Influence Of Student Support Services On Students’ Academic Performance
[A CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION IKERE EKITI, EKITI STATE]

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
    Education as a socialization process has been variously defined by various authors and writers and all of them agree that it is the basis for development. Ogunlade (2011) defined education as the process of not just acquiring knowledge, but the acquisition of the art of utilization of knowledge. It is indeed a life-long process that aims at imparting the skills needed to live a purposeful life. In other words, it is a process by which a sound mind in a sound body is developed. Therefore, for education to be worthwhile, it must be able to produce a refined mind, body and soul. Hence, education is a crucial factor in the social, economic, political and technological development of any nation.
     The importance of education is to impart knowledge in learners and expected short or long term benefit.
In this regard,  education transforms an individual from the state of ignorance and underdevelopment to a completely new person who is knowledgeable, cultured, well developed and self realized. It refers to social economic and political change, which make an individual to adapt to various changes in the environment such as technological and scientific change (Oyedeji, 2012; Jessica,2010)
    Nigerian higher educational institutions are established with the aim of giving any student who enrolls a very sound qualitative education to be able to function effectively in any environment in which he/she may find himself/herself, so as to become more productive, self-fulfilling and attain self-actualization. 
Colleges of Education, according to the objectives of their establishment, are meant to produce well-qualified teachers for the lower forms of secondary schools and the upper classes of primary schools (Ukeje 1996, NPE 2004). Colleges of Education to award the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) to School certificate holders after three years of successful training. NCE candidate spends three (3) years with Teaching Practice expirence. The Federal Republic of Nigeria in the National Policy on Education (2004) stipulated that the NCE will ultimately become the minimum qualification for teaching in the Nation. This implies that all primary school teachers must possess the NCE before they can be allowed to teach at that basic level. The year 1998 was set as the target date for realizing this policy objective but it was not realized. As at that date according to
Ajayi (2007) over 40% of our primary school teachers were yet to be professionally qualified, many of them still possessed the teachers Grade II Certificate especially in the Northern part of the country. Again, the target date was shifted to 2006, yet, the target was not met. In the coming years, this policy thrust poses great challenges to our teacher preparation programme.      
Section 9 of the National Policy on Education stated the purpose of Teacher Education as followings:
(a)    To provide highly motivated, conscientious and efficient classroom teachers for all levels of our educational system
(b)    To encourage further the spirit of enquiry and creativity in teachers
(c)    To help teachers fit into the social life of the community and society at large   and to enhance their commitment to national objectives.
(d)    To provide teachers with the intellectual and professional background adaptable to any changing situation not only in the life of their country but in the wider world.
(e)    To enhance teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession.
Nigerian Colleges of Education are finding it extremely difficult to achieve the highlighted goals because of the myriad of problems that are confronting them. These difficulties are largely due to the problems which students who enroll in these institutions either face or cause irrespective of their family background. This problem ranges from cultism, examination malpractices and a host of other anti-social behaviours.
It is a general belief that in the administration of College of education, students have one problem or the other as far as their academic work is concerned. To solve these problems, there is need for the establishment of well organized student support services. Student support services aims at providing some services to the students so as to enhance their learning process. These services includes: regular supply of water, electricity, accommodation, transportation, health, catering service, guidance and counselling services.