An Evaluation of Principals Administrative in Nigeria Secondary School
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
This study aimed at identifying essential competencies and examining secondary school principals’ administrative effectiveness in Anambra State. Specifically, the study was concerned with:
- Identifying the competencies considered to be essential for principals’ administrative effectiveness
- examining the extent school principals possess the identified essential competencies
- Ascertaining the extent school principals apply the identified essential competencies.
- Identifying likely factors that affect principals’ application of the competencies.
- finding out whether discrepancies exist between principals’ possession and application of the identified competencies essential for administrative effectiveness
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
GENERAL SURVEY OF STRESS AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS
The secondary school principal has a very important role to play in the education of the children. This is because the secondary education is a stepping-stone towards tertiary education. The importance of secondary education could also be seen in the Nation’s Policy on Education (1980) section 4, subsection 17, which states: The broad aim of secondary education with and over all national objectives should be: (1) Preparation for useful living with the society, and (2) Preparation for higher education (page 16). However, recent happenings in the society today, such as lack of payment of workers (teachers) salaries, cultism, large classes and exam examination malpractices in schools, that most principals work under stress. The fact that stress affects the administrative effectiveness of principals cannot be contested, since there are evidences to prove that stress has same dangerous consequences, which may lead to various diseases. Research studies on stress, anxiety and mental health have been appearing in literature, and some of them revealed that some administrators have suffered nervous breakdown, while others have experienced severe stressful situations on their jobs, Hicks (I 933) in his survey of teachers, revealed that a good percentage of respondents were unusually nervous on their job. In other words, there are strains, pressure and stresses in their working places both in Nigeria and in other places.
ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS
Every school system regardless of the population or size needs personnel in order to function well or effectively. The main responsibilities of the staff are to maintain staff competent and are willing to render effective educational services for the students. for educational. programmes to have a high quality, there must be sound personnel policies. Ukeje (1986:lOO) opined that, the first obligation of the administrator is to see that every staff under him or her is satisfied with his job. Botton in Narati (1 981 : 1 13) adds that educational administration must focus on maximizing both productive and morale of members of the organization, determined what should be done as well as how it should be done. When policy-making body wants to bring about changes in others, the major strategy is to set goals through some planning process incorporating teachers. The administrator might enhance his effectiveness by paying major attention to motivation, work and achievement, allowing satisfaction and morale largely to take care of themselves.
EFFECTIVENESS IN SCHOOL SYSTEM
Different authors have defined effectiveness in different ways due to its different meanings to different people at different situations. Effectiveness is seen as the extent to which set goals have been achieved. Ukeje et al (1992) has said that effectiveness of educational institutions is the extent to which students are achieving, the teachers are satisfied, the staff morale is high, the student dropout is low etc.. Furthermore, they opined that effectiveness relates to accomplishment of cooperative purposes, which is social and non-personal in character.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought an evaluation of principals administrative in Nigeria secondary school
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information an evaluation of principals administrative in Nigeria secondary schools in Nigeria. 200 staff of selected secondary schools in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain an evaluation of principals administrative in Nigeria secondary schools. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of principals administrative in Nigeria secondary schools
Summary
This study was on an evaluation of principals administrative in Nigeria secondary schools. Four objectives were raised which included: Identifying the competencies considered to be essential for principals’ administrative effectiveness, examining the extent school principals possess the identified essential competencies, ascertaining the extent school principals apply the identified essential competencies, identifying likely factors that affect principals’ application of the competencies, finding out whether discrepancies exist between principals’ possession and application of the identified competencies essential for administrative effectiveness. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected secondary schools in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made principals, vice principals administration, senior staff and junior officers were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Administrative effectiveness is the extent to which the principal is skillful in discharging his duties to meet the goal of the school. Administrative effectiveness is a major factor that determines school success. This study revealed the variables that made a manifestation of the extent of principals’ administrative effectiveness to include: support for decision making, adequate preparation for instruction delivery, self- discipline, adequate performance of delegated duties, adequate management of teachers’ time, motivated to attend to their teaching and other assignments, showing interest in students’ discipline and sporting activities. It was concluded from the findings of this study that, there was high level of administrative effectiveness in private secondary schools but moderate level in public schools. Therefore, the level of administrative effectiveness was higher in private than in public schools. The study also revealed a significant relationship between administrative effectiveness and students’ discipline. The extent to which administrative effectiveness could enhance students’ discipline cannot be over emphasized. Administrative effectiveness was therefore an important factor in raising the level of students’ discipline. It is worthy of note, that administrative effectiveness of principals is a prerequisite to school discipline and success
Recommendation
Based on the results of this study the following recommendations were made.
1 Principals of public schools should look inward and ensure that their staff are motivated, improved on their skills of time management and ensure supervision of assignments given to their teachers.
- Principals of public should be skillful in their administrative strategies to raise the level of students’ discipline.
- The private school should develop records keeping especially in external examination results. They should develop attitude of keeping results records, whether the results are woeful or not.
- The private school should show more interest in sporting activities, and that encouragement should be given to students not only in academic activities.
REFERENCES
- Abiodun Oyebanji O (2004) Principals supervisory practices and teachers’ performance in secondary school in Ekiti State. Unpublished M.Ed. the University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
- Alt M.M Peter K (2002) Private School: A brief portrait. Almanac of policy issues (Online) available ewww.google.com September 5, 2005.
- Adiotomre, J.E and Ekwevugbe A.O (2005), Teachers Participation Quality, Assurance in public and private secondary schools in Delta State: Administrators perspective 5 (2) 99-104 July.
- Adegun O.A (2002) Communication and Administrative effectiveness of secondary school Principals in South West Nigerian. Unpublished Ph.D Thesis University Of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
- Adegun (2005) Comparative study of the administrative effectiveness of Head teachers in public and private schools in Ekiti State Nigeria. Journal of Educational Administration. 5 (2) 196-200.
- Akomolafe, C.O. (2005) A comparative study of Resources situation and Teachers job performance in public/private secondary school in Ekiti state. Journal of Education Administration and planning 5( 2) 46-51 ISSN 0-795-2201
- Akpan C.P, Okey S & Esirah E (2005): The effectiveness in maintenance of discipline among administrators of Private & Public secondary Schools in Southern Senatorial District of Cross River state, Nigeria. Journal of Educational Administration. 5 (2) 71-77
