A SURVEY OF AVAILABILITY AND USE OF LABORATORY FACILITIES IN THE TEACHING OF CHEMISTRY IN SCIENCE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN GWALE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KANO STATE.

This research A Survey of Availability and Use of Laboratory Facilities in the Teaching of Chemistry in Science Secondary Schools in Gwale local government area, Kano State.. The design was made along the lines of a descriptive survey while the study population comprised 26 secondary schools in Gwale LGA. The sample consisted of 24 secondary schools and 47 students drawn randomly from the study population. The instrument used to collect data for the study was an observation checklist and Availability and Usability of Laboratory Facilities for Teaching of Chemistry Questionnaire while the data collected was analyzed using mean and percentage. The findings showed that many secondary schools have Chemistry laboratory. It has also been observed that teachers do not make use of the availably laboratory facilities in teaching the student Chemistry, teachers teach Chemistry as an abstract knowledge without practical work, they only give attention to Chemistry some days before the external examination and also many factors affects and usability of Chemistry laboratory facilities in teaching students of senior secondary schools Chemistry, therefore the implication of the finding is that if there are provisions for Chemistry laboratories with well-equipped facilities to teach Chemistry, then the teachers should ensure that these facilities are well utilized to avoid passing on only abstract knowledge to the students. The interviewees` responses agreed with the findings of the study. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the government should promote Science and technology by providing Chemistry laboratories with all materials that can help in teaching Chemistry in all secondary schools and regularly inspect to make sure that these facilities are still functional.