principals’ administrative process strategies for the

1

PRINCIPALS’ ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS STRATEGIES FOR

THE ACHIEVEMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN SECONDARY

SCHOOLS IN KOGI STATE

BY

ABDULRAHAMAN MUHAMMED

PG/M.Ed/12/62642

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS

(ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING)

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

JUNE, 2014

i

TITLE PAGE

PRINCIPALS’ ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS STRATEGIES FOR

THE ACHIEVEMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN SECONDARY

SCHOOLS IN KOGI STATE

BY

ABDULRAHAMAN MUHAMMED

PG/M.Ed/12/62642

A RESEARCH PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA,

NSUKKA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS DEGREE IN

EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND

PLANNING

JUNE, 2014

ii

APPROVAL PAGE

This thesis has been approved for the Department of Educational

Foundations, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

BY

__________________________ ______________________

DR (MRS) A.I. OBOEGBULEM DR. S.C. UGWOKE

SUPERVISOR INTERNAL SUPERVISOR

___________________________ ____________________

PROF. G.C. UNACHUKWU DR. D.U. NGWOKE

EXTERNAL EXAMINER HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

_____________________________

PROF. I.C.S. IFELUNNI

DEAN, FACULTY OF EDUCATION

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CERTIFICATION

Abdulrahaman Muhammed, a postgraduate student in the Department

of Educational Foundations, with Registration Number PG/M.Ed/12/62642

has satisfactorily completed the requirements for the Degree of Masters of

Education (M.Ed) in Educational Administration and planning. The work

embodied in this dissertation is original and has not been submitted in part or

full for any other diploma or degree of this or any other university.

____________________________ __________________________

ABDULRAHAMAN MUHAMMED DR (MRS) A.I. OBOEGBULEM

STUDENT SUPERVISOR

iv

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to the memory of my late father,

Abdulrahaman Yusuf and my elder sister, Barikisu Abdulrahaman.

v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to use this medium to express my profound appreciation to the

God Almighty, for his mercies and protection over me and for giving me the

knowledge, good health and the ability to put this work together. With utmost

humility, I am sincerely grateful to my supervisor, Dr (Mrs) Angie Oboegbulem

for her encouragement, corrections, suggestions, and guidance throughout the

period of this work.

My sincere appreciation also goes to my indefatigable lecturers: Prof.

Nelson Ogbonnaya, Dr. L. Ejionueme, Dr. S.C. Ugwoke, Dr (Mrs) G.T.U.

Chiaha, Dr. P.N. Onwuasoanya and Dr. L.U. Onuigbo for their encouragement,

valuable suggestions, corrections and advice from the beginning to the end of

this research work.

I am also indepted to Engr. Chimereze .I.I. Egbu, Alhaji Baba Ali,

Hassan Ali, Fatima Baba Ali, Zainab Baba Ali, Mr. Momoh Jimoh, Faith, and

Ejiofor who has contributed in one way or the other to my academic pursuit.

The researcher is also grateful to all his friends, colleague and well wishers.

My profound appreciation also goes to my wife, Mrs. Aishat

Abdulrahaman and children for their prayers, understanding, encouragement

and inspiration in the course of my academic pursuit.

Finally, to all those mentioned above and others too numerous to mention

who has contributed in one way or the other towards the success of this work, I

pray God Almighty to richly bless and reward them abundantly Amen.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i

Approval Page ii

Certification Page iii

Dedication iv

Acknowledgements v

Table of Contents vi

List of Tables viii

Abstract ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

Background of the Study 1

Statement of the Problem 12

Purpose of the Study 13

Significance of the Study 13

Scope of the Study 16

Research Questions 16

Hypotheses 17

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 18

Conceptual Framework 18

Concept of Principalship 18

Concept of Quality 21

Concept of Quality Assurance 24

Concept of Administration 29

Theoretical Framework 31

Systems Theory 31

Human Relations Theory 33

Administrative Theory 34

Review of Empirical Studies 35

Summary of Literature Review 46

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD 48

Design of the Study 48

Area of the Study 48

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Population of the Study 49

Sample and Sampling Technique 49

Instrument for Data Collection 50

Validation of the Instrument 51

Reliability of the Instrument 51

Method of Data Collection 52

Method of Data Analysis 52

CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF RESULTS 54

Summary of Major Findings 65

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION,

IMPLICATION, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SUMMARY 69

Discussion of Findings 69

Conclusion 74

Implications of the Study 77

Recommendations 79

Limitations of the Study 79

Suggestions for Further Research 80

Summary of the Study 80

REFERENCES 82

APPENDICES

Appendix A: List of 228 Government-Owned Secondary Schools in

the 21 Local Government Area of Kogi State 88

Appendix B: Questionnaire on Principal’s Quality Assurance

Strategies for Effective Secondary School Administration

in Kogi State 100

Appendix C: Copies of Validated Instrument 105

Appendix D: Reliability Test 108

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1 Mean Ratings of Male and Female Principals on the Planning

Strategies for the Achievement of Quality Assurance in

Secondary Schools 54

2. Mean Ratings of Male and Female Principals on the Organizing



3. Mean Ratings of Male and Female Principals on the staff

Personnel strategies for the Achievement of quality

Assurance in Secondary Schools 58

4. Mean Ratings of Male and Female Principals on the Coordinating

Strategies for the Achievement of Quality Assurance in secondary

Schools 60

5. Mean Ratings of Male and Female Principals on the Budgeting



6. Summary of t-test on the difference between the Mean Rating of

Male and Female Principals on Principals’ Planning

Strategies for Achievement of Quality Assurance in Secondary

School in Kogi State 64

7. Summary of t-test on the difference between the Mean Rating of

Male and Female Principals on the Principals’ Organizing

Strategies for Achievement of Quality Assurance in Secondary

School in Kogi State 65

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Abstract

This study sought to examine principals’ administrative process strategies for the

achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State. The design of the

study was a descriptive survey. Five research questions and two null hypotheses guided

the study. The population of the study comprised 228 respondents. The sample of the

study consisted of 228 principals. Questionnaire was used as instrument for data

collection. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions,

while t-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.

The findings of the study indicate that the principals’ planning strategies for quality

assurance in secondary schools include preparation of school time table on time among

others. There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of male and female

principals on the principals’ planning strategies for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools; the principals’ organizing strategies for quality

assurance in secondary schools comprise making proper arrangements prior to any

external examination among others. While organizing programmes like debate

and quiz competition during special assembly at least once in a week among

others is not the principals’ organizing strategies for the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools; there is no significant difference between

the mean ratings of male and female principals on the principals’ organizing strategies

for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools; the principals’ staff

personnel strategies for quality assurance in secondary schools comprise taking

regular attendance of staff members among others while delegation of duties

and responsibilities to staff and encouraging staff professional growth by

encouraging teachers to undergo on- the- job training like seminars among

others is not the principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools; the principals’ coordinating strategies

for quality assurance in secondary schools include ensuring that every teacher is

working towards the attainment of school goals among others; the principals’

budgeting strategies for quality assurance in secondary schools include making

sure that various departmental needs are forwarded by heads of department or

subject coordinator for inclusion in the school budget among others. The

study concluded among others that proper use of the documented planning,

organizing, coordinating, staff personnel, and budgeting strategies by school principals

could promote quality assurance in secondary school administration. From the findings

and implications of the study, it was recommended among others that state government

should appoint capable and qualified persons as principals in order to implement the

documented administrative strategies for quality assurance in secondary school

administration.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Education could be seen as an instrument for achieving socio-

economic and technological growth and development of any nation. It is an

instrument par-excellence and the means of developing human intellect,

technical skills, character and effective citizenship for self-reliance and

effective national development (FRN, 2004). A simple way of appreciating

education is that it is a tool or a necessary weapon that is needed by every

human being in order to effectively navigate this complex world (Aguba,

2009). Education in essence is the most effective instrument for academic

progress, social mobilization, political survival and effective national

development of a country, it constitutes the single largest enterprise in

Nigeria (Akpa, 2002). The educational policy of any nation is to achieve

education for all (E.F.A.) (Moest, 2008). The priority is to ensure equitable

access and improvement in the quality and efficiency of all level of

education.

The concern of the principal of secondary school is to direct the

activities of teachers, students and other staff in the school towards the

school objectives. The roles to be performed by the school principal can be

categorized into two, namely:

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� supervision of school programmes which include: curricula and extra

curricula activities (allocation of schedule of duty or subjects, school

time table, school organization, etc.)

� interpersonal relation which involves school discipline, evaluation of

teachers performance, community support and involvement, helping

in solving staff and student personal problems e.t.c.

The principal of a school is a planner, director, controller, coordinator,

organizer, adviser and a problem-solver (Maduabuchi, 2002). He identifies

and set goals and objectives of the school, which of course, must be in line

with the national objectives, analyses tasks and share responsibilities to the

staff according to specialization and expertise (Ugochi, 2007). The status of

secondary school principal is not gender discriminating. Therefore, a

principal can either be a male or female. A good principal should champion

the course of quality assurance in his or her school to ensure a better school

administration.

The ultimate goal of education administration at all levels is to

develop an all inclusive and quality education that is accessible and relevant

for self reliance. This is guided by the understanding that good education

contributes significantly to economic growth, improvement of employment

prospects and income generating opportunities for sustainable development.

For qualitative education to be achieved in a nation, the teacher (human

resources) financial and instructional facilities (material resources) must be

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co-operatively organized. In other words, the teacher in secondary school

must be well trained and supervised (assisted), the learners continuously

evaluated and funds and facilities adequately provided.

There is a number of administrative processes that exist to assist the

administrator in carrying out his day-to-day activities. An administrator who

ignores these processes is likely to encounter problems in the task of school

administration. Hence, administration is seen as a collection of processes

dealing with the various ways in which human and material resources are

utilized to achieve set goals in an organization. These processes include such

elements as planning, decision making, organizing, coordinating, motivating,

directing, evaluating, staffing, and budgeting. Enyi in Ogbonnaya (2013)

stressed that administrative process can therefore be regarded as the sum

total of the various processes of planning, organizing, stimulating,

coordinating, staffing, budgeting, communication and evaluating, which aid

administrators in the utilization of resources in the achievement of

organizational goals.

Within the school system, virtually all the various aspect of the school

programmes and activities should be planned. According to Oboegbulem

(2011) planning is the process of deciding in advance, the methods and

procedures which an individual, group or organization intends to follow in

order to accomplish its outlined objectives. The important thing in planning

is to decide, in advance, the objectives to be achieved and how to utilize the

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available resources in achieving these objectives. In other words, to plan is to

decide in advance what is to be done and how to do it. The scarcity of

resources makes the need more necessary, since the little available resources

have to be evenly spread to reach every competing segment.

No administrator can function alone without the assistance of others.

Thus, in other to achieve the set educational objectives, the administrator

must have a frame work or structure for his school on which posts are

created and assigned to people. Enyi (1999) sees organizing in schools as

an administrative process of having a structure and assigning people to the

posts for the purpose of performing specific duties. It is sometimes seen as a

process on which an administrator identifies and groups the work to be done

in smaller units, and assigns people to the various units with relevant

materials and authority. Organizing in schools enables the principal to assign

duties to academic and non academic staff according to competence and it

tends to minimize conflict in schools, since each person knows what to do.

Organizing helps the principal to coordinate the various organizational

activities, since he is aware of the various assignments given to individuals.

Principals, who are charged with the responsibility of utilizing human

and material resources in schools, need to have the ability to coordinate these

resources in order to achieve the desired results. Nwankwo (1982),

explained coordination as a process whereby an orderly pattern of group

effort is developed to ensure unity of action in the pursuit of common goals.

