School Population And Academic Performance Of Basic School Students
[A CASE STUDY OF ILORIN SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE]

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
    Basic education is the bedrock of any meaningful and result oriented educational system. Hence, the priority and attention it draws from successive governments in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized. In the missionary and colonial era, education was effectively utilized as an instrument of evangelism and administration which was attained through the 3- R curriculum i.e (Arithmetic, writing and religion). According to Fafunwa (1998), the curriculum was reviewed and implemented through ordinances in line with the prevailing change and uniformity. Nigeria at independence inherited education handed down by the colonial masters as well as the Christian missionaries (Babarinde, 2005 and Adaralegbe 2002).
    According to Babarinde (2005) and Adaralegbe (2002), the school curriculum (primary to tertiary) needed reform in order to build a more realistic, virile and united country after the devastating civil war, prior to Nigeria independence, education during missionaries, was received with conditionality which included conversion to christianity among others and this singularly deprived children or other faithful of western education. In summary, only children and wards of the christian converted for the low enrolment in the schools for fear of Christianization and westernization. Although, the involvement of colonial administration in the establishment and funding of schools brought succor to the needy children as they head access to western education, teaming number of parent still expressed mixed feeding and fears about their faith being marginalized and suppressed by the european religion.
    This scenario of low enrolment in schools in both cities and rural areas of country continued unabated with the eventual exist of the colonial masters and indigenization of political administration in educational system. According to Fafunwa (2006), the successive military government (1966-1979), intensified effort through several sensitization programmes and policies to improve enrolment in school. Fafunwa (2006) reported that free primary education programmes established in the defunct western region was replicated in some states in northern Nigeria by providing school uniforms, textbooks and exercise books, powder milk and some other school essentials in order to attract school age children to school. Similarly, (Ijaiya 2013) in educational lecture class observed that the strategy of free education in primary and post primary schools increased enrolment in the schools dramatically.
School population is a dynamic phenomenon in education hence empirical evidence would go doing way to minimize the menace of educational development in Nigeria. Studies in school population abound, therefore the present study would be additional information that could promote enviable standard in universal basic school.
In furtherance of the United Nations declaration on literacy, Nigerian government pursued vigorously and funded primary education through the introduction of Universal Primary Education (U.P.E) in 1976 under the leadership of General Olusegun Obasanjo of primary schools in nearly all communities in the country and supported with coordinated campaigns, jingles and consultation, the enrolment in primary schools increased geometrically. Adeshina (1986) reported that the enrolment in primary schools in Nigeria rose from over a million to over twelve million pupils in 1976 when Universal Primary Education program brought all school age children to school. He also concluded that the period was the beginning of a new era in school enrolment in Nigeria.
    Although, Universal Primary Education and its flows was one of the gigantic educational program of the century, and remains as a remarkable and giant stride that overturned the fortune of the industry. Bolajoko (2001) remarked that inadequate planning, over bloated data and corruption are some of the factors that contributed to the short comings of the program and concluded that its contributions to educational development remain memorable.
    Annually, millions of Nigeria children enrolled in schools and school patronage yearly in line with the annual increase in the country population. Nigeria with a population of over 150 million and annual projection of 2.2% , the country’s infrastructures including schools will continue to over stretched today, the demand for education (primary tertiary) is increasing and grossly inadequate to meet the yearning of Nigeria. Although, the involvement of private organization and administration and individual in the establishment, funding and administration of school have immense impacts on provision of education for needy children but private schools exorbitant fees and charges deprive sizeable number of children from patronizing them. Therefore, the exiting government owned primary schools where minimal fees are paid, record high patronage and subsequent over-stretching of the facilities.