IMPACT OF SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS

 IMPACT OF SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES ON THE
ADMINISTRATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS

ABSTRACT
This study examined the impact of School-Based Management Committees on the
Administration of Secondary Schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria. To achieve this, ten (10)
objectives were set to; evaluate the influence of School-Based Management Committees on
decision making process, ascertain the influence of School-Based Management Committees on
school-community relationship, evaluate the influence of School-Based Management
Committees on students‘ enrolment and retention in secondary schools in North-west zone,
Nigeria among others. The study had ten (10) research questions and ten (10) null hypotheses.
Relevant related literatures were reviewed for the study. The study adopted descriptive survey
research design and the population of the study was 55,306, which comprised 1440 Ministry of
Education officials, 3078 principals and 50,788 teachers in North-west Zone, Nigeria. The
sample size of 389 was purposively drawn from the population which comprised 79 principals,
60 MOE officials and 250 teachers. Adopted questionnaire which contained 100 item statements
with 5 likertrating scales was used as instrument for data collection. The instrument was
validated by experts in the field of Educational Administration and Planning and Measurement
and Evaluation. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.87. Three hundred and sixty
nine (369) copies of questionnaire were returned. The data collected from the field were
analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages and mean scores to describe the
demographic characteristics of the respondents and answer all research questions. Inferential
statistics of One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test all the ten (10) null
hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The four rejected hypotheses were further tested using
HSD Tukey post hoc test. Findings of the study revealed among others that School-Based
Management Committees hadinfluence on decision making process in the administration of
secondary schools as perceived by the stakeholders and the test of null hypothesis confirmed that
the influence is statistically significant (P=.187).There is influence of School-Based Management
Committees on school-community relationship in the administration of secondary schools and
the test of null hypothesis affirmed that the influence is statistically significant (P=.537). The
study concluded among others that School-Based Management Committees played significant
role on decision making process in the administration of secondary schools. The implication is
that as long as School-Based Management Committees will continue to exist in our Secondary
schools, sound decision regarding teaching and learning activities will be made. Schoolcommunity relationship shall be maintained as this will bring active community participation. It
was recommended among others that democratic participatory decision making should be
encouraged in schools as this will bring sound decisions and educated people of high integrity
with interest of educational development should be elected as SMBC members in schools as this
will enhance cordial and harmonious school-community relationship.

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
School effectiveness and improvement are major concerns to all education authorities,
policy makers, administrators and teachers seeking to reform the present education systems. A
major plank in the global reform process in education is the concept of decentralization where
education authorities devolve some responsibilities to authorities closer to schools. School-Based
Management Committee (SBMC) system reflects this decentralization process whereby
community members are given responsibilities in school governance.
The National Council on Education (NCE) in 2006 approved the establishment of
School-Based Management Committees in primary and junior secondary schools in the country,
as part of government‘s effort to ensure inclusive participation in the school system. The SBMCs
are expected to provide platforms for committees and schools to work together to enrich school
governance and promote improved management by education authorities, towards the
achievement of better learning outcomes for children (SBMC Guide Book, 2011).
SBMCs are been implemented in countries like United States of America, United
Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, El-Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Kenya, Krygyz Republic, Nepal and Paraguay (Caldwell & Hayward, 1998). The educational
systems of these countries were re-structured so as to establish ―self-managing‖ ―self-governing‖
or self-determining schools.
In 1988, the United Kingdom passed the legislation for the local management schools
(Fildler and Early, 1994) and at roughly the same time school-based management or school site
management was introduced in many American school systems (Cooper, 1990). Meanwhile, in
Hongkong, in the 1970s and 1980s, student‘s performance was rugged to be far from adequate.
Wong (1995) argued that this was partly due to the tightening of administrative and financial
controls over the schools caused by the proliferation of Education Department‘s Policies over the
years.The Education Department published school management initiatives in 1991 and suggested
that all schools should implement school-based management by 2000: Thus, schools would
change from the external control needed to that of decentralized authority.
The need to inspire quality consciousness in school operators and managers for the
attainment of total quality assurances in schools, and a turn-around in education effectiveness
gave birth to close concept of community participation in school management. Policy makers
believe that to improve education quality, it is, vital to advance from classroom teaching level to
school organization level and reform the structural system and management style of school
(Abu-Duhou, 1999). This is the basis for School-Based Management Committee.
