AN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE PROBLEMS FACING THE MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF
SELECTED PRIMARY SCHOOL
Abstract
This research work is aimed at investigating the problems facing the management and Administration of selected Primary schools in Akure South local government area of Ondo State. Specifically the study determine the problems facing effective administration of primary schools, also the study findout if lack of competent teachers pose a problem in the management of primary schools. In view of these, four research questions and two research hypotheses were formulated. This study use descriptive survey research. Fifty primary schools teachers and head master were used for the study. Simple random sampling techqunes was used to select five primary schools. A well structured questionnaire was used for data collection and the data were analyzed using simple percentage. while chi-square test were used to test the hypotheses formulated for the study at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study revealed that Lack of School Facilities, Poor Staffing, Finance challenges and Over Population are the major problems facing the management and administration of primary school in Akure South local government area. Also lack of competent teachers have effect on effective teaching in the school. Based on the result analyzed, the study recommended that Primary school management board should relax some of its policies to allow school heads to function. The government of Ondo state should encourage teachers to go for further studies in order to update their knowledge. The school heads should be released from classes so that they can concentrate on administration of their schools.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Education is probably the most important instrument of change. If developed and used properly it will give individuals in the society knowledge and understanding, also it will make a better society. Education is also the best tool that enables an individual to fulfill his basic responsibility to the rest of the society. Therefore, education must always be imparted and received with a dear understanding. If this is not the basic objective of education, then education is not only totally misplaced, but will not be able to serve the purpose of education.
Education has remained a social process in capacity building and maintenance of society for decades, as well as a weapon for acquiring skills, relevant knowledge and habits for surviving in the changing world (Adepoju and Fabiyi 2007). According to Adesina (2011), education is a major force in economic, intellectual, social and cultural empowerment. He goes on to say that education has the capacity to bring about character and attitudinal change, as well as reshape human potential for desired development. Given the above, it is safe to say that primary education is very important in the Nigerian education system.
The significance of primary education is also located in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals declaration – an achievement of universal access to education by 2015 (Adepoju and Fabiyi 2007). Quadri (2001) presents the following intentions of primary education in Nigeria: (1) to help the child to develop intellectually, physically, morally, socially and emotionally; (2) to produce well-qualified citizens that are capable of going to secondary and tertiary institutions to be trained as professionals in various services that are essential for the development of the country; and (3) to assist primary school learners who cannot further their education to become useful citizens to themselves and community at large. No doubt therefore that primary education is the foundation upon which other strata of educational edifice
are built (Oni 2009). Adesina (2011) adds that primary education serves as the foundational level of all other education by providing children with a good preparatory ground for further education. Essentially, primary education can be considered as the most important period in the education of a child. The government of Nigeria perhaps meant well when it emphasised the place of primary education in its 1977 National Policy on Education (NPE) as follows: 1. Inculcation of permanent literary and numeracy and the ability of communicate; 2. Laying of a sound basis for scientific and reflective thinking; 3. Citizenship education as a basis for effective participation in and contribution to the life of the society; 4. Character and moral training and the development
of sound attitudes. The policy, which was launched in 1977, was revised in 1985 to include free primary education among others (Amaghionyeodiwe and Osinubi 2006). With the introduction of free primary education, one can argue that education is then easier to access. Igbuzor (2006) disagrees.
Administration and management in schools continues getting much attention globally. Realizing its relevance in the success of primary schools, there are a lot of interventions initiated to ensure its effectiveness. In the education system of countries like England, school management and administration receives a particularly strong policy emphasis and an increased focus on training, qualification and professional development for school leaders within a national qualification framework(Sammons, 2016). To highlight the importance that is attached to management and administration, Day and Sammons (2016) notes that “head-teachers are held accountable for school performance through a highly developed national accountability framework which includes individual target-setting for each school, the publication of examination results etcetera”. Research findings indicate that management and administration of primary schools generally encounters the following challenges: ensuring consistently good teaching and learning; managing behaviour and attendance; strategically managing resources and the environment; building the school as a professional learning community; and developing partnerships beyond the school to encourage parental support for learning and new learning opportunities among others(Day & Sammons, 2016). In studies conducted in other countries such as Malaysia, collaborative management has proved to have a positive impact on effectiveness of schools in the country(Ahmad, 1998).The lack of necessary conditions and initiatives for improved school leadership therefore bolsters adverse impacts on effectiveness of schools.
Similarly, there are several factors that impact on management and administration effectiveness in primary schools in Akure south. Lack of teaching and learning resources, distance between schools and homes, unavailability of necessary infrastructure, high teacher-student ratio and lack of motivation for both teachers and students are some of the major problems facing primary education in general (Ravishankar, El-Kogali, Sankar, Tanaka, & Rakoto-Tiana, 2016). Most of these problems emanate from underfunding by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. With the lack of sufficient funding, the primary schools’ effectiveness largely depends on the school’s management and administration. This leaves the schools’ leadership as the last standing pillar for primary education. However, the leadership in the public primary schools encounters several challenges that adversely affect effectiveness in the management and administration of the learninginstitutions. The relationship between successful school leadership and an effective school has been firmly established in scholarly literature (Wamba, 2015).
