STRATEGIES FOR FUND MANAGEMENT AND EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The educational sector's level of performance has been inextricably connected to the availability of resources. Among the resources required for the educational sector's efficient management, financing has been mentioned as a necessary tool. This is because finance is the lifeblood of the management and administration of the majority of the economy's sectors, including education. On this basis, UNESCO suggested that a nation allocate 26% of its yearly budget to the administration and management of the educational sector (Odia & Omofonmwan, 2007). This is because such a financing plan will contribute to the provision of both the quality and quantity of fundamental resources required for teaching and learning.

Secondary education is critical for both individual and national growth. The secondary school level serves as a transition between the elementary and secondary school levels. Secondary education is the education that children get following elementary school and before to entering the postsecondary stage between the ages of 12 and 18. (FRN, 2004). Secondary education's overarching purpose is to educate students for productive lives in society and for further education (FRN, 2004). The secondary school system is specifically designed to accommodate variances in abilities, opportunities, and future responsibilities, as well as to impart technical knowledge and vocational skills essential for agricultural, industrial, commercial, and economic growth (FRN, 2004). Secondary schools should be capable of delivering high-quality instruction and learning.

Various governments have made efforts over time to boost the level of funds available for the administration of secondary education. This is also true in Nigeria, where the government has significantly increased the amount of money set aside for educational development during the previous several years (Voice of Nigeria, 2013). The increase in financing is intended to raise the caliber of education supplied to residents, particularly in secondary schools. The government took this move to boost the quality of education at this level in the interest of national growth and development. This is consistent with the government's desire for education to serve as a vehicle for individual and national progress (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). As a result, efforts have been undertaken to increase the financial allocation to the educational sector, which includes secondary education.

According to Lesley (2013), numerous educational stakeholders have similarly emphasized the correlation between the quality of educational output and the quality of finance. Education, as a sort of social service, is a commodity that the government must supply to as many persons in the community as are willing and qualified to receive it. The government is anticipated to make a major contribution to the provision of this critical public service on this assumption.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Effective secondary school financing or funding is to provide high-quality education for citizens in order to foster national growth. The government, parents, and even students hope that students in Nigeria secondary schools would obtain a quality education provided the government and school administration or authority employ suitable administrative processes/strategies (Lesley 2013). However, observations indicate that many secondary schools in Nigeria appear to have inadequate management administrative processes/strategies, which results in low-quality education and has a direct or indirect effect on the educational achievement of many secondary school pupils in the nation. These ineffective management practices are evident in the areas of insufficient budget, insufficient infrastructure, and insufficient instructional materials availability, to name a few (Udobia 2014). These circumstances have been linked to low academic success among secondary school students, absenteeism, a high drop-out rate, and a high prevalence of test malpractice, as well as poor reading habits and recruitment into dangerous gangs such as cultism, to name a few.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The broad aim of this study is to assess the strategies for fund management and effective administration of secondary schools. Specifically, other objectives of this study are:

i.          To determine the extent fund management affects effective administration.

ii.        To examine the different sources of funds accessed by secondary schools for effective administration.

iii.      To examine the effects of funds mismanagement on the effective administration of secondary schools.

iv.      To examine the strategies employed by secondary schools for effective fund management and administration.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

i.          To what extent does fund management affect effective administration?

ii.        What are the different sources of funds accessed by secondary schools for effective administration?

iii.      What are the effects of funds mismanagement on the effective administration of secondary schools?

iv.      What are the strategies employed by secondary schools for effective fund management and administration?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The outcomes of this study will have a direct impact on school administrators, teachers, parents, students, the government, and future researchers. The findings of this study will educate school principals on the state of educational system and also provide them with viable methods for reversing this trend and improving the country's educational quality. The findings of this study will expose some administrative difficulties plaguing secondary school administration and will recommend some viable tactics for school principals to employ in order to eradicate them. Teachers will greatly benefit from this study's findings. This study will shed light on some of the teachers' issues that contribute to substandard teaching and learning in various secondary schools across the country. Teachers will be favored if school leaders accept and execute some of the measures proposed in this study to address these issues. They will be motivated to have a positive attitude about their jobs as their earnings are likely to improve. Parents will profit from the study's results. When instructors are well cared for, they will be enthusiastic about teaching their students. As a result, pupils will obtain a high-quality education and will also flourish academically, much to their parents' delight. Their parents will be overjoyed and proud of their children, but also relieved that the money they invest in their children's education is not wasted. The conclusions of this study will be very beneficial to students. It will expose students to high-quality instruction from motivated and moral teachers, enabling them to achieve academic greatness.

This report will act as a wake-up call for the state administration and will also provide insight into how to address these issues. After resolving these issues, the state's educational system will resurrect in all of its manifestations. The mass flight of teachers from the country (brain drain) will be significantly reduced.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The primary focus of this study is to is to assess the strategies for fund management and effective administration of secondary schools. Specifically, this study will focus on determining the extent fund management affects effective administration, examining the different sources of funds accessed by secondary schools for effective administration, examining the effects of funds mismanagement on the effective administration of secondary schools and examining the strategies employed by secondary schools for effective fund management and administration.

Principals and teachers of selected secondary schools in Gombe, Gombe State will serve as enrolled participants for the survey of this study.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The primary focus of this study is limted to assess the strategies for fund management and effective administration of secondary schools. Specifically, this study will be limited to determining the extent fund management affects effective administration, examining the different sources of funds accessed by secondary schools for effective administration, examining the effects of funds mismanagement on the effective administration of secondary schools and examining the strategies employed by secondary schools for effective fund management and administration.

Principals and teachers of selected secondary schools in Gombe, Gombe State will serve as enrolled participants for the survey of this study, thus the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument, therefore the results cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Strategies: Strategy is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty.

Fund management: Funds management is the overseeing and handling of an institution's cash flow.

Administration: The process or activity of running a business, organization, etc.

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