In Nigeria, the School-Based Management Committee was set up to increase citizen
participation in School Management. This is part of the efforts of school reform in Nigeria.
According to Dakar Framework of Action (2000), the experience of the past decade has
underscored the need for better governance of education system in terms of efficiency,
accountability, transparency and flexibility, so that they can respond more effectively to the
diverse and consciously changing needs of learners. Reform of educational management is
urgently needed to move from highly centralized, standardized and common-driven forms of
management to more decentralized and participatory decision-making, implementation and
monitoring at lower levels of accountability.
Although, observation has shown albeit erroneously, that some school managers
particularly head teachers see the role of SBMC as a relegation of schools autonomy, whereas
SMBC is to promote the autonomy of schools. SBMC has been, defined in different ways by
different writers and authors, for example Cheng (1996) sees School-Based Management
Committee (SBMC) as tasks that are set according to the characteristics and needs of the school
itself and therefore school members have a much greater autonomy and responsibility for the use
of resources to solve problem and carry out effective education activities, for the long- term
development of the school. Caldwell and Spinks (1988) see school-based management as a
school system of education to which there has been decentralized significant amount of authority
and responsibility to make decision related to the allocation of resources within centrally
determined framework of goals, policies, standard and accountabilities.
The definitions show that in schools that practice SBMC policy, transfer of authority
takes place and gives schools some degree of decision making. The goals of School-Based
Management Committee programmes vary according to each country but they typically include:
(i) Increasing the participation of parents and committees in schools.
(ii) Empowering principals and teachers.
(iii) Building local level capacity and perhaps the most importantly.
(iv) Improving quality and efficiency of schooling, thus raising students‘ achievement
levels.
The school belongs to the community, which forms the grassroots stakeholders in
management. Decentralization will make it possible for the community to participate in the
decision making of the school. Murphy and Beck (1995) noted that a central feature of SBM is
the SBM committee. While, the committees vary in composition and responsibilities as most
writers agreed that it is within the committee that school stakeholders such as head teachers,
parents, community members and students do participate in decision making.
The members of the SBMC are at the same time members of the community. All of them
interact on daily basis; therefore, indicating that both the community and the school cannot live
in isolation.From this one can also deduce that they influence one another. It therefore becomes
easy for the SBMC to be like the ―man in the middle‖ between the school and the community. A
School-Based Management Committee in Nigeria is a form of community involvement in school
governance, based on regulation with elected but voluntary memberships. Certainly, the intention
behind school committee is to implement democratic participation in decision making.
It is argued that people know better and are able to be more responsive to their own
needs. Locating authority locally seems more efficient, compared with decisions from central
government which often miss their targets and take a longer time to implement, people who are
within local school or live locally. The argument goes, will efficiently gather information
relevant for their own purposes; ranging from pedagogical to school infrastructural issues. This
kind of information is more reliable and will lead to effective decision making by school
stakeholders in terms of public service delivery. Undoubtedly, the School-Based Management
Committee (SBMC) is relevant at this time of Nigerian educational development. The functions
go beyond resource management and its utilization as some observers view it. This is a narrow
concept of School-Based Management Committee (SBMC). The communities are to ensure
quality both in educational inputs and outcomes and also quality in learning environment for
schools. This can only be effective if we have learners who are of good quality. In some parts of
the world where the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) is effectively used, it is
used to promote self-budgeting reforms, school-based curriculum development, school-based
staff development and school-based students‘ counseling.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Nigeria has set in motion key reform measures and strategies to turn around the education
system to meet the set goals and targets in line with the national needs and her commitment to
global frameworks such as Education For All (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has evolved the Community Accountability and
Transparency Initiative (CATI) to address the need for due process and selfless commitment to
service and national development with inclusive education. Nigeria faces some challenges of
managing access as a fundamental right of all to at least basic education, as well as ensuring the
delivery of quality education to a wide range of diverse group with specific or special needs.
Nigeria has placed the right emphasis on creating learner friendly needs based flexible
and functional curricula, enhancing guidance and counseling in schools, continuous assessment
and monitoring of learning achievements, a reformed and empowered inspectorate system and
public private partnerships for the sustainability of the gains of the current initiative and
innovative prolonged regime of poor quality public education that has been consistently linked to
the strings of failure by Nigeria to attain its full development potentials directly linked to this is
the evident of failure of schools to provide basic opportunities for learning due to the poor state
of infrastructure in schools, especially the public ones. Buildings and facilities are inadequate,
teaching standards are low, teachers receive inadequate training and have little motivation to
improve on their jobs, increase in enrolment of students and low retention rates in our schools.
