Population Structure: Educational Facilities And Environmental Implications In The Cross River Region, Nigeria

Population pyramid is an important planning tool, and has implications for the allocation of educational facilities. The structure of cross river population used for this study indicated an expansive and dependent population of 48 percent, with the population of those of school age observed to be 42 percent. A sample of the population of school age as well as the actual number of school enrollment was collected for 3 metropolitan areas. Of these more than 70 percent of the population was enrolled in school. To determine the adequacy of classrooms to take care of the enrollment, data on number of classrooms were collected. Analysis of this data showed that the number of pupils per classroom was 51 for primary school as against the recommended standard of 20-25 per classroom and 54 per classroom for secondary schools as against the 30-35 recommended standard. The study therefore recommended for the expansion of the present facilities in our public schools and the establishment schools. Analysis also showed that overcrowded classrooms, and indeed the schools, generally could have deleterious effect on the school environment as well as the neighbourhood. It was concluded that more schools could contribute significantly in reducing the pressure on available school facilities and reducing the associate health risk. KEY WORDS: Population pyramid, school facilities, urban/metropolitan areas, school age population, urbanization and environment. Global Journal of Social Sciences Vol.3(1&2) 2004: 47-51