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Thus, a secondary school with various departments, units and individuals

with different functions need to be properly coordinated to ensure that the set

school objectives are achieved. Coordination may therefore be defined as the

process of directing and harmonizing resources and group activities for

achieving set educational goals without friction.

In the school situation, staff personnel administration forms an

important responsibility of the school administration in achieving the goals

of the school in particular and education in general. Staffs in the secondary

schools include not only the teachers, but also non teaching staff, clerk,

watchmen, labourers, cooks, and laboratory attendants. Teaching and non-

teaching staff are important tools in the hands of the secondary school

principals in achieving educational objectives.

The functional scope of staff personnel administration as stated in

Enyi 1999, includes responsibilities of the administrator in;

� Determining the personnel needs of the school, (tutorial and non-

tutorial);

� Satisfying personnel needs;

� Maintaining and improving services of the staff.

In educational institution, the budget is prepared by the bursary

department or finance office as the case may be. Ogbonnaya (2005) had

defined budget as the financial statement of the proposed expenditure and

expected revenue of the government, public corporations, or educational

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institution for a particular period of time. The budget usually covers a period

of one year. It shows clearly the expected income and proposed expenditure

of government or an educational institution for the coming year. The

principal must be sure of what revenue is to be anticipated and from what

sources it is to be derived before preparing his budget for the school. Budget

controls the financial behavior of principals in a school system and prevent

waste or reckless spending of fund provided for various educational services.

The administrative dealings of various secondary schools in Kogi state

seems to have been hindered by numerous problems. These problems may

include: poor supervision, conflict among teachers, inadequate funding,

inadequate facilities, lack of principal-teacher relationship, and poor

leadership styles of the principal among others. Some school principals in

Kogi State seem to lack vision, there appears to be inadequate job analysis

and work plan with poor instructional supervision which culminated into

poor curriculum delivery in schools and consequently poor academic

performance by the students. As far as the position of a principal is

concerned, the issue of “gender” is very crucial because a principal could

either be a male (man) or female (female).

Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities,

and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.

To put it another way: "Male" and "female" are sex categories, while

"masculine" and "feminine" are gender categories (Ivan, 2008). Gender plays

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a very important role when it comes to the position of a principal. In any

secondary school, a principal can either be male or female i.e man or

woman. Some critics are of the view that women (females) have a better

charisma as far as the job of principalship is concerned. Another set of critics

refuted their idea and came up with an assertion that men (male) have

principalship proficiency in them naturally and therefore should be

considered a better gender for this profession than women. Other critics

totally disagree with their conjecture, but opined that everyone is capable of

becoming a principal; both men and women (male and female) provided they

are qualified and have acquired a sound leadership and administrative

experience. For the administrative processes to be effective in achieving

quality assurance there is need to adopt some administrative process

strategies (Ivan, 2008).

Administrative process strategy is a concerned with shaping an

organization in the right part towards the achievement of its goal. Some of

the administrative process strategies of the principals include planning

strategy, organizing strategy, staff personnel strategy, coordinating strategy

and budgeting strategy. These administrative strategies are pertinent in the

achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools.

Quality assurance is a process of ensuring effective resource input,

control, refining the processes and raising the standard of output in order to

meet the set goals. Ayeni, (2012) opined that quality assurance in education

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is the efficient management, monitoring, evaluation and reviews of the

resource inputs and transformation process (teaching and learning) to

produce a quality output (students) that meets set standards and expectations

of the society. Quality assurance in education aims at preventing quality

problems and ensures that the products of the system conform to the

expected standards. Thus, the quality of education is the degree of excellence

of the output (students) which can be achieved through principals’ effective

administrative strategy. Mckeown (2011) argues that “quality assurance

strategy is about shaping the future “and is the human attempt to get to

“desirable ends with available means”.

Quality assurance is an organization guarantee that the product or

service it offers meets the accepted quality standards (Lopez, 2003). It is

achieved by identifying what "quality" means in context; specifying methods

by which its presence can be ensured; and specifying ways in which it can be

measured to ensure conformity. Quality assurance is a component of quality

management and it is focused on providing confidence so that quality

requirements will be fulfilled (Flanna, 2008). It can be said to be Processes

and procedures for ensuring that qualifications, assessment and programme

delivery meet certain standards. Quality assurance relates to the achievement

of educational program standards established by institutions, professional

organizations, government, and/or standard-setting bodies established by

government. Walklin (2002) defined quality assurance as the avoidance of

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non-performance by pre-empting failure through proper planning, execution,

monitoring and evaluation. It is a way of managing an organization so that

every job, every process, is implemented right at first time and always.

Quality assurance in the school system implies the ability of the

educational institutions to meet the expectations of the users of manpower in

relation to the quality of skills required by their outputs. It can be said to be

the abilities of the schools to meet certain criteria relating to academic

matters, staff – student ratios, staff development, physical facilities, funding,

and adequate library facilities (Ajayi and Adegbesan, 2007). Quality

assurance in the school system refers to all the activities that are conducted

in order to achieve or maintain a certain acceptable quality level. It is an

avoidance of defects in the education process. Cole (1996) opined that

quality assurance in any educational institution indicates that students’

learning is well supported with adequate resources and that those actively

involved both in school administration and teaching have clear job

descriptions and know their job responsibilities. It involves a series of

operational techniques and activities which include all the actions taken in

order for the quality requirement to be met.

Quality assurance in education is a totality of the combination of some

indispensable variables such as quality teachers, quality instructional

materials and quality infrastructures (classrooms, seats, tables, chalkboards,

etc.). Others include: favourable teacher/pupil ratio, favourable

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pupils/classroom ratio, and quality instructional supervision. Quality

assurance means putting in place appropriate structures, legislations,

supervision of personnel and materials in order to ensure that set minimum

standards are attained, sustained and seen to have meaningful impact on the

society. There seems to be a sharp decline in the quality of education system

in most of the public schools in Kogi State. Indicators of such declining

quality and wastage in the education system may include: high drop-out and

failure rates, rampant examination malpractices, poor reading and writing

skills among students at all levels. There is evidence of client reaction as

many parents take their children to private schools within and outside the

state.

Adedoja (2010) explained that quality assurance have increasingly and

significantly become the strongest parameters for determining the relevance

and a functionality of education, especially in developing countries where

reform regimes in the sector have become imperative for meeting the

Education For All and Millennium Development Goals targets. But, inspite

of the importance of quality in education, it continues to pose serious

challenge to education sector, which is strategic for national and regional

development. Quality assurance in education, according to Adedoja (2010),

refers to the modalities for evolving, monitoring and re-appraising indices,

benchmarks and good practices within an education system. Ukeje (2003)

explain that quality assurance in a school setting is made possible through

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proper planning by the management which involves all the staff in the

functions of planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation using set

standards and objectives. There is need to uphold quality assurance in

secondary schools to ensure a successful school administration.

Secondary education is crucial in both personal and national

development. Secondary school level is the bridge between the primary and

tertiary levels. Secondary education is the education children receive after

primary education and before the tertiary stage within the range of 12 to 18

years (FRN, 2004). The broad goal of secondary education is to prepare the

individual for useful living in the society and for higher education (FRN,

2004). Specifically, the secondary school system is geared towards catering

for the differences in talents, opportunities and future roles, to provide

technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural,

industrial, commercial and economic development (FRN, 2004). Secondary

school should be able to provide quality teaching and learning.

The importance of secondary education cannot be over emphasized

since it has both consumer and producer status. This is because it consumes

the product of primary schools and produce candidates for tertiary education

in the nation. Realizing the need to improve the reducing secondary

education quality which had been partly attributed to ineffective principals’

administrative process strategies which ought to be repositioned through

improvement of administrative process strategies of principals.

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Given this background, the aim of the present study is to examine and

identify principals’ administrative strategy for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools in Kogi state.

Statement of the Problem

Ideally, secondary school administration is expected to promote

quality assurance in Education of the citizens for national development. It is

the expectation of the government, parents and even students that quality

education is received by students in Nigeria secondary schools through the

adoption of appropriate administrative process/ strategies by the principals.

However, observations have shown that there seems to be poor

principals’ administrative process/strategies which have led to poor quality

assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State. This can be seen in the areas

of inadequate funding, inadequate facilities, poor instructional supervision,

conflict among teachers, poor vision of the principals, poor principal teacher

relationship and poor administrative style of the principals among others.

These situations seem to have led to poor academic achievement among the

secondary school students, high drop-out rate, and high rate of examination

malpractice, poor reading and writing cultures among others.

The above situation should not be allowed to continue, hence the

problem of this study put in question form is, ‘what are the principals

administrative process/strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in

secondary schools in Kogi State’?

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Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to examine principals’

administrative process strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in

secondary schools in Kogi State.

Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Determine principals’ planning strategies for the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

2. Ascertain principals’ organizing strategies for the achievement of


3. Find out principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement of


4. Identify principals’ coordinating strategies for the achievement of


5. Determine principals’ budgeting strategies for the achievement of


Significance of the study

This study has both theoretical and practical significance. The

theoretical foundation of this study is hinged on the Schwartz theory of

planning. The Schwartz theory states that every problems of mankind is

surmountable provided a suitable planning approach is adopted and

implemented correctly. The Schwartz asserts that in any condition

whatsoever there must be a light at the end of the tunnel. The theory also

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states that before any problem is discovered in the world, the solution has

already been in existence, it is a matter of planning. Schwartz proclaimed

that good planning can achieve one or more goals under conditions of

uncertainty. The concepts of this theory can be a guide and also boost the

confidence of secondary school principals in their bid to map out some

administrative process strategies to achieve quality assurance in their various

schools.

The findings of this study will be practically significant to school

principals, teachers, parents, students, Kogi state government, and future

researchers.

The findings of this study will acquaint school principals on the poor

quality educational system in Kogi state and also offer them credible

strategies to restrain such trend and improve the quality of learning in the

state. The findings of this study will unearth some administrative problems

ravaging secondary school administration in Kogi state and suggest some

possible strategies which can be adopted by school principals to abolish such

problems.

Teachers will benefit immensely from the findings of this study. This

study will unveil some of the teachers’ problems which lead to poor teaching

and learning in various secondary schools in Kogi state. As the school

principals adopt and implement some strategies suggested in this study in

their bid to solve these problems, teachers will be favored. They will be

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motivated in other to exhibit high morale in their job as their salaries are

likely to be increased.

Parents will benefit from the findings of this study. When adequate

care is given to teachers, they will be happy to teach their students with

enthusiasm. Consequently, students will receive quality education and also

excel academically to the glory of their parents. Their parents will not only

be glad and proud of their children, but they will also be elated that the

money they are investing in their children’s’ education is not in vain. The

findings of this study will benefit students colossally. It will help them

experience quality sound teaching from motivated and high morale teachers,

which will enable them attain academic excellence.

The findings of this study will be very beneficial to Kogi state

government. It will uncover the academic and administrative problems

which is the root of low quality educational and administrative system that

has been obliterating various secondary schools in Kogi state in the recent

time. This study will serve as an eye-opener to the state government and also

give her an insight on how to tackle these problems. Having eliminated these

problems, the educational system in the state will revive in all ramifications.

Mass exodus of teachers (brain drain) from the state will reduce drastically.

Kogi state will be rated highly as one the best educationally developed state

in Nigeria and in diaspora. The findings of this study will be added to the

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existing literatures. Researchers in a similar field of study will also find the

results of this study very interesting and useful.

