FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Education has remained a systematic process through which a child or an adult acquires knowledge, experience, skill and sound attitude. It makes an individual civilized, refined, cultured and educated (Ikegbusi, 2012). According to her, for a civilized and socialized society, education is the only means; its goal is to make an individual perfect. According to Adesina (2011), education is a major force in the economic, intellectual, social and cultural empowerment. He further stresses that education has the capacity to bring about character and attitudinal change, as well as restructure capabilities for desired development.

The achievement of the right to education requires that young people be given the opportunity necessary for the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which will enable them lead happy and productive lives as individuals and discharge their social duties for the betterment of life in the society (Fafunwa, 2002). Nigeria, having realized the effectiveness of education as a powerful instrument for national progress and development, adjusted her educational philosophy and methodology to match the ideals and challenges of changing economic and social structure of modern society (National Policy on Education, 2004). Consequently, it is not a gainsaying that secondary education is very important and unique in the Nigerian education system. Secondary education is the second in the tripod of education starting from the primary, secondary and tertiary stages in ascending order of magnitude (Amaghionyeodiwe & Osinubi, 2006).

The importance of secondary education in educational system cannot be overemphasized. A major factor that necessitates the acquisition of secondary education in Nigeria is that the education being provided at the primary level is proving to be insufficient for a child to acquire permanent literacy, communicative and numeracy skills expected from him/her at the end of the training (Chinelo, 2011).

Heads of secondary schools are tasked with the implications of these objectives. The success of secondary school education rests on a good administration involving the local communities, adequate and well qualified teachers, adequate funds for infrastructural facilities, together with interested parents supplying children’s material needs and bringing home training to supplement the efforts of the teachers at school. For heads of secondary schools to succeed in the administration of secondary schools, they need the collaboration and sustenance of the parents, teachers, the Post Primary Schools Service Commission and the Ministry of Education.

Statement of the Problem

In spite of the roles of secondary education, Ajayi (2014) reported of public crises of various dimensions such as poor funding, poor educational infrastructure—which include inadequate classrooms, inadequate and low quality teachers, and polluted learning environment. In a school, where these infrastructures and amenities are not well provided, heads of secondary schools efforts to administer schools diligently will be disenchanted. Probable outcomes of this kind of situation comprise unruly and disorderly students, non-literate population and an unresponsive teaching workforce (Ikegbusi, 2014). These hinder the fulfillment of educational objectives. Many secondary schools in Anambra state are not excused from this bitter state of matters. Many are confronted by a constant outburst of rowdy behavior on the part of students, a constant lack of educational amenities as well as an overpopulation of students.

 

Administration according to Peretomode (2003) is the component part of the management concerned with facilitating accomplishment of the objectives of an organization like school through the systematic management of constraints and careful utilization of the available limited resources like human, material, finance and so on. Okeke (2014) sees secondary school administration as involving the provision and maintenance of the necessary manpower to those who teach children with a view to bring about the desired change in the children’s behaviour. The school principals face numerous administrative problems which militate against operative running of their schools. These include inadequate and low quality teachers, inadequate funding to maintain schools and paying teachers’ salaries, intrusion by parents. Others are lack of accommodation for students, indiscipline behaviours on the part of teachers and students and uncooperative assertiveness of other school staff. Where the heads fail to arrest these situations and problems, the smooth running of secondary school is conceded. Etuk (2007) outlined the following under listed functions of school administration as staff personnel administration, student personnel administration, finance and physical resources, and school community relationship management. The above fit well with the objectives of this study. Therefore, the study will be reviewed under the following: inadequate infrastructural facilities, staffing, finance, supervision and students’ population

Research Objectives

The following research questions guided the study.

1) To examine how the terrorizations to school heads administrators constitute administrative problems in Anambra state

2) Toexamine ways staffing become administrative problem for the school heads in Anambra state

3) To analyze  the extent lack of facilities affect the administration of secondary schools in Anambra state

4) To investigate an extent over-population become an administrative problem for the school heads in Anambra state

5) To understand whether finance constitute administrative problems for the schools in Anambra state

6) To understand ant extent supervision help to facilitate the administration of schools in Anambra state

7) To examine whether lack of co-operation affect the school heads’ relation with teachers and community in Anambra state

8) To what extent are the effects of indiscipline on the administration of secondary schools in Anambra state?

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study.

1) To what extent would terrorizations to school heads administrators constitute administrative problems in Anambra state?

2) In what ways does staffing become administrative problem for the school heads in Anambra state?

3) To what extent does lack of facilities affect the administration of secondary schools in Anambra state?

4) To what extent does over-population become an administrative problem for the school heads in Anambra state?

5) To what extent does finance constitute administrative problems for the schools in Anambra state?

6) To what extent does supervision help to facilitate the administration of schools in Anambra state?

7) To what extent does lack of co-operation affect the school heads’ relation with teachers and community in Anambra state?

8) To what extent are the effects of indiscipline on the administration of secondary schools in Anambra state?

Scope of the study

The study was carried out among principals and teachers of government secondary schools in Anambra State of Nigeria. The study covered  all  government secondary schools This is because all government secondary schools in the state operate under one Ministry of Education and the school structure, curriculum content and SSCE Examination structure are quite homogenous.

 

Significance of the Study

The significance of a study of this magnitude cannot be overemphasized. Parents, local government education department, state and federal ministries of education involved in policy formulation and implementation, would find this study really useful especially as they utilize the findings of the study.

The study will equally add to the existing body of knowledge on the subject matter. Students undergoing research work similar to the present study who may wish to use this work as a reference material or a spring board for their own work will find this work really useful

Download Full Material-N5000