Paper Title
Participatory Teaching/Learning: The Panacea To High Failure Rate/High School Drop-Out In Nigerian Schools.

Abstract
Teaching and learning are the main crux of education which is viewed as the achieved result of positive change in behavior as a result of exposure to reading materials and practical experiences in a conducive environment. The word participatory portends a situation whereby each stakeholder (student, teacher, public) is practically involved in the activities contributing to the success of education. The participants can make contributions via planning, presentation, assignments, funding, practical sessions, Industrial experience, among others. Participation can be done individually or as a group while the groups can be small or large. High failure rate is an educational disaster which Achilike 2012 viewed as devaluing its essence. The value of education which ensures students stay to finish their studies is compromised when participants feel neglected, hence the justification for the study. The Research was carried out in order to determine the preferred participatory activities by students for purposes of recording better achievements and thus reduce failure rate. Sample population of the study is made up of Students and lecturers drawn from selected institutions of Higher Learning in Abia State, Bayelsa State and Ebonyi State of Nigeria. While a total of 150 (One hundred and fifty) students and 30 (thirty) lecturers were selected from each state, three institutions of Higher learning were used in each of the states; thus giving a total of 540 students and 90 lecturers constituting the population sample. Questionnaire instrument was formulated from three Research questions using the Likert type style of Most Preferred (MP) 5 points, Preferred (PF) 4 points, Anyone (AO) 3 points, Not Preferred (NP) 2 points and Worse Preferred (WP) 1 point. Findings and implications were utilized in proffering recommendations which included, but not limited to a review of the Schools curricular and a conscious effort to address teaching venue arrangements as well as other educational tools and requirements to make participation in teaching/learning to be economically worthwhile. Keywords- Drop-out, Failure rate, Participatory learning/teaching, demonstration and technology.