In addition, bad decisions in our schools, minimal participation of community members,
increase in enrolment and low retention rates, lack of training and retraining of teachers,
inadequate school facilities, recruitment of unqualified teachers, inadequate health and welfare facilities, insufficient games and recreational facilities, lack of maintenance of discipline and
absence of extra-curricular activities in secondary schools.
Policy making in secondary schools involves the participation and involvement of
teachers, students and members of the community in decision making process especially on
issues that concern each of the level, (Edem, 2004). This means that effective administration
requires rational decision making which leads to the selection of the best way to reach
anticipated goals. The ability to make rational decision has been limited by law or inadequate
knowledge of school negative role played by emotions, power, bias, politics, personal attitude
and job requirements and often results in bad decisions in the school, (Nwachukwu, 2006). Noncompliance to the decisions agreed by law especially with regards to the interest of the members
of the school leads to conflict and misunderstanding among members of staff as well as students
in the school, negligence and non-participation of members of School. Based Management
Committees and Parent-Teachers Association with regards to the planning decisions for
management of schools also affect some decisions that are made in schools.
There are wide gaps in School Community Relation that need to be bridged in Nigerian
educational system as a whole.The community sees schools properties as public properties,
therefore, have little or no interest on them. Sharma (1992) asserted that School Community
Relation is appropriate only when there is a two-way school community relationship in which the
latter participates to a large degree in schools.
On the issue of increase in enrolment of students and low retention rates in our secondary
schools, in 1996, 21 Million children were of school age, out of which 14.1 million were enrolled
while 6.9 million were not enrolled (Animalu, 2000). In 1997, although there was an increase in
the enrolment figure, the problem of having school age children out of school was still
experienced in that year, 15.5 million children were enrolled in schools as against their total
population of 19.5 million.This clearly indicates that 4 million school age children were not in
school (Azare, 2000)
Staff development in education globally remains very low inspite of successive effects of
Federal Governments to address the issue of fall in standard. Rosser (2011) stated that most
people in their working places do not understand the environment in which they work, the job
they do and had to do it better. The balance between the process of production and welfare of the
society is not achieved. There are no frequent meetings between superiors and sub-ordinates, no
respect and consideration for their fellow human beings, inadequate mastery of the management
of human materials, financial resources of the institution and inability to harmonize all the
compliment towards attainment of the set goals and objectives (Adesina, 1981;Ayanniyi, 1999
and Zubaida, 2009).
Instructional facilities provided to schools are inadequate and the insufficient
instructional facilities provided are not well maintained. Appearance and general condition of
school facilities are the striking basis upon which many parents and friends of any educational
institution make the initial judgment about the quality of what goes on in the boarding schools.
Africa in general and Nigeria in particular are characterized by low maintenance culture,
especially in respect of government owned properties.
Health and welfare facilities provided to schools are inadequate, even the ones provided
are from School Based Management Committees or Parents-Teachers Association members or
by Non-Governmental Organizations or philanthropists. Nigeria‘s vision 2020 is an articulation
of the long term intent to launch Nigeria into a path of sustained social, integration and economic
development for the progress and accelerate the emergence of a truly prosperous and united
Nigeria.The vision aims at improving the standard of living of the citizens and placing Nigeria
among the ―top 20‖ economies and highest level of healthy living in the world. It is well known
fact that the federal government has adopted a new development paradigm over the years
(Abdullahi, 2009).
Games and recreational facilities are inadequate in our schools. Games and recreational
facilities apart from developing skills also develop a good learning, socio-psychological as well
as mental environment through relation. The importance of level of resources committed to the
development and provision of recreational facilities must not exceed their values in facilitating
the overall goal of the educational institution.
There are notable instances of indiscipline in our schools like drug abuse, examination
malpractice, lawlessness, violence, bullying and cultism (Kwasau, 2006). Indiscipline in schools
is attributed on large school size. It is very difficult to control a school that is over populated, this
can lead to students‘ misbehavior (Haller, 1992). Failure of the school curriculum to meet the
moral aspiration of the society in which it is found, lack of good moral training by parents, lack
of good leadership in the society. Injustice/corruption in the society and unrealistic rules are
some of the many causes of indiscipline in many African secondary schools (Yaroson, 2004).
