Teachers' perception of school libraries in Nsukka educational: Implications for sustainable development

Abstract

School libraries have been seen to play a pivotal role in sustainable development of any nation. This is because it brings about human capital development through their wealth of resources and programmes. However, this would not be achieved if the teachers do not understand and appreciate the role of libraries in their schools. As teachers are final implementers of the curriculum, they have a very important role to play in making sure that school libraries are used maximally to impact in students the necessary skills needed for human and sustainable development. In this study, a survey of teachers' perception of school libraries was conducted in Nsukka Educational zone. The objectives of the study were to ascertain similarities and differences in their options on the role of school libraries and how it could be a source for pupils academic, social and skill development. To realize this, the researchers used interview and survey research design. The accessible population comprised randomly selected teachers in public and private primary schools in Nsukka educational zone of Nigeria. The results of the study showed that most teachers acknowledged the pedagogical role of school libraries but the highest number of teachers that responded to this was teacher-librarians. The implication is that, school management should engage teachers in workshops geared towards using the library to enhance teaching and learning as well as advertise and recruit librarians to help facilitate library activities for sustainable national development in primary schools.

Keywords: School Libraries, School Library, Classroom Teachers, Nsukka Educational Zone, Sustainable Development