Abstract

The issue of professional abuse or unethical behaviour in schools is a global concern and Nigeria is not an exception. This paper reports on a survey research into students’ perceptions of professional abuse. Data were collected using questionnaires and focus group with a stratified random sampling of 260 students from Full, Part time National Certificate in Education (NCE) and Sandwich degree students in a teacher training institution in Lagos State, Nigeria. The Focus group was used to find out the perception of students on professional abuse. Data were analysed using frequency count, Chi square and mean. One null hypothesis was tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings from the research reveal that professional abuse permeates the entire fabric of the society. Secondly, that what constitutes major professional abuse varies among students within the same school. Thirdly, that lack of monitoring mechanism in schools promotes professional abuse. In order to ameliorate the problem, the study recommends putting in place a reward system for lecturers, establishing investigating committee to investigate professional abuse and ensuring that textbooks are available and affordable to students.