Comparative Study of Managerial Effectiveness of Principals of Public and Private Secondary Schools in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State
Chapter One
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to compare principals’ managerial effectiveness in public and private secondary schools as perceived by the principals and teachers. Specifically, this study tries to compare the extent of managerial effectiveness of principals in public and private schools in Awka South Local Government Area State in relation to four parameters:
i) human resource management
(ii) management of infrastructure
(iii) management of school financial resources and
(iv) learning resource management.
Chapter Two
Literature Review
Managerial effectiveness refers to the optimal utilization of available resources for the optimization of output. It has to do with the relationship between the input and the output. There is effectiveness if there is optimization of output relative to the input. Thus it has to do with efficiency. With regard to school administration, managerial effectiveness refers to the ability of school administrators to harness and channel the human and material resources available to the school towards the attainment of the goals of the school. Managerial effectiveness as regards education involves the processes under which the input by schools, that is, human and material resources and classroom dynamics, combine to produce educational output.
In this study, managerial effectiveness is considered in terms of the extent to which school principals in public and private schools coordinate their human, infrastructural, financial and learning resources for the achievement of the best organizational result seen as the accomplishment of the goals of the organization. In spite of the affordability of the public schools, more parents send their children to private secondary schools. According to Babalola (2004), the mushrooming of private schools in Nigeria today is the consequence of a reaction of the people to the ways governments have organized and managed public-owned schools in Nigeria, especially following the take-over of schools by the government in the 1970s. Ezekwesili (2006) stated that qualifications than their counterparts in the private schools, yet, teachers in public schools are less productive, less committed and less effective than their counterparts in private schools. Governments’ budget for education keeps increasing without a corresponding improvement in the result of students (Olisa, 2006). The result is a growing resentment for public schools (Abatam, 2005).
Chapter Three
The study adopted a descriptive survey design aimed at examining the managerial effectiveness of principals in public and private secondary schools in Anambra State. The study was conducted in Awka South L.G.A of Anambra State. The choice of this Local Government Area is simply because of proximity to the researcher. Secondly, apart from Aguata Local Government Area, Awka South Local Government Area has the largest number of secondary school in Anambra State. The third reason for this choice of this local government area is that it has the characteristics of urban and rural settings. This would ensure that geographical location of school as a variable with regard to managerial effectiveness of the principals is covered in the study.
The population for this study comprised 37 secondary school principals and 500 teachers in the area of study, 18 principals of public secondary schools and 19 principals of private secondary schools; 340 and 160 teachers of public and private secondary schools respectively.
The sample for this study comprised 499 (four hundred and ninety-nine) respondents which represented 92.92% of the entire population of study which was 537. This 499 respondents comprised 37 principals and 462 teachers randomly selected from the 19 private and 18 public secondary schools in the area of study.
Chapter Four
Discussion
The study found out that the principals of private and public secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area are generally rated as being effective as managers. This result is one that should cheer the heart of anyone concerned about the falling standard of education in Nigeria. The result of other studies show that the principals of private secondary schools have been rated more effective than principals of public secondary schools. The latter have indeed been shown in some studies to be ineffective in some dimensions (Ukeji, 2011). The present study shows that the principals of public secondary schools were effective in all the dimensions of managerial effectiveness. The finding of this study agree with Ikediugwu (2009) who asserted that principals of public schools are more affective than those of private schools in managerial effectiveness. The surprising good performance of principals of public secondary schools in this study can be attributed to three reasons. First, the study of Ukeji (2011) alluded to above, paid attention to the performance of principals in the whole of Anambra State. It could be that the good performance of the principals of public secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area was neutralized by the low performance of their counterparts in the other Local Government Areas. The second reason is implied in the first. It is that the principals of the public secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area have been generally effective. The third explanation is that there has been improvement in the managerial effectiveness of principals of public secondary schools. The increase in school enrolment in public secondary schools, as Ikediugwu (2009) noted, broadened the responsibilities of principals and gave rise to the appointment of many vice principals. It could be that the managerial effectiveness of principals of public schools benefited from this delegation of duties to vice principals. Improvement in the regulatory and supervisory role of the ministry could have also impacted positively on the managerial effectiveness of principals in public secondary schools.
Chapter Five
Conclusion
Both principals of private and public secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area are fairly effective in the management of human resources. The principals of private schools have higher managerial effectiveness than principals in public schools. The principals of both private and public schools are quite effective in their management of infrastructural resources. The principals of both the private and public schools are quite effective in their management of learning resources. There are observable significant differences in the managerial effectiveness of public and private school principals in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The managerial effectiveness of principals is greatly influenced by the years of experience.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made:
- The principals in private and public secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area are scored as quite effective in the management of the human, infrastructural, financial and learning resources, Anambra State Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) should facilitate the cross fertilization of ideas between the principals of private and public secondary schools in order to enrich themselves and find ways of further improving their effectiveness.
- The importance of on-going training in view of improving the managerial skills of principals of private and public secondary schools cannot be over-emphasized. In this regard, it is important to have a succession plan. As the present principals are being enabled to improve on their managerial skills and competences, the next generation of principals has also to be groomed along.
- The managerial effectiveness of principals in public secondary schools as regards some items in the area of infrastructure need to be improved upon. This may require reviewing the way funds are disbursed to the principals in public schools for infrastructural maintenance.
- There is need for regular school monitoring and supervision so as to sustain the level of managerial effectiveness already attained.
References
- Abatam, J.C. (2005). A study of management styles among primary school head teachers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Unpublished Masters Thesis, Delta State University, Abraka.
- Babalola, J.B. (2006). Strategic management of secondary education in Nigeria. Lead paper presented at a conference in strategic management in the education sector organized by the Nigerian educational research and development council at Abuja, February 2006.
- Drucker, P. (1967). The effective executive, New York: Harper & Row.
- D’Souza, A. (1994). Leadership: A Trilogy on leadership and effective management. Kenya: Pauline publications.
- iogu, A. (2002). Professional and public participation in education policy making, paper presented at the annual meeting of the American educational research association, Boston.
- Ezekwesili, O. (2006). An institutional framework for effective coordination and implementation of reform policies between federal and state government, www.reasons.opinion.ng.
- Gilbert, J. (1995). Introduction to management in new Zealand. 2nd ed. Melbourne: Harcourt Bruce & Co.
