Peter Agbonrofo, Omorodion Irowa,
David Okon Udoh,
University
of Benin and University of Benin Teaching Hospital,
P.M.B.1111,Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
E-mail:
davidudoh07@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Excessive
workload is known for centuries for its eventual deleterious effect on health
and performance and, as a result, on productivity and loss of man hours in
various spheres of endeavour. It is also salient amongst the reasons many
tertiary institutions of learning fall short of standards required for
accreditation by various accrediting commissions with inadequate numbers of
qualified teachers assigned to ever increasing numbers of yearly student
admissions which, in turn, is designed to satisfy the educational needs of a
geometrically expanding population. In a number of institutions, threats to
accreditation in one or more disciplines usually gives rise to frantic curbing
of number student admissions over several years t improve facility. This is a
critical look at the effect of excessive teacher workload on the quality of
education.
Study Objective/Setting: To determine the influence of
student numbers and classes taken by each lecturer on the quality and academic
performance of students at our academic health sciences institution.
Method: A five – year retrospective study of students’ academic
performance against numbers of students under the tutelage of the teachers. We
studied three clinical levels taught by the Department of Surgery of our
tertiary academic medical sciences centre from 2008/2009 to 2012/2013 academic
sessions. Outcomes were documented as scores from the examinations conducted
over the period of five (5) academic sessions.
Results: Between 2008/09 and 2012/13 academic
sessions, there was58.6% and 50.4% progressive reduction of 400 level and 600
level medical students, respectively, taught by 19 teachers over those sessions.
This was reflected as 55.2% reduction in teachers’ workload, between 2008/09
and 2012/13, as well as 22.4% and 21.6% improvement in academic scores at both
400 Level and 600 Level medicine classes, respectively. Thus, there is a strong
positive linear correlation between teachers’ workload and the performance
scores of students at each academic level. (Pearson’s r = 0.78).
Conclusion: There is, incontrovertibly, the
need to establish more standard accredited higher institutions of learning to
accommodate the teeming numbers of young prospective graduates, as well, reduce
the workload (pressure of work) on the teachers. These will serve to reduce the
number of students per teacher, foster student – teacher educational interractions,
reduce the demand on tenuous teaching facility in resource-limited settings and
improve the quality of the nation’s young workforce graduating each session from
institutions of higher learning.
Keywords: Higher Institutions; Increasing Number
of Students; Inadequate Number of Teachers; Workload; Quality of Education;
Academic Performance; Resource-Limited Setting
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