CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Â Â Â Â BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Lateness to school by secondary school students has become a recurring concern throughout the years. Chujor (2014) claims that school administrators, teachers, parents, and others have expressed genuine worry about it. According to Chujor (2014), a variety of steps have been implemented to reduce the recurrence, including flogging or sanctioning. In summary, students’ frequent tardiness to school may be one of the factors contributing to Nigeria’s declining educational standards (Adebayor, 2015). If tardiness to school is permitted to persist, it may have a negative impact on the achievement of the Universal Basic Education goals (UBE). The Nigerian Federal Government said that the UBE program was designed to achieve the following goals:
i. Instilling in the general public a strong awareness of the importance of education and a strong commitment to its robust promotion.
ii. The provision of free universal basic education to all Nigerian school-aged children.
iii. Improving the relevance, quality, and effectiveness of the formal education system to substantially reduce the rate of dropout.
 Without a question, discipline is required for any school to fulfill its primary responsibility of educating kids. According to Agbenyega (2012), this is vital since it creates the conducive environment for teaching and learning. Punctuality and regularity of kids in school are examples of discipline. Learners may only benefit fully from the academic program if they are present in school and at the appropriate times. According to Ankoma-Sey (2015), kids who arrive on time to school are more likely to participate in all school programs and activities, as well as benefit fully from morning hour classes such as English Language and Mathematics. Latecomers are also flogged and subjected to various punishments (such as toilet cleaning, sweeping, and gardening) that cause them agony and prevent them from attending morning sessions, according to the authors. Recurring tardiness to school, according to Van-Breda (2006), can have a negative impact on students’ academic performance and, if not addressed, can lead to serious problems in later life. Lateness to school, on the other hand, can be excused in some cases, according to Chujor (2014), if the reasons are valid and beyond the student’s control. According to Chareka (2011), indiscipline is frequent among students at all levels of the Nigerian educational system, and the most common student behavior issues include stealing, not finishing homework, and being late. Lateness to school began a long time ago, and has spread around the world in an uncontrollable manner in recent years (Salifu, 2012). The problem of lateness has engulfed Nigerian youngsters, and the issue of students arriving late to school has now become a national issue (Maina, 2014). Arriving late simply implies arriving later than intended. Children frequently miss school or arrive late due to their usual habits, such as waking up late due to laziness: rushing of undone assignments, unprepared bath, breakfast or meals, clothes, their pack lunch, and waiting for companions or friends to arrive at school when the bus is late; and sometimes due to some problems in their parents that affect them and interest in coming to school seeing their with misunderstandings (Chukwudi, 2011). Another option is financial assistance. Children like having a large number of enjoyable goods. They would be embarrassed to come to school if they saw their classmates having something they did not have. Lateness is described by the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary as coming after the scheduled or typical hour. Lateness is the polar opposite of earlyness since it occurs after the right, fixed, normal, or expected time. The issue now is, what are the causes that cause students to be late to school?. Authorities have questioned why students arrive late to school. However, they have been unable to conduct in-depth study into this issue in order to provide remedies and recommendations that might aid in the treatment of the problem (Salisu, 2015). This research will concentrate on the reasons that cause students to be late, with the goal of finding a solution to the problem.
1.2Â Â Â Â Â STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Lateness among students is expanding and spreading across our cultures, and it is uncontrollable (Uzor, 2011). The study’s goal is to take a thorough look at the components that contribute to it. The significance of this cannot be overstated in the learning process. Research has shown that children who are habitually late late comers seldom perform well academically. This is because they are extremely likely to miss certain phases in the teaching/learning process prior to their arrival. This will have a negative impact on their learning (Ann, 2013). Despite the efforts of teachers and school officials to resolve the issue, the problem persists. In an attempt to figure out what was causing the children to be late, the instructors blamed it on the parents, while the parents are holding the teacher hostage (Lookman, 2012). To some, the children themselves, as well as peer group influence, are to blame. As the reasons that cause lateness are discovered and recommendations are made, it is expected that solutions to this problem will be presented as a consequence of this study (Sam, 2011). The youngsters will be better led and given more options for dealing with their challenges, as well as living up to their reputation as nice children. Furthermore, this research will benefit the nation since the children will acquire a sense of timeliness at school and become excellent citizens in the future.
1.3Â Â Â Â OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The goal of this study is to look at the factors that cause students to be late to school and to address the problem by offering possible suggestions, recommendations, and solutions that are related to students being late to school.