Scope of the Study

This study is delimited to all the government owned secondary schools

in Kogi state. There are 228 public secondary schools in Kogi State. The

content scope focused on principals’ administrative process strategies for the

achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State. These

include: principals’ planning strategies, principals’ organizing strategies,

principals’ staff personnel strategies, the principals’ coordinating strategies,

and the principals’ budgeting strategies for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study.

1. What are the principals’ planning strategies for the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State?

2. What are the principals’ organizing strategies for the achievement of


3. What are the principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement

of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State?

4. What are the principals’ coordinating strategies for the achievement of


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5. What are the principals’ budgeting strategies for the achievement of


Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses formulated will guide the study, and

will be tested at 0.05 level of significance.

H01: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of male

and female principals on principals’ planning strategies for

achievement of quality assurance in secondary school in kogi State.

H02: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of male

and female principals on principals’ organizing strategies for

achievement of quality assurance in secondary school in kogi State.

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CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

In this chapter, literature related to this study was reviewed under the

following sub-headings: conceptual framework, theoretical framework,

empirical studies and summary of literature reviewed.

Conceptual Framework - Concept of Principalship

- Concept of Quality

- Concept of Quality Assurance

- Concept of Administration

Theoretical Framework - Systems Theory

- Human Relations Theory

- Administrative Theory

Empirical Studies

- Studies Related to Quality Assurance

- Studies Related to Quality Assurance Strategies

- Studies Related to Secondary School Administration

Summary of Literature Review

Conceptual Framework

Concept of Principalship

A principal is the head administrator of a school, especially a grade

school or a secondary school. Encyclopedia of Education (2002) posits that

the title of principal is an appropriate designation for the chief administration

of a school. Udoh and Akpa (2001) refer to the principal as the executive

head of a secondary school. The early school principalship was given to any

teacher found to possess some sign of demonstrable administrative ability. A

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teacher with academic qualifications and the right type of personality could

be appointed the administrative head in addition to full – time teaching duty.

Many of such principals were preoccupied with such takes as scheduling,

attendance taking; reporting among others. the idea of a principal serving as

a teacher as well as an administrator continues today in small urban

communities and most rural areas (Ukeje, 2002). As school became more

complex, the principal was relieved at least some part of the teaching duties.

In Nigeria schools the principalship has evolved from the position and

performance of teachers. Hence, the title of principal usually refers to the

head of a secondary school or a post-primary institution ((Aderounmu &

Ehiametalor, 2005). The secondary school principal’s office had now been

transformed into a sort of a midway station between the educational policy

makers and the staff and students. The principal as the administrator guides

controls and provides leadership in a way that supports the aims and

objectives of secondary school education as stated in the National Policy on

Education (FRN, 2004).

The secondary education needs a lot of changes and the school

principal is likely to be the key agent to introduce and sustain such change.

He is responsible for the smooth running of the school. His challenge

therefore, is to ensure that all children reach the levels of academic

achievements. This he achieves by setting instructional methods for the

attainment of school goals. The principal must possess certain qualities to

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reach the acme of success. An effective and efficient principal must be a

learning officer, a coach, an architect and ideal person, a leader of leaders

and a teacher.

Principal as a Chief Learning Officer

Business organizations have a chief executive officer (CEO), a chief

financial officer (CFO), and a chief learning officer (CLO) among other

titles. In the school, the principal serves as the chief learning officer (CLO),

he is the instructional leader, open to new learning even when that learning

challenges his strong held beliefs. He must model the behaviours he wants to

see in others talking about teaching and learning, attending seminars, reading

constantly and encouraging the school to do so.

As the primary function of a school is teaching, the most important

duty of a school principal as the chief learning officer (CLO) is to plan and

coordinate teaching and learning activities. Austin (2009) is of the view that

principals are those who discharge this function very well and are often

found to be characterized by strong participation in the planning, monitoring

and evaluation of the instructional programme. Being the chief learning

officer requires building a culture of motivation where everyone is involved

in action and constantly collecting, analyzing and interpreting data for

improvement. According to Valentine (2007), the function of instructional

programme provides insight into the ability of principals to serve as

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educational leaders of schools through active involvement, instructional

leadership and curriculum development.

A proper curriculum development can be achieved if the chief learning

officer helps the school and staff overcome their fears of failure and grapple

with the difficult problems rather than easy problems. Ogunsaju (2002)

advised that Nigerian principals should learn to use their position to create an

atmosphere where human potentials will be discovered.

Concept of Quality

The word quality is often used indiscriminately for many different

meanings. The word "Quality" represents the properties of products and

services that are valued by the consumer. Quality can be defined as “fitness

for use,” “customer satisfaction,” “doing things right the first time,” or “zero

defects.” These definitions are acceptable because quality can refer to

degrees of excellence. White (2006) defined quality as “an inherent

characteristic, property or attribute.” Quality can be defined as a

characteristic of a product or process that can be measured. Quality is the

ongoing process of building and sustaining relationships by assessing,

anticipating, and fulfilling stated and implied needs. Quality is a momentary

perception that occurs when something in our environment interacts with us,

in the pre-intellectual awareness that comes before rational thought takes

over and begins establishing order. Judgment of the resulting order is then

reported as good or bad quality value.

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Quality is doing the right things right and is uniquely defined by each

individual. Quality is meeting the customer's needs in a way that exceeds the

customer's expectations (Anad, 2004). "Quality is nothing more or less than

the perception the customer has of someone, his products, and his

services". Quality is the extent to which products, services, processes, and

relationships are free from defects, constraints, and items which do not add

value for customers. Quality is a perceived degree of excellence with a

minimum usually set forth by the customer (Tama, 2006). Quality is the

degree of compliance of a process or its outcome with a predetermined set of

criteria, which are presumed essential to the ultimate value it provides.

Quality is the level of perceived value reported by the person who benefits

from a process or its outcome (Nomad, 2002). It may subsume various

intermediate quality measures, both objective and subjective.

What does quality mean in the context of education? Many definitions

of quality in education exist, testifying to the complexity and multifaceted

nature of the concept. The terms efficiency, effectiveness, equity and quality

have often been used synonymously (Adams, 2003). Considerable consensus

exists around the basic dimensions of quality education today, however.

Jairus (2004) proclaimed that Quality education includes:

Learners who are healthy, well-nourished and ready to

participate and learn, and supported in learning by their families

and communities; Environments that are healthy, safe,

protective and gender-sensitive, and provide adequate resources

and facilities; Content that is reflected in relevant curricula and

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materials for the acquisition of basic skills, especially in the

areas of literacy, numeracy and skills for life, and knowledge in

such areas as gender, health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention

and peace; Processes through which trained teachers use child-

centred teaching approaches in well-managed classrooms and

schools and skilful assessment to facilitate learning and reduce

disparities; Outcomes that encompass knowledge, skills and

attitudes, and are linked to national goals for education and

positive participation in the society (p.23).

This definition allows for an understanding of education as a complex

system embedded in a political, cultural and economic context. It is

important to keep in mind education’s systemic nature, however; these

dimensions are interdependent, influencing each other in ways that are

sometimes unforeseeable. This definition also takes into account the global

and international influences that propel the discussion of educational quality

(Motala, 2000), while ensuring that national and local educational contexts

contribute to definitions of quality in varying countries (Adams, 2003).

Establishing a contextualized understanding of quality means including

relevant stakeholders. Key stakeholders often hold different views and

meanings of educational quality (Motala, 2000; Muskin, 1999). Indeed,

people judge the school system in terms of the final goals they set for their

children, their community, their country and themselves (Beeby, 2006).

Definitions of quality must be open to change and evolution based on

information, changing contexts, and new understandings of the nature of

education’s challenges. New research - ranging from multinational research

to action research at the classroom level - contributes to this redefinition. It is

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crucial to state that anytime the term quality is mentioned, the term quality

assurance also comes to mind.

Concept of Quality Assurance

Assurance is the act of giving confidence, the state of being certain or

the act of making certain. Quality Assurance is a planned and systematic

activities implemented in a system so that excellence requirements for a

product or service will be fulfilled. The term quality assurance describes all

the planned and systematic actions necessary to assure that a product or

service will satisfy the specified requirements (Anad, 2004). Usually this

takes the form of an independent final inspection. The quality assurance

function should represent the customer and be independent of the quality

control function, which is an integral part of the manufacturing operation.

Quality assurance refers to the processes and procedures that

systematically monitor different aspects of a service, process or facility to

detect, correct and ensure that quality standards are being met. Quality

assurance helped us to eliminate defective products and increase customer

satisfaction (Tama, 2006). Quality assurance provides a systematic and

efficient method for gathering, analyzing, and maintaining information on

the quality characteristics of products, the source and nature of defects, and

their immediate impact on the current operation. It permits decisions to be

based on facts rather than intuition or memory and provides comparative

data which is useful long after the details of the particular time or events

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have passed (Sandino, 2008) . According to Festus (2010) the objective of

quality assurance is to readily pinpoint problem areas in which management

can:

Improve the quality, uniformity, and reliability of the total

maintenance effort. Improve the work environment, tools, and

equipment used in the maintenance effort. Eliminate

unnecessary man-hour and naira expenditures. Improve

training, work habits, and procedures of maintenance of

personnel. Increase the excellence and value of reports and

correspondence originated by maintenance personnel.

Effectively disseminate technical information. Establish

realistic material and equipment requirements in support of the

maintenance effort (p.9).

In developing products and services, quality assurance is any

systematic process of checking to see whether a product or service being

developed is meeting specified requirements. Many companies have a

separate department devoted to quality assurance. A quality assurance

system is said to increase customer confidence and a company's credibility,

to improve work processes and efficiency, and to enable a company to better

compete with others.

Quality assurance (QA) is designed to serve both management

and production equally. Management is served when quality assurance

monitors the complete maintenance effort of the department, furnishes

factual feedback of discrepancies and deficiencies, and provides the

action necessary to improve the quality, reliability, and safety of

maintenance. Production is served by having the benefit of collateral duty

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inspectors formally trained in inspection procedures; it is also served in

receiving technical assistance in resolving production problems (Barnett,

2007). Production personnel are not relieved of their basic responsibility for

quality work when one introduces quality assurance to the maintenance

function. Instead, one increases their responsibility by adding

accountability. This accountability is the essence of quality assurance.

Quality assurance relates to the achievement of educational program

standards established by institutions, professional organizations,

government, and/or standard-setting bodies established by government.

Quality assurance is the means through which an institution ensures and

confirms that the conditions are in place for students to achieve the standards

set by it or by another awarding body (QAA, 2004). The need for quality

assurance in Nigerian schools cannot be overemphasized in order to ensure

quality of teaching and learning. However, Munachi (2006) stated that the

following are the major needs of quality assurance in our education system

in Nigeria:

To serve as indispensable component of quality control strategy

in education, To ensure and maintain high standard of education

at all levels, To assist in monitoring and supervision of

education, To determine the quality of the teacher input, To

determine the number of classrooms needed based on the

average class size to ensure quality control of education, and To

determine the level of adequacy of the facilities available for

quality control. It would ensure how the financial resources

available could be prudently and judiciously utilized. However,

quality assurance strategies in education should be put in place

to meet up with these major needs stated above (p.17).

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Quality Assurance Strategies in Education

Quality assurance is a mechanism for ensuring an appropriate learning

process; be it a degree of control over what is permitted as an education

experience, ensuring that the institution complies with basic requirements, or

is accountable to its stakeholders, including funders and students, or has

processes in place to enhance the learning process. The strategies used for

quality assurance in education include: monitoring, evaluation, supervision,

inspection, quality control, access and equality.

