CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the study
The
Management and administration of the Nigeria Educational system is by law
vested concurrently in the hands of the Federal, State and Local Government.
Whereas the Federal and State Governments carry out their responsibility and
duties on education through the respective ministries of Education which
according to Ajayi and Oni (1992) essentially render administrative and
professional services, the Local Government administers elementary education
under its jurisdiction through Local Governments Education Authority. The
contribution of the three tiers of governments is equally complemented by the
efforts of the private entrepreneurs and professional associations such as the
Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and
corporate agencies, among others. In addition, there have been commendable
efforts of philanthropists and community members who are committed to reviving
education service delivery in Nigeria. Conscious of the fact that success in
the realization of educational goals depends largely on the teacher, the
National Policy on Education, FRN (2004), recognizes that the quality of
education is guaranteed by teacher effectiveness. The teacher’s task is to
teach, educate, provide educational guidance, promote the quest for scientific
knowledge and conduct regular assessment (FRN, 2004).In view of the important
and diverse nature of the teacher’s job, the necessary resources and conducive
working environment must be provided to facilitate the effective execution of
his/her task. The provision of favourable physical and psychological working
environment is the task of school administrators. The quality of such
administrative service transcends location so that principals and teachers in
all schools are supposed to be offered a fair and equal opportunity to be
effective. This is particularly important because the practice in the state has
been that education zonal offices are located in the local government council
headquarters and they appear to concentrate on schools nearby. As a result,
teachers in the distant areas stand the risk of being deprived of needed
motivation because the officers in the zonal offices do not extend their
services to such areas. The most important factor in teaching is the teacher,
not technique method or curriculum because he translates all these into
meaningful learning experiences for students, (Abiogu and Ugwuja 2007). Next to
the quality of the teacher is the quality of administrative services provided
in schools to enhance effective teaching. By implication, teacher effectiveness
goes along with the quality of administrative services provided, A teacher here
refers to one who guides and tutors another towards the acquisition of desired
knowledge and skills, The concept of teacher effectiveness is elusive given
that teaching is a complex activity (Zeichner, 2006) However for the purpose of
this study, teacher effectiveness refers to the process of the teacher’s
interaction with the students in educating them and students performance in
tests and examinations (Hughes, 2001). In Benue State constraints to teacher
effectiveness are multiple Ada, (2000) identifies some to include: a)lack of
professional training b)physical characteristics of the teacher, c) personality
traits, and d) administrative constraints. In the first instance, teaching is
one of the most difficult jobs because human behaviour is complex and difficult
to modify or change especially if one is not equipped to do so, (Abottchampman
, Hughes & Wyld, 1992). This lack of professional training becomes a major
constraint to teacher effectiveness .Physical characteristics such as voice
quality and non-verbal communication skills and such effective qualities as
fairness, patience, humour and concern for 3 students can enhance teacher
effectiveness (Dimmock, 2005). Therefore a teacher who lacks these qualities
will likely fail to foster the social, emotional and psychological development
of the child. Other personal attributes that can affect teacher effectiveness
include: good health, punctuality, regularity and fairness (Okoh, 1990). In
addition, personality traits such as self-concept, aggressiveness, locus of
control and attitude to work in general, are believed to affect effectiveness.
These personal attributes are particularly desirable if the teacher is to view
teaching as a cause beyond oneself (Dimmock, 2005). This implies that love for
the job itself will lead to greater commitment and self sacrifices, without
which teaching becomes a stop over to other jobs or just another boring means
of earning a living. In such a situation teacher effectiveness is sacrificed.
Some of the contributing factors to teacher effectiveness, of course, lie on
the school administration. The decision to dwell on administrative constraints
stems from various factors. In Benue State, 90% of teachers in government
secondary schools are trained,(Benue State Education Summit Digest,2005). The
premise is that they possess adequate professional competencies. Secondly, this
researcher shares the views of Bello, (2000) that it is possible for teachers
lacking desirable physical and effective traits to be given adequate training
and provided conducive working environment. Thirdly, because of fewer job
opportunities in Benue State, due to lack of industrialization, some people going
4 into teaching are just looking for job and need to be highly motivated by
school administrators to be effective
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
School
leadership and management style are also important factors, which can either
motivate or lower teacher morale and commitment. Nwankwo (1984) found that
teachers feel highly motivated when they are consulted about decisions
regarding their work. Unfortunately, too high a proportion of school managers
(principals and head teachers) are highhanded and autocratic in their dealings
with teachers (Ayeni 2005). The attitude of inspectors towards teachers in
supervising their work is another important workrelated motivational factor.
Bamisaye (1998) found that unfair administrative and supervisory practices tend
to undermine teacher morale. it is in view of the above that the researcher
intends to investigate the impact of the Nigerian union of teachers (NUT) on
the management of educational crises in secondary schools in Nigeria.
1.3 OBJECTIVE
OF THE STUDY
The
main objective of the study is to ascertain the impact of Nigerian union of
teachers on the management of educational crises in secondary schools in
Nigeria; but to aid the completion of the study, the researcher intends to
achieve the following specific objectives;
i)
To ascertain the impact of NUT in the management of crises in secondary schools
in Nigeria
ii)
To examine the role of NUT in combating the menace of mismanagement in
secondary schools
iii)
To examine the effect of NUT on the management style of secondary schools in
Nigeria
iv)
To ascertain if there is any relationship between NUT and crises management in
secondary schools
1.4 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESES
To
aid the completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were
formulated by the researcher;
H0: NUT
has no significant impact on the management of crises in secondary schools.
H1: NUT
has a significant impact on the management of crises in secondary schools.
H02: NUT
does not play any role in combating the menace of mismanagement in secondary
schools.
H2: NUT
does not play a role in combating the menace of mismanagement in secondary
schools.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
It
is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of
benefit to the management of secondary schools across the country weather
private or public in combatting administrative crises in their schools, the
study will also be of benefit to the executives of the Nigerian union of
teachers, as the findings will guide them on how to used their organization in
influencing management style and decision making in favor of her members. The
study will also be of benefit to researchers who intend to embark on a similar
topic as the study will serve as a pathfinder to futher studies, and finally
the study will be of great benefit to the managements of secondary schools,
students, pupils and academia as the findings will also add to the pool of
existing literature
1.6 SCOPE
AND LIMITATION 0F THE SRYDY
The
scope of the study covers the impact of NUT Nigeria union of teacher on the
management of educational crises in secondary schools in Nigeria. But in the
cause of the studies there were some factors which limited the scope of the
study;
a)
AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The
research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting
the study
b)
TIME: The time frame allocated to the study
does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic
activities and examinations with the study.
c)
Organizational privacy: Limited Access to the selected auditing
firm makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information
concerning the activities.
1.7
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
NUT: The
National Union of Teachers was a trade union for school teachers in England,
Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades
Union Congress
Management
Management
is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a not-for-profit
organization, or government body.
Crises
A
crisis is any event that is going to lead to an unstable and dangerous
situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole society
Management
crises
Crisis
management is the process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and
unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or
the general public
1.8
ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
This
research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows
Chapter
one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the
study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study,
research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the
study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two
highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the
review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and
methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data
collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives
summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study