AN ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ECONOMICS

Background to the Study: In any developing country, it is critical to describe the nature and trajectory of educational advancement. Education is a systematic intellectual and moral instruction aimed at acquiring information, character development, and mental growth in order to secure human life (Karl, 2016). This is made possible through good teaching and learning. The skill and capability of prospective instructors and school management have a significant impact on kids' academic success.

As a result, for optimal performance in the twenty-first century, an efficient, dependable, and polite instructor with professionalism, creative imagination, pricey inventiveness, and depth of experience is required (Ama, 2019).

Differential scholastic attainment of Nigerian students has been and continues to be a subject of worry and research interest for educators, government officials, and parents. This is due to the significant impact that education has on the country's overall growth. There is widespread agreement across the country that Nigeria's educational standards have deteriorated (Adebule, 2004). Parents and the government agree that their significant investment in education is not generating the anticipated results. Teachers frequently complain about their pupils' poor performance on internal and external exams. The problematic nature and generality of low secondary school pupils' performance in diverse school courses were justified by the annual releases of Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) results administered by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

"No Education system can grow beyond the quality of instructors in the system," according to the National Policy of Education (Fgn, 2006). According to Orgunsaju (2004), academic standards in all Nigerian educational institutions have fallen well short of social expectations. Blumende (2001) echoed this sentiment, stating that "anyone who is aware of the crucial significance of education as an instrument of society transformation and growth cannot overlook the reduction in the quality of education."

Teachers' adequacy and proficiency in terms of pedagogical techniques and tactics, as well as understanding of the curriculum and subject matter, must be prioritized (Chall & Popp, 1990; Stuart, 2004; Rodgers, 2001). In support of the aforementioned scholars, Ekwesili (2006) established the Private Public Partnership (PPP) and School Based Management Committee (SBMC) to manage secondary education and promote school effectiveness, because students' success is dependent on the amount of learning that takes place in the classroom, as well as other factors such as how effective and efficient the teacher is in the classroom. Ijaiya (1998) agreed, stating that enhancing student success requires improving the quality of the teaching staff in schools. As a result, the government's first goal should be to improve educational quality. According to Lassa (2000) and Guga (1998), education cannot be offered by just anybody; it requires a teacher who develops and delivers lessons or instruction in such a way that objectives are met. Students cannot be prepared for WASCE/GCE by an uncertified teacher since they are unlikely to pass. In support of this, Owolabi (2007) suggested that the government should use all available resources to retain senior and experienced teachers who are still eager to serve and give their wealth of knowledge to strengthening the system. The Baguada Seminar Reports on Quantities and Qualities in Nigerian Education (NERC, 1980), as cited by ESA, (2005), also agreed that teachers are the most important determinants of educational quality: if they are apathetic, uncommitted, uninspired, lazy, unmotivated, immoral, and anti-social, the entire nation will suffer. They are not only useless but also hazardous if they are uninformed in their fields and consequently pass on incorrect information. As a result, the type of instructors who are trained and assigned to schools may have a significant impact on the following generation. This study investigated the link between the quantity and quality of teachers/the relationship between the quality and quality of teachers/principals and students' academic achievement in economics, based on the aforementioned assertion.