Monitoring: It refers to the process of collecting data at intervals about

ongoing projects or programmes within the school system. The aim is to

constantly assess the level of performance with a view of finding out how far

a set objectives are being met (Ehindero, 2001).

Evaluation: This is a formal process carried out within a school setting. It is

based on available data which are used to form conclusions. It could be

formative or summative. The aim of evaluation as a quality assurance

strategy is to see how the system can be assisted to improve on the present

level of performance (formative) (Ijaiya, 2001).

Supervision: Supervision might involve inspection, but it goes beyond

inspection and includes attempt at bringing about improvement in the quality

of instruction. It involves staff as essential part of the process. It is a way of

advising, refreshing, encouraging and stimulating staff (Onocha, 2002).

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Inspection: Usually involves an assessment of available facilities and

resources in an institution with a view to establishing how far a particular

institution has met prescribed standards, it is more of an assessment rather

than an improvement induced exercise (West-Burham, 1994).

Quality control: The issue of quality control cannot be over-emphasized. It

is one of the strategies for establishing quality assurance in the inferior

education system at all levels. Ojedele (2007) views that; quality control

should be of concerns to the country in its drive towards technological

development. For this to be successfully carried out, there is need to examine

the qualification of teachers, teachers by gender, the adequacy of the

curriculum, availability of equipment in the required number as well as the

proper use of the processes involved in the various skills to ensure that the

finished products are of high standard. On the qualification of teacher ESA

(2005) findings show that about 16.7% of teachers in technical colleges for

instances in the country have B.Sc in addition to their professional

qualification in education while 22.5 and 6.5% have NCE and HND in

education to professional qualification in education, respectively. The overall

study reveals that 76.7% of the teachers in the sampled schools are

professionally qualified.

Access and equity: Ojedele (2007) asserts that the trend of students

transiting from the junior secondary school to other level of education has

not been encouraging as it has been falling short of the expectation. He

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argued further that, the issue at the tertiary level presents a situation that calls

for concerns in terms of variation in access at the Universities, Polytechnics

and Colleges of education and in terms of gender disparity. Implementing

quality assurance strategies in education engenders a successful

administration in school environment.

Concept of Administration

Administration is a social process concerned with identifying,

maintaining, motivating, controlling and unifying formally and informally

organized human and material resources within an integrate system designed

specifically to achieve predetermined objectives. Administration has to do

with getting things done with the accomplishment of defined objectives

(Teddy, 2004). On a broader perspective Administration could be seen as an

integral part of any organization. It is crucial for maintaining and expanding

the relevance, effectiveness and productivity of complex institutions. Such as

Government Department, Prisons, School Systems, Universities among

others (Austin, 2009). For example, the survival of all the organization, like

the School and other institutions is dependent largely on the quality of

administrative services available.

Administration therefore influences the results to be achieved, the

direction to be pursued, and the priorities to be recognized within the

organization. Administration, according to Enaohwo and Eferakeya (2009)

can be defined as the process by which goals are achieved through collective

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and cooperative human effort in a suitable environment. This definition

specifies four important points: First, Administration is a process, which

involves the manipulation of certain operations. Second, Administration is

goal oriented. Thirdly, a collective and cooperative human effort is required

in administration, and fourthly, of a suitable environment, where participants

can maximize performance.

Now that the meaning of administration have been understood, it is

pertinent to relate administration in the context of education or school

organizations. To be able to do that, education administration can be defined

as a means of achieving the goals of Education through effective and

efficient manipulation of available inputs.

Aderonmu & Ehametalor (2001) defined Educational Administration

as "essentially a service, activity or tool, through which the fundamental

objectives of the educational process may be more fully and efficiently

realized". Educational Administration is therefore concerned with the

utilization of adequate resources and the harmonization of relationships and

interactions in a suitable environment, in order to foster the attainment of the

goals of teaching and learning. Educational Administration involves prudent

management of resources and high degree of accountability on the part of

organizational members. Educational administration broadly means running

of educational institutions, which involves guidance, leadership, and

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controlling of the efforts of individuals in the achievement of the goals of the

institution (Ayanniyi, 1999).

Educational Administration also involves management of resources;

human, material, and evaluation or appraising the result of educational

efforts. In other to drive the discussions home, one will agree with the

researcher that administration in an educational organization otherwise

known as Educational administration is aimed at directing all activities

towards the attainment of the goals of teaching and learning. All the people

working in an educational institution will have to contribute towards the

accomplishment of these goals. Teachers and other professional staff are

involved, such as parents and lay members of the community. Also involved

are members of Schools Boards, Local Education Authorities, Inspectors,

Ministries of Education and so forth.

Theoretical Framework

This section is concerned with conceptualizing the theoretical context

in which the investigation is rooted. The system theory is therefore

considered most relevant to this study. In addition to system theory, two

other theories related to the present study were also reviewed. They are

human relation theory and administrative theory.

Systems Theory

Systems theory hold that an organization is a social system made up of

integrated parts. The theory was propounded by a biophysicist Ludwig Von

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Bertalanffy in 1920. The system was seen as a series of interrelated and

interdependent parts in such a way that the interaction of any part of the

system affects the whole system. That is, one part of the system must interact

and depend on the other parts around it to function effectively. The system

theory is relevant to education system because education system (school) is a

system and the concept of interaction and interdependence of parts with the

education system like all other social systems has identical properties with

the other system.

This study is anchored on system theory. The schools are looked at in

terms of social system as complex interactive examined structurally and

operationally. The theory is of immense help to this project work as the

principal reflects in the objectives, functions and the ultimate goal of the

educational system in which they operate. The principal as the administrator

represents a crucial component of the social system. This implies that the

principal as the chief executive of the school deals with people at all times

and is bound to get along with them. For the principal to perform his

administrative role very well, he is expected to ensure that he exhibits the

qualities required of him so as to achieve secondary school objectives and

goals as stipulated in the National Policy (FRN, 2004). This brings to the

limelight the ideas of principal’s administrative process. It contends that

when special attention is given, the principals do their works very well and

productivity is likely to be high.

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Human Relations Theory

Human Relations Theory states that in addition to finding the best

technological strategies to improve output, it was beneficial for

administration to consider the human elements in the organization. The

human relations theory was propounded by Mary Packer Follet (1868-1933).

The theory was concerned with the human problems encountered in

organizations such as welfare, motivation, retirement benefits among others

and therefore concluded that such problems can only be minimized when

there is co-operation among workers. Based on this, she developed four

organizational principles, all of which centre on co-ordination: coordination

by direct contact with the people concerned, coordination in the early stages,

coordination as the reciprocal relation of all the factors in a situation, and

coordination as a continuing process.

The human relations theory has its central idea that the human factor is

very important in the achievement of organizational goals. The proponent of

this theory holds the view that workers will achieve better if their personal

welfare was taken into consideration.

Human relations theory is related to the present study because it

buttress the fact that the administrative arm of any organization especially

the school should consider the welfare of the employees as utmost

importance. Therefore, for effective secondary school administration in Kogi

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State to be actualized, the interest of teachers and other employees should be

a priority.

Administrative Theory

Administrative theory states that all the activities that occur in an

organization or an industrial undertaking could be grouped into technical,

commercial, financial, security, accounting and administration. Henry Fayol

postulated the administrative theory in 1989. Henry Fayol tried to abstract

certain universal principles by which organization should be structured and

operated. Henry Fayol’s work was complementary to F.W. Taylor’s

scientific principles. Fayol observed that all the activities that occur in an

organization or an industrial undertaking could be grouped into technical,

commercial, financial, security, accounting and administration. These were:

division of labour, authority and responsibility, discipline, unity of

command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest,

remuneration of personnel, centralization, scalar chain, order, equity,

stability of tenure of personnel, initiative and esprit de corps. Three

principles were highly emphasized by this theorist. They are:

Division of Labour: Each employee performing a specialized function.

Unity of Command: Each employee reporting to only one superior.

Coordination: The harmonious integration of the different aspects of an

organization. Span of supervision - the number of subordinates reporting to

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one manager or supervisor, the hierarchical arrangement of functions and

authority, and the subordination of individual to institutional authority.

The administrative theory is related to the present study

because it focused on how the entire organization should be structured and

managed to improve performance in which secondary school is not left out.

Review of Empirical Studies

Studies Related to Quality Assurance

Sumaedi (2012) conducted a research on state university students'

perceived service quality assurance. The study aimed to identify: university

students' perceived service quality assurance dimensions; the dimensions

contributing most towards overall students' perceived service quality

assurance; and whether there is a difference in perceived quality assurance

level of each dimension based on students' year of study and gender in the

context of undergraduate students of state universities in Nigeria. The study

uses a quantitative approach through a survey method. Four research

questions and two hypotheses were posited for the study. The population of

the study was made up of all the state university students from two states.

The respondents of this study are 155 state university students from two state

universities selected through simple random sampling techniques.

Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. Both multiple

regression analysis and t-test analysis are used to analyze the data. Research

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results show that there are seven perceived service quality assurance

dimensions considered important to university students, i.e. curriculum,

facilities, contact personnel, social activities, education counselors,

assessment, and instruction medium. The perceived service quality assurance

dimensions contributing most towards overall perceived service quality

assurance of a state university is facilities. Furthermore, the research also

shows that university students with a different study period have a different

perceived quality assurance level on the social activities dimension, while

university students with different gender have a different perceived quality

assurance level on two dimensions, i.e. social activities and facilities. The

study is related to the present study to an extent, the design of the study is

similar to that of the present study. The respondents of the study are state

university students, while that of the present study will comprise principals

in state secondary schools. Both multiple regression analysis and t-test

analysis were used to analyze the data in the study, but only t-test analysis

will be used to analyze data in the present study. The instrument of data

collection for the study and that of the present study were analogues.

Tsinidou (2010) carried out a study on evaluation of the factors that

determine quality assurance in higher education. The aim of the study is to

identify the quality assurance determinants for education services provided

by higher education institutions (HEIs) in Greece and to measure their

relative importance from the students’ points of view. A multi-criteria

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decision-making methodology was used for assessing the relative importance

of quality assurance determinants that affect student satisfaction. The

population of the study was made up of all the students in higher education

institutions in Greece. One thousand two hundred and eighteen students were

adopted as the sample of the study through a proportionate sampling

technique. The research is based on the questionnaire of the Hellenic Quality

Assurance Agency for Higher Education. This implies that the measured

weights are related mainly to 40 questions posed in this questionnaire.

However, the applied method (AHP) can be used to assess different quality

assurance determinants. More specifically, the analytical hierarchical process

(AHP) was used in order to measure the relative weight of each quality

assurance factor. Findings – The relative weights of the factors that

contribute to the quality of educational services as it is perceived by students

was measured. It was also discovered that human input is one of the major

factors that determine quality assurance in higher education. The study

aimed to identify the quality assurance determinants for education services

provided by higher education institutions (HEIs) in Greece and to measure

their relative importance from the students’ points of view, while the

objective of the present study is to determine the principal’s administrative

process strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary

school in Kogi State. A multi-criteria decision-making method was used for

the study, while a descriptive survey design was used for the present study.

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Students were adopted as the sample of the study through a proportionate

sampling technique, while in the present study, the principals that made up

the population were also considered the sample this study. In other words,

there was no sampling in the present study.

