SECONDARY SCHOOL MANAGEMENT: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Management could be defined as a social process of making use of human and non-human resources to achieve organizational goals (onifade, 2004). Management involves planning, controlling, organizing, staffing, and leading, coordinating and directing the available resources (Adeleke, 2001). The central duty of management in any organization is to coordinate the efforts of people towards the achievement of the stated goals of that organization.

Management in our educational organizations, therefore, has as its basic functioned as the enhancement of teaching and learning. All the activities of School managers, whether working with parent-Teachers association (PTA), the professional staff or a contractor of supplies must, ultimately, contribute to this end, thus management as the component a re-concerned with facilitating the accomplishment of the objectives of an organization through the systematic management of constraint and careful utilization of the available limited resources, which include human materials, equipment, supplies, finance, space and work techniques of technology.

It is important to observe that ordinary citizens, instructional staffs including teachers and school managers each have an area of activity distributive to them. Also each level of activity must be related to the others or else there will be malfunction in the organization.

 The head of School and subordinates have the administrative responsibilities of directing the available resources towards actualization of the goals. They plan the classrooms and out-of –classroom activities for teachers and students. They co-ordinate the school activities in order to ensure that many programmes go on at the same time without conflicting with others.

More precisely, managers who raise money, who set up buildings, who institute accounting procedures, who organize levies for school uniforms and many other things they do without clear reference to these activities, may forget that management is not primary but it is always instrumental.

Managerial decisions of administration are valueless unless they are geared to the implementation of organizational goals.

Management is the pillar of every organization especially in secondary schools. Secondary- management comprises the school administrators, people who are in charge of managing the school.

Specifically they perform the following administrative duties:

1. Resources and programme planning and policymaking.
2. Provision and maintenance of funds and facilities.
3. Obtaining the development of personnel.
4. Improving of instructional programmes.
5. Student personnel services and maintenance of effective interrelationship with the community and external agencies.

According to Unugbro A. O. (2004) the most successful secondary school today are those that are translating modern management theories into practical action rather continuing to depend upon traditional individual management experience, trial and error method. Recently, we have witness the failure of many secondary schools (both secondaryacademic) not because they are worthless because they are poorly manages. According to Boyd and king (1983) education is a powerful instrument in transformation and modernization of society a commitment to the belief has characterized by intensive effort to extremely expansion of educational system opportunity have resulting phenomenal increase in higher number of school and in the study of environment of the students.

Unfortunately, the problems of staffing, planning, communication, directing and controlling in area of professional personnel, lack of facilities if the environment to be a conducive atmosphere, inadequate of institutional material, problems of administration strategies (RAS) higher population, finance and political reason (FAPR) have being apparent for the desire to lessen the effectiveness of their impediment in the teaching and learning process. In this era of technology (EOT) it is an advantage to introduce it to in other to promote the secondary school training and other scientific approach on the teaching industries.

Along side of this regards, secondary school  that is located at Edo State district with many confront with the problem of management as such secondary school in more generously the problem of management has become a complex task in higher institution. Due to social and economic change that is taking place in the complied with the over increment in knowledge and dynamic method of doing things. (This topic is therefore design to examine the problems of secondary school management).

1.2      PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this research is as follows:

1. To identify the problems or challenges experienced in Secondary School management in Esan West Local government Area.
2. To identify the roles of Local governments in Secondary School management in Esan West.
3. To identify the managerial and infrastructural needs of educational Institutions (secondary schools) in Esan West.
4. To identify the effects of staff Supervision and inspection in secondary School management in Esan West Local government area.

1.3      STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The researchers have observed from available literature that how to design and implement the solution of the difficulties encountered by Secondary School management has posed a great problem because an Identification of the problems of the Secondary School Management (in Esan West has been difficult).

Therefore, the problem is, how can the various factors responsible for difficulty in effectively managing the secondary schools be clearly identified? And having identified there, can they readily be solved?

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The call for accountability in our educational system is a call for a system that focuses on efficiency. In our changing society, with all its ever-increasing demands and expectations on the school system, the need for a study of this nature can hardly be over-emphasized. This research will be significant in the following ways:

(1)       It will help to improve the performance of the Secondary School managers in the achievement of the educational goals.

(2)       Heads of administrators and inspectors will have letter insight on how to increase the level of commitment for educational excellence.

(3)      It will help the professionals to understand the need for staff inspection and supervision in the secondary Schools.  

(4) It will help the in cultivating an effective communication flow among the principals, teachers, non-tutorial staff and students for the achievement of educational goals.

1.5     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the major challenges facing the Secondary School management in Esan West Local Government Area?
2. What factors contribute to these challenges?
3. What roles should the local government play in provision of infrastructural needs of Secondary Schools in Esan West?
4. Which method of supervision is best suited for effective school management?

1.6     DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study reviewed the problems encountered of the Secondary School managers in the local government area. The researchers also used a population method due to the nature of the research topic.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study encountered some limitations such as:

1. Finance: Financial limitation is foreseen due to restriction on materials and high cost involved on acquiring adequate materials.
2. Time: Research work is generally time consuming and the project work is expected to last for short period of time.
3. Group: As a group work, we encountered problem in organizing our selves. Some members of the group do not even identify with the group to know what is going on; this attitude generates disunity among the group which in return has adverse effect on the group research work.
4. Ignorance: Deuto the ignorance of some of the group members, we are not able to do the research work properly, in terms of visiting all the actual places.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Management: This is a group of people that come together and put the effort to achieve the objective of the institution

Population: The number of people that are in the school environment

School: This is the geographical area when learning takes place

Society: This is a group of people living in an area of land that have common interest, believe and share ideal

Educationist: This is the scholar in the academic career.

Effectiveness: The application of skill and knowledge

Problem: Barrier

Staff: These are the intellectual and skill teachers in the school