CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Introduction and Background to the Study
In education, the importance of human resource planning and management cannot be overemphasized. This is because, the role played by human resource management and planning on the achievement of education objectives cannot be neglected (Iyede, 1998). According to Odenu (2000), human resource planning and management involves planning, leading, directing and a number of other activities in order to achieve efficient utilization. Precisely, it involves integrating society’s needs with educational objectives, among other things.
In addition, the extent to which an organization like education, attains her objectives are directly proportional to the human resources available and their planning and management. In another development, Anyanwuocha (2000) described human resource as the most vital of the resources in the educational enterprise. The term, personnel administration refers to management of human resources, the acquisition of personnel and co-ordination of performance within the organization. Cubson (2005) opined that there are many literature in the area of human resource planning and management.
Peretomode (1991) and Nwangwu (1994), state that human researches planning and management are variously referred to as personnel management. They observed that human resource management and planning are that functions of all enterprises which provides for effective utilization of human resources in order to achieve both the objectives of the enterprise and the satisfaction and development of the employees. According to them, without the planning and management of human resources, the staff in the education sector would not be effectively harnessed and managed for effective utilization in education, especially in the teaching and learning processes.
The component of management concerned with facilitating the accomplishment of the objectives of an organization through the systematic management of constraints and careful utilization of the available, limited resources which include human, material, equipment supplies, finance and work techniques or technology is known as administration (Peretomode, 1991). According to him, while management deals with the formation of plans, organization of programmes and formulation of policies, administration is fundamentally concerned with the execution and implementation of the formulated policies, plans or ideas and programmes. As Amaonye (2000) puts it, administrators are more of implementers of policies and programmes rather than formulators of programmes and administration, like management, involves such elements and activities as planning, organizing, staffing, budgeting, coordinating, reporting and evaluating, but this is done on a smaller scale when it is compared with management.
According to Ezewu (1983), school management in the traditional sense is often thought of as involving the management and planning of human resource such as men (teachers and students), and perhaps money (school finance). The buildings, school space, and equipment are usually taken for granted for they are assumed to be there or “on the ground” as it were and therefore should not be given attention. But this assumption is unwarranted for they are actually not there.
Onyeuke (2000) observed that school facilities mean substantial costs to the school system for their establishment. According to him, if they are not properly maintained and managed, they depreciate and become dilapidated and even wear out faster than their normal “life span”. Also if not properly utilized, the school would not derive optimum benefits from their use.
As observed by Magbodule (1986), educational facilities are directly related with the school curriculum. Mgbodile (1986), described the school plant as the space interpretation of the school curriculum. According to him, the programmes of the school are expressed as it were through the school site, the buildings, play grounds the arrangement and design of the buildings and so on.
According to Amaobi (1990), the local place to start planning the educational resources or school facilities, is the development of the educational programme. The school educational programe should strongly influence the design of the school buildings. The basic principle here is that no educational facility should impose unwanted restrictions upon the educational programmes of the school building in the Nigerian school system.
School resource planning experts agree that curriculum development is a crucial aspect of school resources planning. For instance, no architect can design a functional educational need without a clear description of the educational programmes in the school (Castaldi, 1977).
As Onyeanwu (1990) puts it, it is advisable that considerable time should be devoted in developing the curriculum of the school before actual planning or designing of the school building by the architects. For instance, the architect should not only know what subjects would be taught, but should know the fundamental educational concepts and students’ experiences that underlie the design of the buildings. The architects should know what equipment is needed and how much space the teachers feel a student needs to perform each type of educational experience.
Given the increasingly volatile and complex nature and structure of the Nigerian school system, two basic factors are important for Nigerian educational success: capital and the human resource. Capital or fund, whether acquired through loans or government budgetary allocation, is by far, easier to manage, control and use optimally going by certain predetermined economic and managerial parameters. On the other hand, the acquired quantity and quality of the human resource is often hard to acquire as at when needed unless the need is preceded by long term planning (Banjoko, 1986).
By its nature, the human resource is complex, unpredictable and sometimes difficult to change. It required long period of development, and may not be available in the right quantity or quality when needed. Yet it is the most vital and critical resource required for organizational or institutional performance. According Nwachukwu (2000), teachers significantly affect the success of school as an organization. Teachers, depending on how they are selected and acquired, will bring few or many problems to the school. This is because, people often make their own as well as organizational life relatively pleasant or unpleasant. In short, the viability, growth and survival of any organization are tied to the availability of competent and well developed staff within the organization at the appropriate time.
Human resource planning can therefore, be described as that part of the overall organization, planning process by which an organization tries to ensure that it had the right number of staff and the right kind of staff at the right time, at the right places performing functions which are economically useful and which satisfy the needs of the organization and equally provides satisfaction for the individuals involved (Rowland, 1999).
In Nigeria school system, it is one thing to plan for human resource, it is another thing to manage and implement that which has been planned. According to Onuoha (2001), the implementation of the existing human resource is faulty. Planning for manpower in any organization such as the school, is as important as the implementation of the plan. Implementation of any plan, be it human resource or the curriculum of any school system, is where there is a lot of problem in this country. Any plan without proper execution or implementation, cannot be said to be in existence.
Statement of the Problem
The problem inherent in the examination of educational resources for school effectiveness in selected secondary schools cannot be overemphasized. This is because it is seemingly impossible for the secondary school system to grow and flourish without adequate plans being put in place and implemented on educational resources which include financial resources, physical resources and human resources (Adeogun, 1992). The planning for educational resources in Nigeria lacks effective implementation. No wonder there is under utilization of the human and material resources planned for the Nigerian education system. In most cases, some of the educational planners and managers of the Nigerian educational system are not experts and well experienced in planning and management of education. For instance, in many cases there is putting round whole in square pegs sort of employment and placement of those who plan our human and material resources for education in Nigeria (Asoluka, 2000) and this has caused the problem of educational growth and development in Nigeria today.
The above identified problems gave rise to the examination of the relationship between resource planning and school organizational performance in selected secondary schools in Lagos State.
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study were:
(1) To ascertain whether educational planning process affects the utilization of educational resources in the school.
(2) To examine whether there is a relationship between adequate provision of educational resources and teacher performance in Lagos State secondary schools.
(3) To ascertain the types of relationship existing between educational resources planning and teacher’s job performance in the school.
(4) To calculate the relationship between teachers’ experience and their educational resources in the schools.
(5) To determine whether gender make a difference in the work performance among male and female teachers in Lagos State secondary schools.
Research Questions
The following research questions were raised in this study:
(1) To what extent does educational planning process affect the utilization of educational resources in the school?
(2) What types of relationship exists between adequate provision of educational resources and teacher performance in Lagos State secondary schools?
(3) What types of relationship exists between educational resources planning and teacher’s job performance in the school?
(4) Would teachers’ work experience closely relate to adequacy of educational resources in the schools?
(5) Does gender constitute difference in the work performance among male and female teachers in Lagos State secondary schools?
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:
(1) There will be no significant relationship between planned educational and the utilization of educational resources in the school?
(2) There will be no significant relationship between planning of educational resources and resource utilization in the school.
(3) There will be no significant relationship between educational resources planning and teacher’s job performance in the school.
(4) There will be no significant relationship between teachers’ experience and educational resources planning.
(5) There will be no significant gender difference in the work performance of teachers due to educational planned resources.