Neulin (2012) conducted a study on Assuring Quality in Belizean

Higher Education: A Collective Case Study of Institutional Perspectives and

Practices. The purpose of the study is to examine Assuring Quality in

Belizean Higher Education with Institutional Perspectives and Practices as a

collective case study. The qualitative research study used a collective case

study design to explore quality assurance practices and perceptions within

Belize’s higher education institutions. The study has no research questions

and hypotheses. The population of the study was made up of all the

academic leaders. The sample of the study was made up of 17 academic

leaders, including 2 presidents, 1 provost, 13 deans, and 1 quality assurance

officer selected through balloting method. In-depth interviews were

conducted with 17 academic leaders, including 2 presidents, 1 provost, 13

deans, and 1 quality assurance officer, drawn from 10 of the 12 existing local

higher education institutions in the country. On-site visits were made to each

institution and relevant documents were collected and analyzed. Data

collection and analysis focused on concepts of quality, internal quality

assurance strategies, perceptions on external quality assurance, and

implications for the NACB Act.

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The findings revealed that institutions and academic leaders

conceptualize quality in both traditional (excellence) and contemporary

terms (fitness-for-purpose and transformation). Structures and systems for

internal quality assurance were found to be lacking; however, some

promising practices were also noted. Participants agreed that there is a need

for an external quality assurance system, particularly to set minimum

standards and control entry into the sector. They described their preference

for a locally based system that is funded primarily by the government, but

fully autonomous in its operations. This vision, however, is not in perfect

alignment with either the system called for in the NACB Act or the sector’s

political, social, and economic contexts. The study used a collective case

study design to explore quality assurance practices and perceptions within

Belize’s higher education institutions, while the present study will use a

survey research method to examine principal’s administrative process

strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary school in

Kogi State. In-depth interview was used in the study as a method of data

collection, but the present study will make use of questionnaire as the

instrument of data collection. Data collected and analyzed in the study

focused on concepts of quality, internal quality assurance strategies,

perceptions on external quality assurance, and implications for the NACB

Act, while data was collected and analyzed in the present study using a

descriptive and inferential statistics.

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Studies Related to Quality Assurance Strategies

In the research work conducted by Florence, Benjamin and Paul

(2010) on secondary school head teachers’ quality assurance strategies and

challenges in Nigeria. The study seeks to find the head teachers’ quality

assurance strategies and challenges in Nigeria. Descriptive survey research

design was used in the study. In view to carrying out this study, the

researchers used 120 public secondary schools as the population. Stratified

random sampling technique was used to select ‘five girls’, ‘four boys’

schools and 37 co-educational schools. Questionnaire, interviews and

observations were used to obtain data. Data were analyzed by the use of

descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages. Data from interviews

were analyzed qualitatively in an on-going process as the theme and sub-

themes emerged from data. Findings of the study showed that head teachers’

curriculum supervisory methods were limited to checking of teachers’

professional records and gave less emphasize to department supervision, self

appraisal and class-visits. Therefore, the study concluded that head teachers

employed inadequate methods for the supervision of teacher’s in the sampled

schools, preferring to rely on written records to establish the quality of

education. The study relates to the current study in the sense that it was

conducted on secondary school head teacher’ quality assurance strategies

and challenges. The research design used in the study was also used in the

present study. Questionnaire, interviews and observations comprised the

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instrument of data collection in the study, while only questionnaires were

used for data collection in the present study. Data were analyzed by the use

of descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages. Sample adopted by

the reviewed work was so small that it lacks representative power. This

means it is not adequate to be used for generalizing inferences. The current

study will improve significantly on the size of sample through multi-stage

random draw of population from Kogi State.

Juha (2010) carried out a study on Integration of strategic management

and quality assurance in Pelican University Ukraine. The purpose of the

study is to investigate the integration of quality assurance and strategic

management in higher education. The design of the study was a descriptive

survey. The population for the study comprised 308 academic and non-

academic staffs in 5 faculties in Pelican University Ukraine. The sample for

the study was 50% of the total population which was 154 respondents

(parents) selected using proportionate stratified random sampling technique.

The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. The t-test statistics

was used in the data analysis. With regard to the findings of the study, it

elaborates the concept of the quality map, which is a graphical representation

of the quality assurance system. The framework developed in this study is

used to analyze the engagement of HEIs in regional development. The study

focused on Integration of strategic management and quality assurance

Pelican University Ukraine, while the present study focused on the

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principal’s quality assurance strategies for effective secondary school

administration in Kogi State, Nigeria. The design of the study is similar to

the one to be used in the present study. The sampling technique used in the

study will be used in the present study. The instrument for data collection

and method of data analysis in the study will also be replicated in the present

study.

Studies Related to Secondary School Administration

Nkwoh (2011) carried out a study on analysis of administrative roles

of principals in private secondary schools in Aba education zone of Abia

state. The study investigated the administrative roles of private secondary

school Principals in Aba education zone of Abia State. It is a survey research

and it adopted seven research questions that guided the study. Sample of six

hundred and sixteen (616) respondents’ was chosen from group of teachers

of schools. The six hundred and sixteen respondents were selected by

stratified, random proportionate techniques across Aba education zone of

Abia State. A 35 – item questionnaire on principal administrative tasks

performance evaluation question (PATPEQ) which was based on 4 – point

scale of Highly Effective, Effective, Moderately Effective and Not Effective

was used to collect data. The result was analyzed using mean and standard

deviation. The result revealed that principals were moderately effective in

financial and school business administration, students’ personnel

administration, staff personnel administration, instruction and curriculum

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development and in general tasks. The principals were effective in school-

community relation and they were not effective in school plants. The study

investigated the administrative roles of private secondary school Principals

in Aba education zone of Abia State, while the present study examines

principal’s quality assurance strategies for effective secondary school

administration in Kogi State. The design of the study was a survey design

which will also be used in the present study. The instrument of data

collection and method of data analysis used in the study will also be

maintained in the present study.

Ndana (2011) carried out a study on the administrative problems that

public secondary school head teachers face in Kenya. This study aimed at

investigating the administrative problems that public secondary school head

teachers face in Kenya with reference to Kitui District of Eastern province.

The research was based on a descriptive design. Thirty five research

questions and three hypotheses were posited for the study. The researcher

adopted a stratified random sampling strategy on a target population of 85

public secondary schools in Kitui District. Data was collected by the use of

questionnaires which were self administered by the researcher with the help

of two research assistants. Measures of central tendencies were used to

describe the results after analyzing the collected data with Statistical Package

for Social Statistics (SPSS). The study established that lack of adequate

training and experience on financial management might be the main cause of

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school mismanagement and hence poor academic performance. Every aspect

of school management is affected by the way money is allocated. The

findings indicated that head teachers spend more time reviewing finance

matters with parents, teachers and the B.O.G. Issues of discipline came

second in importance to the Head master as finance, because the head

teachers would probably delegate them to the Deputy and other teachers. The

study concluded that inadequate training and experience of the Head teacher

in school financial management; discipline and teacher relation could be the

cause of poor school performance. This is because the role of the Head

teacher revolves around the three issues. The instrument of data collection in

the study will also be used in the present study. The research used

descriptive survey design, and measures of central tendencies were used to

describe the results after analyzing the collected data with Statistical Package

for Social Statistics (SPSS). The present study will also use survey design,

but will use mean and standard deviation for data analysis and t-test statistics

to analyze the hypothesis.

Sadik (2009) investigated the difficulties that primary school

principals experience during administrative processes. The aims of this study

were to determine the difficulties that primary school principals experience

during administrative processes. It is a survey type study that describes the

characteristics of the population. The research data were collected by means

of the interview method in Ebonyi State in the 2006–2007 academic years.

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The population of the study was made up of all the primary school principals

in Ebonyi State. The participants of the study were school principals with at

least five years of experience in school management selected through

proportionate sampling technique. Structured interviews were held with

school administrators in their schools. The interview questions aimed at

collecting information on the problems that they encountered in terms of the

dimensions of administration processes; that is, planning, organization,

coordination, communication and inspection. The interviews were recorded

and then analyzed by coding under the themes of planning, organization,

coordination, communication and inspection. The findings indicated that

school principals’ problems are mainly related to financial sources,

educational region system, school types, democratic procedures, parents’

involvement, teacher motivation, communication and influence and

inspection practices in schools. The aims of the study were to determine the

difficulties that primary school principals experience during administrative

processes, while the target of the present study is to examine principal’s

quality assurance strategies for effective secondary school administration in

Kogi State. The research method used in the study will also be adopted in

the present study. The research data in the study were collected by means of

the interview method, while the data for the present study will be collected

using questionnaire.

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Summary of Literature Review

The literature review for this study focused on four main headings:

Under the conceptual framework, Concept of Principalship, Concept of

Quality, Concept of Quality Assurance, Concept of Administration and

Quality Assurance Strategies in Education were discussed. Concept of the

principal elicited the fact that a principal is the head administrator of a

school, especially a grade school or a secondary school with much

responsibilities resting on his shoulders for the betterment of the school.

Concept of Quality emphasize that the word "Quality" represents the

properties of products and services that are valued by the consumer. Concept

of Quality Assurance elucidated that Quality Assurance is a planned and

systematic activities implemented in a system so that excellence

requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled. Concept of

Administration conversed administration as a process by which goals are

achieved through collective and cooperative human effort in a suitable

environment. Quality Assurance Strategies in Education portrays that the

strategies used for quality assurance in education include: monitoring,

evaluation, supervision, inspection, quality control, access and equality.

The theoretical framework of this study was hinged on system theory.

The system theory has a direct link to the study and is suitable for the

purpose of the study. The system theory is relevant to education system

because education system (school) is a system and the concept of interaction

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and interdependence of parts with the education system like all other social

systems has identical properties with the other system. Other theories

reviewed were human relations theory which asserted that human factor is

very important in the achievement of organizational goals and administrative

theory which affirmed that all the activities that occur in an organization or

an industrial undertaking could be grouped into technical, commercial,

financial, security, accounting and administration. Empirical studies of

literature relevant to the present study were reviewed taking cognizance of

the tenets of research.

The literatures reviewed above are related to the present study, but

none of them is exact to the topic of this present research study. No

researcher seems to have carried out a research on principal administrative

process strategies for achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools

in Kogi State. In other to cover this gap, the researcher dimmed it necessary

to carry out a research on principal administrative process strategies for

achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

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CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHOD

In this chapter, the procedure that will be adopted for the study are

presented under the following sub-headings namely: research design, area of

the study, population of the study, sample and sampling technique,

instrument for data collection, validation of the instrument, reliability of the

instrument, method of data collection, and method of data analysis.

Research Design

The design of the study is a descriptive survey. According to Nworgu

(2006) “a descriptive survey design is a type of research design in which a

group of people or items are studied by collecting and analyzing data from

only a few people or items considered to be representative of entire group”.

The use of this research design is considered appropriate because it establish

the opinions of principals on strategies that could help in ensuring quality

assurance in secondary school administration through the effective use of

administrative processes/strategies.

Area of the Study

The study was carried out in Kogi State. Kogi State was carved out of

Kwara and Benue States on August 27, 1991 by the then regime of General

Ibrahim Babangida. It's capital is Lokoja. Kogi State is the most centrally

located of all the states of the federation. It shares common boundaries with

Niger, Kwara, Nassarawa and The Federal Capital Territory to the north. To

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the East, the state is bounded by Benue and Enugu states, to the south by

Enugu and Anambra States, and to the west by Ondo, Ekiti and Edo states.

The choice of the area is because the state is in the North central zone of

Nigeria, and the people in this zone have high zeal and quest for quality

assurance in school administration and it is important to always determine

how this quest is being sustained and satisfied.

Population of the Study

The population of the study is made up of all the 228 principals in the

228 secondary schools in Kogi State. The source of this population is from

the current list of principals (unpublished) obtained by the researcher from

Research, Planning and Statistics, Ministry of Education, Lokoja (2013).

