Influence of After-school Program on the Perceived Academic Performance of Ogun State Secondary School Students

After-school programs offer opportunities to extend the school day for learners, especially for those who are in need of academic support in areas of difficulties. Learners who are having poor grades can improve academically not only if they go to school every day but if they are made to spend a few extra hours in after-school program activities. It has been opined that there may be a positive correlation between low-performance learners' participation in after-school programs and their academic achievement. Many of these learners, especially those from economically/educationally disadvantaged homes or homes where English is not the primary language may experience much difficulty trying to complete home works and assignments. Some parents whose wards attended the program did not particularly believe participating in the after-school program would improve their child's performance in school, they probably kept their child/ward there not necessarily for improvement in their performance, but to be kept out of trouble. As they engage in the after-school program, most teachers not only assist learners to do their home works, but also provide advanced study for their class works. This study made use of one research question and one research hypothesis to assess the influence of after-school programs on the academic performance of secondary school learners in Abeokuta metropolis, Ogun State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was used for the study. Cluster, purposive, stratified and random sampling techniques were used to obtain a total of one hundred samples (respondents) from the secondary schools in Ogun State, Nigeria. Two research instruments were employed for the study, an adopted questionnaire and an achievement. Some of the findings are; students who attended after-school programs had fewer absences, completed homework more often, had fewer behavioral problems in school, and scored higher on tests. Some of the recommendations are; level of influence of after-school program to the students was high due to the massive help it brought to the abilities and capabilities of the students which advances their academic performance in school, this type of instructional assistance was seen to positively impact students' grades. Also, parents who can not monitor well their children due to their busy schedule were relieved that after school program existed.