educational goals. But does class size matter in secondary school education?
Class-size matters
Admittedly, class size remains one of the many problems facing post-primary education in public schools in Nigeria, and in some other countries. While there are disagreements among educationists on the extent of the effect or impact of class size on education and learning, it (class size) has become a recurring theme in education, in Nigeria. It is argued by many that large class size accounts for the low performance of students, lack of interest in studies and learning by students, source teacher and staff classroom-related stress, and the root of a noticeable trend among parents and guardians to move their wards from public schools to private schools (some of which private schools are unfortunately worse than the public schools).
Class size is described by The Glossary of Education Reform as referring to the number of students in a given course or classroom, specifically either (1) the number of students being taught by individual teachers in a course or classroom or (2) the average number of students being taught by teachers in a school, district, or education system’. In whatever sense above that one understands it, what is indubitable is that class size is an important educational issue that apply to the Nigerian public post-primary schools, and thus important to study and highlight. In other words, class size matters in (and for!) education.
Indeed, the argument holds that a smaller class-size, otherwise one with a manageable number of student population per teacher, is more helpful in education/learning. However, such situation of smaller class sizes is not the case in most public secondary schools in Nigeria. Thus, the state of the many public secondary schools in Nigeria is a far cry from the ideal. What obtains rather is the incidence of apparent overpopulation in many public secondary schools, with consequences including difficulties for students, teachers and by extension, parents and guardians, and the society at large.
Why class-size matters
Several reasons have been adduced in support of the consideration or attention that class size demands in education – development, planning, and administration. Such reasons include, first that the class size serves in measuring or assessing the quality of education that a school provides. The belief among educationists, and social scientists too, owing to years of research support that the lesser the number of students per teacher in a lesson or in a classroom, the greater the productivity of the teacher, and overall achievements of educational outcomes.
This foregoing contrasts with the situation in an overpopulated classroom characterized often by such impacts as difficulty in teaching for the teacher, and a resultant inattention, on the part of students, resulting in low quality learning and inability to achieve the educational outcomes.
Also, the class sized helps to measure a teachers’ expertise and workload. Hence, paying attention to the class size helps education administrators to assess more closely, the workload and adeptness of teachers in the teaching/learning environment. It remains notable that undue workload on teachers readily affects them mentally, psychologically, emotionally and physically; as it wears on their abilities and productivity. In fact, when the number of students is overwhelming, it could lead to teacher-related stress, and worse, mental imbalance. Thus, the urgency of paying attention to class size in schools cannot be gainsaid, as it would help nip such ugly teacher-related situations in the bud, and result in greater productivity.
Another reason why class size deserves consideration in education planning and administration in secondary schools, is that it serves to weigh and determine, the attention given to students by teachers. Ordinarily, a larger class would most likely result in a situation where the sees the teacher finds it difficult to give equal or adequate attention to all students. The negative impact of a complete lack of, or little attention to some students, by teachers (owing to large or crowded classrooms), are much. In fact, it affects the students’ learning, academic performance and educational achievements.
Furthermore, class size helps in tracking or determining the size of the teaching staff of a school. A keen study or consideration of class sizes in public schools would help educational administrators and planners to improve on the quality of education that it provides the populace via, where and when necessary, requisite initiatives and strategies.
Class Size: The Nigerian situation
The population of students in Nigerian public secondary schools are generally high. The reason is not far-fetched. Accordingly, given Nigeria’s whopping population of more than 200 million, and with an above 60 % of the population being of youthful age, the less exorbitant nature of public secondary schools (in comparison to private bodies owned schools) and increased enrollment in public schools, the overpopulation present in many Nigerian public secondary schools is expected. Elsewhere, Knofczynski (2017) notes that children under 15 make up almost 45 % of Nigeria’s overall population, with the overpopulation of students in schools having a strain on the nation’s education sector.
Unarguably, the increasing population of school aged children in Nigeria, has resulted in increased enrollment, as parents and guardians dedicate themselves to providing basic education to their wards. Nevertheless, the increased enrollment has itself created a difficult situation for government, as the existing structures and manpower seem inadequate to fruitfully manage or operate the nation’s educational challenges. The negative effect of the situation (or the foregoing), including, among others: overcrowded classrooms, with instances of students sitting under trees or just outside the classroom blocks to learn, due to lack of space; overstressed teachers with some getting frustrated out of the teaching profession, and some others even getting sick, including being mentally disturbed because of the class size situation.
Undeniably, while successive government in Nigeria would claim to be interested in improving the nation’s education sector, including the introduction and continuation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE), the fact remains that much in the (education) sector is still crying for attention. Such aspects include the issue of class size(s). Thus far, education in Nigeria has remained underfunded at the different levels of government (far below the UNICEF benchmark), and as such there is little or at most feeble attention, paid at building new classroom blocs and refurbishing old ones, providing modern educational materials in schools, and in training, re-training and remuneration of teaching staffs. The fact that many public secondary teachers in Nigeria are underpaid, and some not paid as and when due, shows the inability (if not unpreparedness!), of successive governments to pay detailed attention to the issue of education in Nigeria.
Conclusion: What can be done?
Inspite of what the efforts by the government to improve secondary education in Nigeria, the need to address the issue of class size deserves urgent attention. While there is yet no universally agreed ratio of students to teachers in classrooms among educationists, with such rather depending on other factors like age of students, expertise of the teachers, availability of learning materials, and others – educationists view class size as an important, nay helpful or harmful, component of teaching and learning. It is thus held that the right class size aids both students (in areas of learning, educational achievements, school retention etc.,), and teachers (in achieving job satisfaction, imparting learning and impacting educational development); governments (in the achievements of its national educational goals), and the society at large (with a pool of ably educated school leavers). Also, good class size help schools in attracting students, as many parents and guardians would always go for better administered classrooms for their wards.
Unfortunately, many Nigerian public secondary schools do not meet the right class size standard, for reasons including government’s unseriousness in addressing educational needs, and some school principals drive to populate or overpopulate schools beyond their capacity, usually for unprincipled reasons. The unpleasant situation of class size in many Nigerian public secondary schools is one that calls for a remedy or solution.
Addressing the class size conundrum in Nigerian public secondary schools, demands concerted effort on the part of the government, who owns and runs Nigeria’s public secondary schools. To this end, declaring a national emergency on the nations’ public secondary schools, especially in constructing new schools, new classrooms, providing educational materials, introducing the use of microphones where necessary, and addressing squarely the issue of teachers remuneration and employing newer teaches, would reduce if not stop, overcrowding of class and its negative effects.
The social distancing demand of the COVID-19 pandemic indeed offers government, and Nigerians, the need to think, or rethink the issue of class size in Nigerian public secondary schools. With the desire of the government to re-open the already overwhelmed pubic secondary schools, the social distancing demand of the pandemic protocol would be untenable, notwithstanding its anticipated overall effect on the Nigerian society, including school workers, parents and guardians, and other members of the society. Once again, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the unsightly situation of the Nigerian public secondary schools, caused and unaddressed by successive governments in the country, including the issue of class size and improvement of education and learning. Indeed, it is time to think, or rethink, class size in Nigeria’s public-school system, and act to improve the ugly situation.
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