There are 228 secondary schools spread in the 21 local government areas of

the state. A breakdown of the population shows that there are 138 male

principals and 90 female principals in all the government owned secondary

schools in Kogi State. (See Appendix B for list of secondary schools in Kogi

State).

Sample and Sampling Technique

The sample consist the entire 228 principals in the government owned

secondary schools in Kogi State. The rationale for using the entire

population is because it is small and can be managed by the researcher. In

other words, there will be no sampling of the principals.

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Instrument for Data Collection

The instrument for data collection is a researcher developed

questionnaire titled: Principal Quality Assurance Strategies Questionnaire

(PQASQ). The questionnaire has two parts; A and B. Part A contain

information on personal data of the respondents, while part B contain forty

items built in five clusters, A, B, C, D, and E. Cluster A of the questionnaire

focused on principals’ planning strategies for effective secondary school

administration. Cluster B of the questionnaire hinged on principals’

organizing strategies for effective secondary school administration Cluster C

of the questionnaire center on principals’ staffing strategies for effective

secondary school administration. Cluster D of the questionnaire addressed

principals’ coordinating strategies for effective secondary school

administration, and finally, Cluster E of the questionnaire concentrate on

principals’ budgeting strategies for effective secondary school administration

in Kogi State. All the clusters had eight items each, all relating to the

research question that guided the study.

The response format for cluster A to E is based on a four point scale of

Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD).

In other words, the higher the aggregate scores in the rating scale, the more

positive the response of the subjects and the lower the score the more

negative the response of the subjects. The respondents indicated their level

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of agreement by ticking (√) on the rating scale. The scale was weighed 4, 3,

2, and 1 respectively.

Validation of the Instrument

To determine the face validity of the principal administrative process

strategies for achievement of quality assurance questionnaire (PAPSAQAQ),

initial copies of the instrument with the specific purposes, research

questions, and hypotheses were given to three experts. One of the experts is

in Measurement and Evaluation and two in Educational Administration and

Planning at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. They were specifically

requested to assess the adequacy of the items in getting the required

information, the quality of its language and the logicality of its arrangement.

The experts assessed the suitability of the language, adequacy and relevance

of the items in addressing the research questions bearing in mind the purpose

of the study. Their corrections and comments were used to modify the

questionnaire before the final copy is produced.

Reliability of the Instrument

In order to determine the reliability of the instrument, principal

administrative process strategies for achievement of quality assurance

questionnaire (PAPSAQAQ) was trial tested on 30 principals in 8 local

government areas outside the study area in Benue state comprising 15 males

and 15 females’ principals. Cronbach Alpha method was adopted to

estimate the internal consistency coefficient of the questionnaire. The

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internal consistency reliability coefficient of clusters A, B, C, D, and E of the

questionnaires were .76, .73, .73, .80 and .81respectively, with an overall

coefficient of .76. This result shows that the instrument is reliable to be

employed in data collection. Cronbach Alpha statistics was used because the

instruments are in clusters and items are not dichotomously scored.

Cronbach Alpha is also considered appropriate as it ensured the homogeneity

of items on the clusters.

Method of Data Collection

The questionnaire was administered to the respondents by the

researcher and three trained research assistants who were properly briefed

and instructed during a day training to enable them get familiar with the

modalities for administering the instrument appropriately. The researcher

acquainted them with the purpose of the study, as well as the explanation of

the items in the clusters on each research question. It is necessary to use

research assistants to make sure that the actual respondents for whom the

instrument is meant for are indeed those who completed the instrument and

also help to make clarifications to the respondents on the items whenever the

need arises. The instruments was retrieved on the spot.

Method of Data Analysis

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analyses.

Specifically, mean and standard deviation were used in answering the five

research questions. The null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of

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significance using t-test statistics. The level of rejection or

acceptance of the null hypotheses was on t-calculated. When the t-

calculated is greater than the t-critical table value which is 1.96, the

item was considered rejected. But when the t-calculated is less than

the t-critical table value of 1.96, the item was accepted.

A mean response score between 0.5 – 1.49 was considered strongly

disagree (SD), while that between 1.5 – 2.49 was considered disagree (D). A

mean response score between 2.50 –3.49 was considered agree (A), while

3.50 – 4.00 was considered strongly agree (SA). The analysis was done with

the application of a computer software porgramme; statistical program for

social sciences (SPSS)

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CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION OF RESULTS

This chapter presents and describes the result of this study according to

research questions and hypotheses of the study.

Research Question One

What are the principals’ planning strategies for the achievement of


Answer to research question 1 is presented in Table 1

Table 1: mean ratings of male and female principals on the planning

strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary

schools

S/No ITEMS MALE

PRINCIPALS

FEMALE

PRINCIPALS

X SD DEC. X SD DEC.

1 Preparation of school time table on

time

2.89 5.79 A 3.11 4.93 SA

2 Adequate provision of ICT facilities

to enhance teaching and learning in

the school

2.99 6.30 A 2.94 4.68 A

3 Provision of enough furniture in the

school

2.88 5.76 A 3.02 4.81 SA

4 Equipping the school laboratories

with standard laboratory facilities

3.01 6.01 SA 3.11 4.83 SA

5 Playing major role in school

curriculum implementation

2.90 5.82 A 3.19 5.10 SA

6 Introducing innovations that will

bring about improvement in

academic standard of the school.

2.96 6.44 A 3.37 5.61 SA

7 Employing some security operatives

to ensure protection of life and

properties in the school surroundings

2.87 6.15 A 2.94 4.58 A

8 Renovation of the school plant as at

when due

2.86 6.03 A 3.01 4.75 SA

Cluster mean 2.92 6.04 A 3.09 4.91 A

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Table 1 shows that the cluster mean scores of male and female

principals are 2.92 and 3.09 respectively. Since the mean scores are above

the cut off mean of 2.50 for accepting items, it indicates that the male and

female principals are of the opinion that the planning strategies for the

achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools are preparation of

school time table in time; adequate provision of ICT facilities, provision of

enough furniture in school, equipping the school laboratories with standard

laboratory facilities, playing major role in school curriculum

implementation, introducing innovations that will bring about improvement

in academic standard of the school; employing some security operatives to

ensure protection of life and properties in the school surroundings and

renovation of the school plant as at when due.

Research Question Two

What are the principals’ organizing strategies for the achievement of



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Table 2: Mean ratings of male and female principals on the organizing


schools

S/No ITEMS

MALE

PRINCIPALS

FEMALE

PRINCIPALS X SD DEC. X SD DEC.

9 Organizing programs like debate

and quiz competition during

special assembly at least once in

a week.

2.39 4.78 D 2.37 4.19 D

10 Make proper arrangements prior

to any external examination

2.51 5.02 A 2.62 4.44 A

11 Making sure that materials

needed for conducting internal

examination are made available

to the exam committee at the

right time.

2.88 5.76 A 3.02 4.81 SA

12 Organizing staff meeting on the

first day of every term

2.64 5.60 A 2.88 4.71 A

13 Instructing the sport master to

invite teachers from other

schools to officiate the inter

house sport competition

2.84 5.68 A 2.77 4.41 A

14 Conducting PTA meeting at least

once in a term

2.96 6.44 A 3.37 5.61 SA

15 Consulting with staff members

before organizing a send forth

party for outgoing students

2.92 5.94 A 2.79 4.51 A

16 Making sure that letters of

invitation to attend PTA meeting

are served to all parents through

their children in the school.

2.26 4.52 D 2.44 4.23 D

Cluster Mean 2.67 5.47 A 2.78 4.61 A

From the data presented in Table two above, all the male and

female principals agreed that making proper arrangements prior to

any external examination; making sure that materials needed for

conducting internal examination are made available to the exam

committee at the right time; organizing staff meeting on the first day

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of every term; instructing the sport master to invite teachers from

other schools to officiate the inter-house sport competition;

conducting PTA meeting at least once in a term and consulting with

staff members before organizing a send forth party for outgoing

students are all principals’ organizing strategies for the achievement

of quality assurance in secondary schools. This is because, their

mean scores are above 250 which is the cut off mean for accepting

an item. Table 2 again revealed that items 9 and 16 (organizing

programmes like debate and quiz competition during special

assembly at least once in a week and making sure that letters of

invitation to attend PTA meeting are served to all parents through

their children in the school) are not the principals’ organizing


schools. This is because their mean scores are below the 2.49 cut off

mean for rejecting an item. However, the cluster mean scores of

male and female principals show that all the items are the principals’

organizing strategy for the achievement of quality assurance in

secondary schools with the Mean scores of 2.67 and 2.78 respectively.

Research Question Three

What are the principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement

of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State?


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Table 3: mean ratings of male and female principals on the staff

personnel strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in

secondary schools

S/No ITEMS MALE

PRINCIPALS

FEMALE

PRINCIPALS

X SD DEC. X SD DEC.

17 Taking regular attendance of staff

members

2.92 5.94 A 2.79 4.51 A

18 Advising the ministry of education

or teaching service commission to

consider the educational,

occupational and personal

experiences of applicants before

recruitment to school

2.76 5.54 A 2.81 4.55 A

19 Conducting orientation programs

whenever new staffs are posted to

the school

2.97 6.35 A 3.17 4.91 SA

20 Assignment of duties to teachers to

be based on specialization and

expertise.

2.64 5.60 A 2.88 4.71 A

21 Teachers to be internally supervised

by their heads of department or

subject coordinators

3.01 6.04 SA 2.85 4.76 A

22 Satisfying staff needs to achieve

efficiency, good performance and

job satisfaction

2.96 6.44 A 3.37 5.61 SA

23 Delegation of duties and

responsibilities to staffs in his own

interest and the interest of the

institution he serves.

2.39 5.09 D 2.41 4.15 D

24 Encouraging staff professional

growth by encouraging teachers to

undergo on -the -job training like

seminars and workshops

2.26 4.52 D 2.44 4.23 D

Cluster Mean 2.74 5.69 A 2.84 4.68 A

Table three above reveals that items 17-22 which comprise

taking regular attendance of staff members; advising the ministry of

education or teaching service commission to consider the

educational, occupational and personal experiences of applicants

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before recruitment to school; conducting orientation programmes

whenever new staff are posted to the school; assignment of duties to

teachers to be based on specialization and expertise; teachers to be

internally supervised by their heads of department or subject

coordinators and satisfying staff needs to achieve efficiency, good

performance and job satisfaction are the principals’ staff personnel


schools. This is because their mean scores are above 2.50 which is

the cut off mean for accepting an item. Data on the same table 3

indicate that items 23 and 24 (delegation of duties and

responsibilities to staff and encouraging staff professional growth

by encouraging teachers to undergo on- the- job training like

seminars and workshops) are not the principals’ staff personnel


schools. However, the cluster mean scores of 2.74 and 2.84 reveals

that all the items in cluster three are the principals’ staff personnel


schools. This is because the cluster mean scores are above the 2.50

which is the cut off mean for accepting items.

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Research Question Four

What are the principals’ coordinating strategies for the achievement of



Table 4: Mean ratings of male and female principals on the coordinating


schools

S/No ITEMS MALE

PRINCIPALS

FEMALE

PRINCIPALS

X SD DEC. X SD DEC

25 Ensuring that every teacher is working

towards the attainment of school goals.

3.10 6.51 SA 3.22 4.86 SA

26 Coordinating the activities of

committees during special school

programmes and events like inter house sports competitions, send-off

ceremonies etc.