Extra-curricular activities, apart from normal school activities there are extra-curricular
activities that need to be performed at school from time to time. But unfortunately most of our
schools do not consider these activities as advantageous and important to students. These
activities include quiz club, jet club, drama club, press club, cultural club. These extra-curricular
activities increase unity among students, create flat form for competition among students, create
sense of team work and sharing of ideas among students and also increase interaction among
teachers and students, among teachers and students through clubs and societies programmes.
All SBMCs are useful therefore, would have influence in secondary schools administration, it is
the direction of the influence that warrant this study.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
This study was set to achieve the following objectives:
1. evaluate the influence of School-Based Management Committees on decision making
process in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
2. ascertain the influence of School-Based Management Committees on school-community
relationship in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
3. evaluate the influence of School-Based Management Committees on students‘ enrolment
and retention in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
4. determine the influence of School-Based Management Committees on staff development
programmes in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
5. determine the influence of School-Based Management Committees on provision and
management of instructional facilities in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
6. find out the influence of School-Based Management Committees on staffing situation in
secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
7. ascertain the influence of School-Based Management Committees on provision of health
and welfare facilities in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
8. ascertain the influence of School-Based Management Committees on provision of games
and recreational facilities in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
9. evaluate the influence of school-based management committees on maintenance of
discipline in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria; and
10. evaluate the influence of School-Based Management Committees on extra-curricular
activities in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria;
1.4 Research Questions
The study asked the following research questions:
1. What is the influence of School-Based Management Committees on decision making
process in secondary schools in North-west zone, Nigeria?
2. In what ways does School-Based Management Committees influence school community
relationship in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
3. What is the influence of School-Based Management Committees on students‘ enrolment
and retention in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
4. To what extent does School-Based Management Committees influence staff development
programmes in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
5. What is the influence of School-Based Management Committees on provision and
management of instructional facilities in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
6. To what extent does School-Based Management Committees influence staffing situation
in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
7. What is the influence of School-Based Management Committees on provision of health
and welfare facilities in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
8. In what ways does School-Based Management Committees influence provision of games
and recreational facilities in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
9. What is the influence of school-based management committees on maintenance of
discipline in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
10. To what extent does School-Based Management Committees influence extra-curricular
activities in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The study formulated the following hypotheses:
H01: There is no significant difference in the opinions of Ministry of Education
officials, principals and teachers on the influence of School-Based Management
Committees on decision making process in secondary schools in North-west
Zone, Nigeria;
H02: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of School-Based Management Committees on school-community relationship in
secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
H03: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of School-Based Management Committees on students‘ enrolment and retention
in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
H04: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of School-Based Management Committees on staff development programmes in
secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
H05: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of School-Based Management Committees on provision and management of
instructional facilities in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
H06: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of School-Based Management Committees on staffing situation in secondary
schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
H07: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of School-Based Management Committees on provision of health and welfare
facilities in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
H08: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of School-Based Management Committees on provision of games and
recreational facilities in secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
H09: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the influence
of school-based management committees on maintenance of discipline in
secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria; and
H010: There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on theinfluence
of School-Based Management Committees on extra-curricular activities in
secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria.
1.6 Basic Assumptions
The study was on the assumptions that School Based Management Committees would:
1. enhance the decision making process in management of secondary schools in North
West;
2. bring cordial school-community relationship in secondary schools in North-west Zone,
Nigeria;
3. help to increase enrolment and retention of students in secondary schools in North-west
Zone, Nigeria;
4. contribute in training and re-training of teachers in Secondary schools in North-west
Zone, Nigeria; contribute on provision and management of instructional facilities in secondary schools

in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
6. contribute to recruitment of teachers and improve learning outcomes in secondary
schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
7. provide health and welfare facilities to promote students health in secondary schools in
North-west Geographical Zone, Nigeria;
8. provide games and recreational facilities todevelop students‘ potentials in secondary
schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria;
9. maintain discipline to help in minimizing indiscipline and promote discipline in
secondary schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria; and
10. promoteteam work and bring cooperation among students in secondary schools in Northwest Zone, Nigeria.