The challenges encountered adversely affect how the schools are run. As already noted, most of these challenges emanate from the lack of sufficient aid and support from the government. In addition to this however, there are also numerous other challenges that arise within the management and administration system of the schools. These problems have their origins in the professional and social interaction between various stakeholders at the institutional as well as community level. These include leadership such as the head-teachers or principals, staff members, Parent-Teacher Associations, students and members of the society as a whole. The management and administration of several schools is caught up in a web of relationships between these various stakeholders. As such, anybreakdown in the link between two or more of the stakeholders might result into disastrous inefficiency that is ultimately blamed on the leadership. This is largely fueled by among other things the lack of training for management in the schools which affects the capabilities of the leadership and shapes the perceptions of the teams they lead in the schools.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
One of the shortcomings of primary education is that there are unqualified teachers who did not attain their degrees from the university, polytechnics and colleges of education. Also, primary education is suffering from lack of finance from the state government. This contributes to the lack of basic instructional materials e.g. textbooks, well equipped libraries, and facilities which include chairs, desks and tables in primary schools.
In the primary schools, some of the pupils sit on the floor to receive lessons while others stand. Some even have to bring chairs from their homes and after school, they take them back. Some chairs do not have desks to write on, this is common in public schools. Overcrowded classrooms are another major problem. There is not enough space for proper teaching and learning to take place and not enough ventilation. The problem is compounded by the uncontrolled enrollment of children in schools.
Further problem is the mushrooming of private primary schools in the country, which could have been a solution to the problem but these fees are so much that these kinds of schools are meant for the rich only. The average or poor families cannot afford such exorbitant fees. As a result of those problems, the study therefore seek to investigate into the problems facing the management and admistration of selected primary schools in Akure South local government area of Ondo State.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The major purpose of this research work is to Investigate Into The Problems Facing the Management And Administration Of Selected Primary School in Akure South Local Government Area Of Ondo State
The specific purpose is;
1. To determine the problems to effective administration of primary schools in Ondo State.
2. To investigate if lack of competent teachers pose a problem in the management of primary schools in the state
3. To find out if lack of school facilities pose a problem in the management of primary schools in the state?
4. To investigate the various strategies that can be adopted to deal with the challenges to effective management of Primary schools in Ondo state
1.4 Research Questions
The study was guided by the following research questions below:
1. What are the perceived problems to effective administration of primary schools in Ondo State.
2. Does lack of competent teachers pose a problem in the management of primary schools in the state?
3. Does the lack of school facilities pose a problem in the management of primary schools in the state?
4. What are the strategies that can be adopted to deal with the challenges to effective management of Primary schools in Ondo state?
1.5 Hypothesis
The study was also guided by one null hypothesis as formulated below:
Ho1 : There is no significance difference on the problem facing the management of primary school and head teachers effectiveness
Ho2: lack of Teachers competent does not pose a problem in the management of primary school in the state
1.6 Scope and Delimitation of the study
This research investigation was limited to some selected primary schools in Akure South Local government area of Ondo State. The research could not be extended to other towns in the local government because of time factors.
1.7 Significance of the study
The importance of this study is to establish the problems that may be imperative in the administration of primary schools. The study highlighted the problems that might be facing the headmaster/ headmistress ad find out the possible solutions to these problems since primary education being the foundation of children education provides the children to develop as good adults, civil and intelligent citizens of the country. The study would also be very essential to the headmaster/headmistress, teacher in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State. It would help to examine some of the causes of the problems highlighted. The research would assist some individuals or group of people who might want to establish primary schools in future on the effective management of their schools.
1.8 Operational definition of terms
Problem: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines the term “problem” as a difficulty that needs attention and thoughts. It is equally seen as a “question” to be solved or decided, especially something difficult.
Management: This is defined as the coordination and direction of human and materials resources within the school system, to achieve specific goals of the school. It is essential that the headmaster/headmistress, teachers and workers of a school to see and take themselves as a team working for the growth and development of the learners.
Adewale and Olaniyi (1992) viewed management as the process of integrating the efforts of a purposeful group or organization where members have at least one common goal
Administration: This is simply defined as the process of getting specific objectives or result accomplished through proper co-ordinative and co-operative human effort.
Schools: Schools are education institutions see by governments or communities, missionaries organization and individuals to help the members of a society to be educated at least to be able to read and write.
Primary: It is a place for junior pupils between 5 and 11 years. Most pupils in the primary schools are in early stage or late childhood stage of development. Primary school education is the bedrock of any educational system.
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