2.55 5.62 A 2.84 4.58 A

27 Ensuring that teachers and students are

in the class room during lecture periods

2.79 5.58 A 2.92 4.66 A

28 Appointment of some capable teachers

and assigning some responsibilities to

them

2.19 4.38 D 2.22 3.96 D

29 Appoint teachers to coordinate student social activities like clubs, societies and

associations.

2.51 5.02 A 2.64 4.55 A

30 Holding periodic meetings at different

levels with staff, students, parent

committee, heads of department or

subject coordinators etc. to discover

areas of needs/problem and proffer

solutions.

2.96 6.44 A 3.37 5.61 SA

31 Issuance of query to any staff caught in

any act of indiscipline

2.87 6.15 A 2.94 4.58 A

32 Moving from class to class to know

how students are fairing

3.09 6.18 SA 3.01 4.75 SA

CLUSTER MEAN 2.76 5.74 A 2.90 4.69 A

Data on Table 4 above indicate that male and female

principals agreed that all the items (25-27 & 29-32) on cluster 4

which include ensuring that every teacher is working towards the

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attainment of school goals; coordinating the activities of committees

during special school programmes and events like inter house sports

competitions, send-off ceremonies; ensuring that teachers and

students are in the class room during lecture periods; appointing

teachers to coordinate student social activities like clubs, societies

and associations; holding periodic meetings at different levels with

staff, students, parent committee, heads of department or subject

coordinators to discover areas of needs/problem and proffer

solutions; issuance of query to any staff caught in any act of

indiscipline and moving from class to class to know how students are

fairing are the principals’ coordinating strategies for the achievement

of quality assurance in secondary schools. This is because their mean

scores are above the 2.50 cut off mean for accepting an item. Table 4

as well reveals that item 28 (appointment of some capable teachers

and assigning some responsibilities to them) is not the principals’

coordinating strategy for the achievement of quality assurance in

secondary schools. This is because its mean score is below 2.49 for

rejecting an item. Nonetheless, the cluster mean of 2.76 and 2.90

respectively are above the cut of mean score of 2.50 for accepting

items. This indicates that all the items in the cluster are to some

extent the principals’ coordinating strategies for the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools.

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Research Question Five

What are the principals’ budgeting strategies for the achievement of



Table 5: mean ratings of male and female principals on the budgeting


schools

S/No ITEMS MALE

PRINCIPALS

FEMALE

PRINCIPALS

X SD DEC. X SD DEC.

33 Making sure that various departmental

needs are forwarded by heads of

department or subject coordinator for

inclusion in the school budget.

2.66 5.32 A 2.91 6.67 A

34 Involvement of experts like the school

bursar or accountant in the preparation of

school budget.

2.84 5.99 A 2.81 5.05 A

35 Seeking the input/advice of teachers on

the most needed capital project(s) to be

included in the school budget.

2.76 5.48 A 2.90 4.54 SA

36 Consider the expected revenue and the

source(s) it is to be derived before

preparation of budget.

3.21 6.42 SA 3.07 4.81 SA

37 Setting up budget monitoring team in the

school.

2.90 5.82 A 3.19 5.10 SA

38 Sourcing for funds from PTA/private

sectors for budget implementation.

2.96 6.44 A 3.37 5.61 SA

39 Sourcing for funds from foreign donor

for budget implementation.

2.87 6.15 A 2.94 4.58 A

40 Preparing a supplementary budget when

the need arises.

2.86 6.03 A 3.01 4.75 SA

Cluster Mean 2.88 5.96 A 3.03 5.14 A

The data on table 5 show that all the male and female

principals agreed that items 33-40 which include making sure that

various departmental needs are forwarded by heads of department or

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subject coordinator for inclusion in the school budget; involvement

of experts like the school bursar in the preparation of school budget;

seeking the input/advice of teachers on the most needed capital

project(s) to be included in the school budget; considering the

expected revenue and the source(s) it is to be derived before

preparation of budget; setting up budget monitoring team in the

school; sourcing funds from PTA/private sectors for budget

implementation; sourcing for funds from foreign donor for budget

implementation and preparing a supplementary budget when the need

arises with the cluster mean scores of 2.88 and 3.03 are the

principals’ budgeting strategies for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools. This is because their mean scores

are above the 2.50 cut off mean for accepting an item.

Hypothesis One

There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of male

and female principals on principals’ planning strategies for achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools in kogi State.

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Table 6: Summary of t-test on the difference between the Mean

Rating of Male and Female Principals on Principals’

Planning Strategies for Achievement of Quality Assurance

in Secondary Schools in Kogi State

The table above shows the calculated t-value of -0.15 at 227 degree of

freedom and 0.05 level of significant. Since the calculated t-value of -0.15 is

less than the table of 1.96, the null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, there is

no significant difference in the mean rating of male and female principals on

principals’ planning strategies for achievement of quality assurance in

secondary schools in kogi State.

Hypothesis Two


and female principals on principals’ planning strategies for achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools in kogi State.

S/No Respondent

group

No of

respondent

Mean SD Df Calcula-ted t Table t Dec.

1 MALE

PRINCIPALS

138 2.92 6.04 227 -0.15 1.96 Not

significant

2 FEMALE

PRINCIPALS

90 3.09 4.91

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Table 7: Summary of t-test on the difference between the Mean Rating

of Male and Female Principals on Principals’ organizing

Strategies for Achievement of Quality Assurance in

Secondary Schools in Kogi State

S/

No

Respondent

group

No of

respondents

Mean SD Df Calculated t Table t Dec.

1 MALE

PRINCIPALS

138 2.68 5.47 227 -0.08 1.96 Not

significant

2 FEMALE

PRINCIPALS

90 2.78 4.61

The table above shows the calculated t-value of -0.08 at 227 degree of

freedom and 0.05 level of significant. Since the calculated t-value of -0.08 is

less than the table of 1.96, the null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, there is

no significant difference in the mean rating of male and female principals on

principals’ organizing strategies for achievement of quality assurance in

secondary schools in Kogi State.

Summary of Major Findings

The major findings of this work are as follows:

1. The principals’ planning strategies for quality assurance in secondary

schools include preparation of school time table on time, adequate

provision of ICT facilities to enhance teaching and learning in the

school, provision of enough furniture in the school and equipping the

school laboratories with standard laboratory facilities among others.

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2. The principals’ organizing strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools comprise making proper arrangements prior to

any external examination; making sure that materials needed

for conducting internal examination are made available to the

exam committee at the right time and organizing staff meeting

on the first day of every term among others. While organizing



invitation to attend PTA meeting are served to all parents

through their children in the school are not the principals’

organizing strategies for the achievement of quality assurance

in secondary schools.

3. The principals’ staff personnel strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools comprise taking regular attendance of staff

members; advising the ministry of education or teaching

service commission to consider the educational, occupational

and personal experiences of applicants before recruitment to

school and conducting orientation programmes whenever new

staff are posted to the school among others while delegation of

duties and responsibilities to staff and encouraging staff

professional growth by encouraging teachers to undergo on-

the- job training like seminars and workshops are not the

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principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement of


4. The principals’ coordinating strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools include ensuring that every teacher is working

towards the attainment of school goals; coordinating the

activities of committees during special school programmes and

events like inter house sports competitions, send-off

ceremonies among others while appointment of some capable

teachers and assigning some responsibilities to them is not the

principals’ coordinating strategy for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools.

5. The principals’ budgeting strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools include making sure that various departmental

needs are forwarded by heads of department or subject

coordinator for inclusion in the school budget; involvement of

experts like the school bursar in the preparation of school

budget and seeking the input/advice of teachers on the most

needed capital project(s) to be included in the school budget

among others.

6. There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of male

and female principals on the principals’ planning strategies for the


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7. There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of male

and female principals on the principals’ organizing strategies for the


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CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter deals with the discussion of the findings, conclusion,

implications of the findings, recommendations, limitations of the study and

suggestions for further study. The discussion is carried out under the

following headings.

• Principals’ planning strategies for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

• Principals’ organizing strategies for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State

• Principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement of quality


• Principals’ coordinating strategies for the achievement of quality


• Principals’ budgeting strategies for the achievement of quality


Discussion of Findings

Principals’ Planning Strategies for the Achievement of Quality

Assurance in Secondary Schools in Kogi State

The result on table one shows that the planning strategies which can

be adopted by school principals to ensure the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools include preparation of school time table on

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time, adequate provision of ICT facilities to enhance teaching and learning in

the school, provision of enough furniture in the school, equipping the school

laboratories with standard laboratory facilities, playing major role in school

curriculum implementation, introducing innovations that will bring about

improvement in academic standard of the school among others.

It again reveals that there is no significant difference between the

mean ratings of male and female principals on principals’ planning strategies

for achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools. The respondents

accepted that all the items depicted in the table one can be acknowledged as

a good principals’ planning strategies for achievement of quality assurance


The implication of the findings is that there are a good number of

planning strategies for achievement of quality assurance in secondary

schools. That when the planning strategies documented by this study are

adopted by the principles are the heads of secondary school administration,

quality assurance will be guaranteed.

Principals’ Organizing Strategies for the Achievement of Quality


The result on table two reveals that the organizing strategies which can be

adopted by school principals to ensure the achievement of quality assurance

in secondary schools include making proper arrangements prior to any

external examination, making sure that materials needed for conducting

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internal examination are made available to the exam committee at the right

time, organizing staff meeting on the first day of every term, instructing the

sport master to invite teachers from other schools to officiate the inter house

sport competition, conducting PTA meeting at least once in a term,

consulting with staff members before organizing a send forth party for

outgoing students, among others. On the other hand organizing

programmes like debate and quiz competitions during special


invitation to attend PTA meeting are served to all parents through

their children in the school are not the principals’ organizing


schools.

Nonetheless, the findings on the study also reveal that, there is no

significant difference between the mean ratings of male and female

principals on principals’ organizing strategies for achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools. This means that the respondents agree in one

accord that the portrayed organizing strategies in the table two can be

adopted by principals in a bid to achieve quality assurance in secondary

schools. This suggests that when the organizing strategies highlighted in this

study are harnessed by the principals, quality assurance in secondary schools

would be guaranteed.

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Principals’ Staff Personnel Strategies for the Achievement of Quality


The result on table three shows that there are some staff personnel

strategies which can be adopted by school principals to ensure the

achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools. These staff personnel

strategies as indicated in table three are: taking regular attendance of staff

members, advising the ministry of education or teaching service commission

to consider the educational, occupational and personal experiences of

applicants before recruitment to school, conducting orientation programs

whenever new staffs are posted to the school, assignment of duties to

teachers to be based on specialization and expertise, teachers to be internally

supervised by their heads of department or subject coordinators, satisfying

staff needs to achieve efficiency, good performance and job satisfaction

among others while delegation of duties and responsibilities to staff

and encouraging staff professional growth by encouraging teachers

to undergo on- the- job training like seminars and workshops are not

the principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools. These findings indicate that

adoption of good staff personnel strategies by principals could help

enhance quality assurance in secondary school administration.

