A COMPARATIVE SURVEY OF THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

Background to the Study

The early schools in Nigeria were built by Christian Missionaries, and their goal was to convert the "Leaten" or benighted Africans to Christianity via education (Abdullahi, 1995). The early Missionaries recognized the significance of instruction, particularly via the medium of English and local language, for a good orally and in unifying. Mr. and Mrs. De Graft of the Methodist Mission in Badagry started the first recognized school in 1843. The school had fifty (50) regular students, including boys and girls. In 1844, Revs. Samuel Ajayi Crowther and C.A. Gollmer joined Rev. Townsend back to Badagry, where they established a church, a school, and a mission home. In 1846, they also established a school, which was attended by 52 adults. The CMS relocated to Abeokuta, making it the first mission to relocate to Nigeria's interior. In Abeokuta, two schools were established right away, one for boys and one for girls. The Presbyterian mission came in Calabar in 1846 and built a station, while the American Southern Baptist Convention opened a school in Ijaye in 1853 (Adeniyeand Mungut, 2000). Another school was established in Ogbomoso, as well as in Lagos, in 1855. The Baptist ministry moved to Abeokuta, where Mrs. M.R Prest oversaw the establishment of an elementary school in 1955. The Roman Catholics arrived in 1868, opened their first school, and within a few years had over 400 students. By 1857, Rev. S.A Crowther and Rev. J.C Taylor of the Niger Mission had established a school at Gbede and Onitsha. Another occurred in Iddo, followed by others at Akassa and Bonny. Initially, primary education was given by churches. Christ Missionary Societies, Catholic Church, Methodist Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, and Baptist Christian Missionaries are examples of such Christian organizations. As soon as Nigerians were interested in their Regional Government, Local Government Authorities' interest in education increased, and Local Authority Primary (L.A) Schools were founded, particularly in the Western Region. Initially, Local Authorities built public institutions, and they supervise the operations of such schools. Later, Muslim schools were brought into the nation, and several Muslim Primary schools were founded in the 1950s and 1960s. It is worth noting that certain L.A. schools eventually provided free education, although some non-governmental institutions charged tuition (Abba, 2004). As the government promoted the construction of such schools, private institutions became the collective responsibility of individuals and organizations throughout time (Abba, 2004). There are several private schools in Nigeria nowadays. The work of this research is to get access to the academic performances of students in public and private primary schools in Osun State's Isokan Local Government Area.