Impact of Insecurity on Secondary School Students’ Attendance, Enrolment and Test Administration in Selected States in Nigeria

Abstract

Insecurity in Nigeria has become a menace that has affected virtually almost all the nooks and crannies of the country but worst hit in the Northern part. This study which is exploratory, therefore investigated the impact of insecurity on school attendance, enrolment and test administration. The population for the study was 560 out of which 200 respondents comprising of 150 teachers, and 50 students were selected using simple random sampling. The number of teachers selected was more than that of the students because they are in better position to provide a more reliable information. A 20-item questionnaire codenamed (QIIS) was   designed and administered for the collection of data and was validated by experts in tests and measurement for necessary inputs. Cronbach’s -Alpha method was used to test the reliability of the instrument which produced 0.79 reliability index. Data collection was analysed with the use of descriptive statistics of the frequency count, percentage (%) and the means () while three research questions were formulated to find out the impact of insecurity on students' attendance, enrollment and test administration. The result showed that insecurity has affected school enrolment, students’ attendance and conduct of examinations. Recommendations given include the need for the government at all levels to provide adequate security for the schools to guarantee smooth conduct of examinations, and the need to put in place adequate security apparatus to improve students’ attendance and enrolment, and to boost the morale of students and teachers.