ROLE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS) INITIATIVES ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN YANAGOA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BAYELSA STATE

This study examined the role of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiative on the academic performance of primary school pupils in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The study was guided by four research questions and two hypotheses. It adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 48 teachers across four selected public primary schools. A sample of 43 teachers was selected using simple random sampling technique.Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Role of Sustainable Development Goals Initiative on Academic Performance Questionnaire (RSDGIAPQ), which was validated by the project supervisor and tested for reliability using the test-retest method Cronbach’s Alpha to test the internal consistency of the questionnaire items with a reliability coefficient of 0.70.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) to answer the research questions and independent sample t-test to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that SDG initiatives, particularly in areas of infrastructure, teacher training, and learning materials, have been moderately implemented and have contributed positively to pupils’ academic performance. However, the results showed no statistically significant relationship between SDG initiatives and pupils’ academic performance, and no significant effect of implementation challenges on outcomes. The study concluded that while SDG 4-related interventions are making progress in Yenagoa, greater emphasis on funding, equitable resource distribution, and continuous monitoring is necessary to achieve sustainable impact on primary education.