1.7 Significance of the Study
School-Based Management Committeesare very important as they help to make schools
improve their performance. Those to benefit from this study are; government, non-governmental
organizations, principals, educational administrators and planners, curriculum specialist,
teachers, parents and students.Thus, it is considered worthwhile to study the influence of SchoolBased Management Committees in the administration of secondary schools in North-west Zone,
Nigeria.
The significance of this study lies on the fact that School-Based Management
Committees build and strengthen partnership between various organizations, that increase voice
and demand for better education service delivery and enhances active community participation in
schools. School-Based Management Committeesare significant in the sense that they provide
legal framework involving stakeholders in planning, monitoring and evaluation of education at
the school level.
The findings of this thesis will help government in formulating new educational policies
and also it may provide new developmental strategies which will enhances attainment of school
vision andeducational goals for learning effectiveness. The non-governmental organization will
also benefit from this thesis in the sense that it will help them to plan the grants allocation to
secondary schools in North-West Zone, Nigeria.
This study will be of immense benefit to principals in establishing proper communication
channels, strengthening the sense of belonging among and teachers and building up a
collaborative school culture developing a set of rational, a fair and impartial policies to handle
complaints from staff as well as people from the community, it will also help principals to
formulate a teacher professional development policies that looks at teacher needs, the direction
of school development and the learning interest of the students.
Also, school administratorsor managers are responsible for monitoring the development
and effectiveness of the school curriculum. This study will help curriculum specialist and give
them a good understanding of the present position and the future development of the school
curriculum. Also, school managers will have a good understanding of the school itself as well as
the trend of educationdevelopment.
This study will also be of great significant to teachers as it promotes quality education,
school should adopt a model of teaching and learning and a management framework that suit the
needs of the students and the community with the inclusion of teachers into school based
management committees, the school develops its own characteristics, establishes its culture and
identity, seeks self-improvement and pursues excellence. Also, it will enhance the creative
participation in the day to day activity of the school. It holds individual
schoolmanagementaccountable for students‘ enrolment, retention and successful completion.
In addition, parents will also benefitfrom the work, involvement of parents in the school
based management committees bringsalot of development and educational effectiveness to
school parents abilities to perform differentfunctions, save problems and achieveobjectives
through the developed skills, findings from the study will make community members know that
they can serve as managers in the schoolmanagement committees and participate in decision
making of the school. Equally, future researchers in the related field of study will find this study
relevant as the findings from the study will serve as a reference materials for them.
1.8 Scope of the Study
This study titled ―Influence of School-Based Management Committees on the
Administration of Secondary Schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria‖ covers all the Secondary
Schools in North-west Zone, Nigeria, which comprises of seven (7) States; Kebbi, Sokoto,
Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa. The respondents of this study were M.O.E
officials, principals and teachers.
The population of this study was fifty five thousand three hundred and six (55,306) which
comprised one thousand four hundred and fourty (1440) MOE officials, three thousand and
seventy eight (3078) principals and fifty thousand seven hundred and eighty eight (50788)
teachers. The sampleof this study was three hundred and eighty nine. Sixty (60) MOE officials,
seventy nine (79) principals and two hundred and fifty (250) teachers in secondary schools in
North West Zone, Nigeria.
This study was also delimited to the extent to which school based management
committee influence decision making process, school community relationship, enrolment and
retention of students, staff development programmes, provision and management of instructional
facilities, provision of games and recreational facilities, maintenance of discipline and
extracurricular activities in secondary schools in North West Zone, Nigeria.
1.9 Operational Definitions of Terms
School Based Management Committee: Is a committee which comprises 17 members who
work towards school improvement.
Administration: running the affairs of a school towards goal
attainment
Extra-Curricular Activities: These are other programmes in schools apart from
teaching and learning
Decision Making Process: Takingchoice that leads to improvement and goal
attainment in schools.
Discipline good behaviour among students and staff
Games and Recreational Facilities Materials needed for sport and leisure
Health and Welfare Facilities facilities in school that improve the students and
staff wellbeing
Instructional Facilities Materials for teaching and learning
Secondary School: Level of school after primary Education
School-Community Relationship: Collaboration between school and community for
better teaching and learning in schools
Students’ Enrolment and Retention: Number of students admitted and stays in schools
Staff Development Programme: Capacity building of staff via seminars, workshops
and in-service training.
Staffing Situation: Recruitment, selection and placement of staff