ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS (SSCE)

The study aims at assessing the performance level of students in SSCE of public secondary schools in Zaria Education Zone Kaduna State from year 2006 to 2010. The study is guided by six objectives, research questions and six hypotheses, A total of six subject clusters comprising English, Mathematics, Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences,

Vocational and Technical subjects and Nigerian Languages were consider for the study. Several literatures on reasons for continuous mass failure in SSCE performance among public secondary schools in Zaria educational zone were reviewed. As an after event research, the researcher adopted an Ex-post facto research in collaboration with descriptive research design, the population of the study comprises all the ten senior secondary schools with the total of 15,097 students, all the 10 schools were selected for this study based on stratified sampling technique. Result showed that GSS Dakace has the best result in SSCE in English language while GSS Chindit Barracks has the least (bad) result SSCE in English. Science school, Kufena had the best results in Sciences, Mathematics, Sciences, Arts and Social sciences and in Vocational and Technical subjects while Barewa College has the best result in Nigerian Languages.

In regards to the performance level of students between the periods, Year 2008 has the best results in SSCE and the worse result was recorded in 2006 in almost all the subjects straters except in Vocational and technical subjects cluster were the best result was recorded in 2007 and the poor result was recorded in 2009. It is recommended among others that adequate and qualified teachers be encouraged to teach in public secondary schools and the morale and attitudes of students towards studies be improved through provision of modern teaching instructional materials in all the six subjects/clusters of subjects, government should review the curriculum of the Nigerian Languages courses to mandate every child to offer at least two indigenous languages as from JSS 1 to SS3, parents should encourage their children in the speaking of our indigenous language at homes instead of English language as this will improve performance in Nigerian languages in SSCE, Above all, wealthy individual should support schools with modern material and equipment such as bakers, washers, cookers, severs etc for the teaching and learning of Vocational and technical subjects for the improvement of students’ performance in SSCE.