IMPACT OF RESOURCE ADEQUACY AND UTILIZATION ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

The study examined the impact of resource adequacy and utilization on students’ academic performance in Ondo West of Ondo State Public Secondary Schools. Descriptive survey design was used. A simple random sampling technique was adopted to randomly select twenty (20) public secondary schools in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State. Through the use of a structured questionnaire tagged “Educational Resources and Academic Performance Questionnaire (ERAPQ)”, relevant data for this study were collected and analyzed using frequency count, mean, standard deviation and Pearson’s product moment correlation which were used to answer the research questions and to determine the degree of relationship between resource adequacy, resource utilization and academic performance of secondary school students. 

The result of the findings showed a high positive relationship between resource adequacy and student’s academic performance. It however revealed low positive relationship between resource utilization and academic performance of students. Suggestions for the procurement of more fund and resources in public secondary schools were made in order to enhance students’ academic performance. 

Resource constitutes a major strategic factor in organization (Akinfolarin, Ajayi and Oloruntegbe, 2012). Resources in any situation imply the human and non-human resources available in the realization of organizational goals. For this reason, resources are very important in the development of qualitative education. The success or failure of an education system depends on the quality and quantity of resources made available to it. (Babalola and Ayeni, 2009). The degree of provision and utilization may seriously influence the performance of an organization. Adequacy and utilization of resources in an organization is as important as the achievement of goals and objectives. Students’ learning outcome is not likely to be known or observed without using the appropriate resources effectively and appropriately. (Ibukun, Akinfolarin, and Alimi, 2011). Every organization aim at achieving specific goals and objectives, to accomplish these objectives, tasks must be identified; tools and other resources must be provided and utilized appropriately (Akinfolarin et al, 2012).

In a developing country like Nigeria, education has been given high priority by federal, state, local government and members of the public. It is an instrument of change, an avenue whereby a nation achieved greatness socially, politically, technologically and economically. According to Adeogun (2002) cited in Babalola and Ayeni (2009), education has been described all over the world as the key that opens the door of civilization and development. Education, according to The National Policy on Education (2004) has been adopted by the federal government as an instrument for National development. From the above statement the government places so much importance on education, as a result, lots of resources both financially and materially have been committed to it by both federal and state governments from their annual budgets. As far back as 1971 United Nation Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report reveals that the expenditure on education during the year 1956 to 1966 in Nigeria represented on the whole is about 15.2% of the national revenue. Despite the fact that United Nation Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has recommended that every developing nation that wants a standard education should allocate 25% of their annual budget on education, Nigeria still allocate less than 25% of their annual budget on education in recent years. 

According to Nigerian Tribune on Thursday 25 November 1999, in caption; Mass failure will continue until...” the chairman of the National Committee of WAEC, Dr. U.B. Ahmed opined that the classroom is the origin of failure… a close look at the public schools and what goes on there shows that nothing good can come out of most schools as they do not have facilities, adequate and appropriate human resources to prepare candidates for WASSCE. (Joseph and Philias, 2011).