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Principals’ Coordinating Strategies for the Achievement of Quality


The result on table four indicates that there are some coordinating


achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools. These coordinating

strategies as shown in the table four are as follows: ensuring that every

teacher is working towards the attainment of school goals, coordinating the

activities of committees during special school programmes and events like

inter house sports competitions, send-off ceremonies, ensuring that teachers

and students are in the class room during lecture periods, appoint teachers to

coordinate student social activities like clubs, societies and associations,

issuance of query to any staff caught in any act of indiscipline, holding

periodic meetings at different levels with staff, students, parents’ committee,

heads of department or subject coordinators etc. to discover areas of

needs/problem and proffer solutions among others. However, appointment

of some capable teachers and assigning some responsibilities to them

is not the principals’ coordinating strategy for the achievement of


Principals’ Budgeting Strategies for the Achievement of Quality


The result on table five indicates that there are some budgeting


achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools. Some of these

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budgeting strategies as illustrated in table five include: making sure that

various departmental needs are forwarded by heads of department or subject

coordinator for inclusion in the school budget, involvement of experts like

the school bursar or accountant in the preparation of school budget, seeking

the input/advice of teachers on the most needed capital project(s) to be

included in the school budget, considering the expected revenue and the

source (s) it is to be derived before preparation of budget, setting up budget

monitoring team in the school, sourcing for funds from PTA/private sectors

for budget implementation, sourcing for funds from foreign donor for budget

implementation among others. The implication of these findings is that there

are a good number of budgeting strategies which can be adopted by school

principals to ensure the achievement of quality assurance in secondary

schools.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study and the discussions that followed,

the following conclusions were made:

1) The principals’ planning strategies for quality assurance in secondary

schools include preparation of school time table on time, adequate

provision of ICT facilities to enhance teaching and learning in the

school, provision of enough furniture in the school and equipping the

school laboratories with standard laboratory facilities among others.


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and female principals on the principals’ planning strategies for the

achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools. Hence,

adoption of these planning strategies by the school principals would

enhance quality assurance in secondary schools.

2) The principals’ organizing strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools comprise making proper arrangements prior to

any external examination; making sure that materials needed

for conducting internal examination are made available to the

exam committee at the right time and organizing staff meeting

on the first day of every term among others. While organizing



invitation to attend PTA meeting are served to all parents

through their children in the school are not the principals’

organizing strategies for the achievement of quality assurance

in secondary schools. However, there is no significant difference

between the mean ratings of male and female principals on the

principals’ organizing strategies for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools. Therefore, the proper use of the

documented organizing strategies by school principals could promote


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3) The principals’ staff personnel strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools comprise taking regular attendance of staff

members; advising the ministry of education or teaching

service commission to consider the educational, occupational

and personal experiences of applicants before recruitment to

school and conducting orientation programmes whenever new

staff are posted to the school among others while delegation of

duties and responsibilities to staff and encouraging staff

professional growth by encouraging teachers to undergo on-

the- job training like seminars and workshops are not the

principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools. Consequently, the

principals’ appropriate use of the staff personnel strategies

documented by this study could help enhance quality assurance


4) The principals’ coordinating strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools include ensuring that every teacher is working

towards the attainment of school goals; coordinating the

activities of committees during special school programmes and

events like inter house sports competitions, send-off

ceremonies among others while appointment of some capable

teachers and assigning some responsibilities to them is not the

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principals’ coordinating strategy for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools. The findings of this study

suggest that there are a good number of principals’

coordinating strategies for the achievement of quality

assurance in secondary schools.

5) The principals’ budgeting strategies for quality assurance in

secondary schools include making sure that various departmental

needs are forwarded by heads of department or subject

coordinator for inclusion in the school budget; involvement of

experts like the school bursar in the preparation of school

budget and seeking the input/advice of teachers on the most

needed capital project(s) to be included in the school budget

among others. Proper use of good budgeting strategies by the

principals as documented by this study could be of help in

ensuring quality assurance in secondary school administration.

Implications of the Study

Principals should utilize the outcome of this study to realize a sound

administrative process in a bid to champion quality assurance in their various

secondary schools in Kogi State. They should brainstorm some planning

strategies in order to achieve the stipulated objectives of their schools and

make quality assurance a reality. In a situation where they fail to plan, their

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schools administrative system may lose its saltiness, and the achievement of

quality assurance will be a mirage.

The principals’ organizing strategies unveiled in this study should be

adhered to by the principals if they are zealous to achieve a quality assurance

in their various secondary schools in Kogi State. The principals’ staff

personnel strategies unearthed in this study can make the achievement of

quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State a reality if properly

utilized by secondary school principals.

The principals’ coordinating strategies divulged in this study are

veritable tools for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools

if welcomed by the school principals. Also, budget controls the financial

behavior of principals in a school system and prevent waste or reckless

spending of fund provided for various educational services. In a bid to make

this assertion a reality, school principals should integrate the budgeting

strategies uncovered in this study in their school system. This effort will

invariably aid the achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in

Kogi State.

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Recommendations

Based on the findings and implications of this study, the following

recommendations are made:

1. Secondary school principals should adopt and implement the

administrative process strategies illustrated in this study to achieve

quality assurance in their schools.

2. The state government should appoint capable and qualified person to

head a secondary school as a principal.

3. Secondary school principals should be transferred to another school

after a period of some years in their resident school.

4. Secondary school principals should be properly motivated in order to

carry out their administrative duties effectively.

5. Budget monitoring team should be constituted in all the secondary

schools in Kogi State to ensure effective implementation of school

budget and also check any form of financial recklessness,

Limitations

It is impossible however, to visit all the schools in Kogi State because

majority of the villages where some the schools were located are mainly

situated at the interior area. Therefore, not all the schools were visited by the

researcher. There is also lack of good road network and township buses for

transportation. Some of the students were hostile to the researcher due to

lack of exposure and ignorance. They are skeptical about the fact that the

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researcher was on an academic research mission, but rather taught that he has

just come to explore their lands.

Suggestions for Further Research

The following suggestions have been made:

1. This study could be replicated in other States in North Central geo-

political zone of Nigeria.

2. For the results of the study to be more generalized, a larger sample

should be used in replicating the study.

3. A future research could be carried out on correlate of job satisfaction

among secondary school principals in Kogi State.

Summary of the Study

This study investigated the principals’ administrative process

strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in

Kogi State. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, five research

questions were developed and two hypotheses formulated to direct the study.

The research questions were administered to some sampled respondents. The

respondents consisted of 138 male principals, and 90 female principals.

The sample consist the entire 228 principals in the government owned

secondary schools in Kogi State. The research question was analyzed using

mean scores and standard deviation while the hypotheses were rested by

means of t-test statistics.

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Evidence from literature showed that a principal is the head

administrator of a school, especially a grade school or a secondary school

with much responsibilities resting on his shoulders for the betterment of the

school. Quality represents the properties of products and services that are

valued by the consumer. Quality Assurance is a planned and systematic

activities implemented in a system so that excellence requirements for a

product or service will be fulfilled. Administration is a process by which

goals are achieved through collective and cooperative human effort in a

suitable environment. Quality assurance in education is a totality of the

combination of some indispensable variables such as good administration,

quality teachers, quality instructional materials and quality infrastructures

(classrooms, seats, tables, chalkboards, etc.). Administrative process strategy

is a concerned with shaping an organization in the right part towards the

achievement of its goal. Some of the administrative process strategies of the

principals include planning strategy, organizing strategy, staff personnel

strategy, coordinating strategy and budgeting strategy.

The findings of the study were extensively discussed; their educational

implications and recommendations were highlighted: suggestion for further

research and limitations of the study were also given.

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APPENDIX A

LIST OF 228 GOVERNMENT-OWNED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN

THE 21 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KOGI STATE

AJAOKUTA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

1. Government science Secondary School, Ajaokuta

2. Community Secondary School, Geregu

3. Community comprehensive High School, Eganyi

4. Government Secondary School, Ebiya

BASSA LGA

1. Bassa Uge Secondary School, Gboloko

2. Community Secondary School, Odenyi

3. Government Secondary School, Emiguni

4. Community Secondary School, Koji

5. Community Secondary School, Kpanche

6. Community Secondary School, Effin

7. Community Secondary School, Akakana

8. Community Secondary School, Adium-Woiwo

9. Government Secondary School, Mozum

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OGORI/MAGONGO LGA

1. Magongo community Secondary School, magongo

2. Community comprehensive high schoo, Ogori

Okehi LGA

1. Ebira muslim college, Ikuechi

2. Government. Day Secondary School, Ebako

3. Community Secondary School, Uboro

4. Oboroke Community Secondary School, Oboroke

5. Government. Day Secondary School, Ohueta

6. Okechi Community Secondary School, Ikuchi

7. Government. Girls United Secondary School, Oboroke

ANKPA LGA

1. Community girls School, Ochi-Ofabo

2. Muslim Islamiyah Secondary School, Ajobe

3. Okaba community Secondary School, Ollaba

4. Government. Day Secondary School, Ikanekpo

5. Community Secondary School, Ogodo

6. College of Arabic and Islamic School, Ankpa

7. Inye community Secondary School, Inye

8. Emodu community Secondary School, Ofugo

9. Community Secondary School, Okenyi

10. Government. Secondary School Enabo

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11. Young Muslim congress Secondary School, Ankpa

12. Community Secondary School, Ojoku

13. United Evangelical church Secondary School, Odobi-Eti-Afor

14. Enjema community Girls School, Enjema

15. Government. Day Secondary School, Inye

16. Ankpa Divisional community Grammar School, Ankpa

17. Christ the king college, Awo-Akpali

18. Community Secondary School, Emekutu

19. College of Arabic and Islamic School, Ojoku

20. Ikah community Secondary School, Ikah

21. Awo community Secondary commercial college, Awo

22. United Evangelical church Secondary School, Ankpa

KOGI LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Gegu Beki

2. Government Day Secondary School, Akpogu

3. Community Secondary School, Okofi

OFU LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Agojeju

2. Owowolo Iyokpe Community Secondary School, Ofolikpa

3. Government Secondary School, Itobe

4. Community Secondary School, Ochadamu

5. Community Secondary School, Ukuolawo

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6. Community Secondary School, Umomi

7. Community Secondary School, Obagwu

8. Community Secondary School, Ofakaga

9. Community Secondary School, Onicha-Igo

10. Community Secondary School, Ejule

11. Community Secondary School, Aloji

12. Emodiu Community Secondary School, Ofabo

OLAMABORO LGA.

1. Emomoka Community Secondary School, Emonyoku

2. Igah community college, Ikeje

3. Community high School, Etutekpe

4. Emoriko Community Secondary School, Adupi-Ogugu

5. Okpo Community Grammar School, Okpo

6. Government. Day Secondary School, Ikan-Ogugu

7. Emomoka Community Secondary School, Adupi-Ogugu

8. Emonoja community college, Ogbofe-Ogugu

9. Government. Secondary School, Okpo

10. Agaliga community comprehensive college, Etukwo

11. Community Secondary School, Adeh

12. Community high School, Ofante

13. Qua Iboe Community Secondary School, Ogugu

14. Agaliga Community Secondary School, Efabo

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15. Emagaba community Grammar School, Emagba II

16. Ameh commercial college, Etutekpe

17. Imane community Girls School, Imane

LOKOJA LGA

1. Government Girls Secondary School, Sarkin-Noma

2. Muslim community Secondary School, Lokoja

3. Government. day Secondary School, Adankolo

4. Government. Secondary School, Agbaja

5. Government. Secondary School, Abugi

6. Bishop Delise college-Lokoja

7. St. Clement Secondary School, Lokoja

8. Institute of Arabic and Islamic School, Lokoja

9. Crowder memorial college, Lokoja

10. Army day Secondary School, Lokoja

IDAH LGA

1. Government. Girls Secondary School, Idah

2. Ogah memorial Grammar School Idah

3. Dickson memorial college, Idah

4. St. Kizito college, Idah

5. Idah Secondary commercial college, Idah

6. Holy Rosary college Idah

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IGALAMELA/ODOLO LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Vgwaka-Olah

2. Community Secondary School, Oforachi

3. Akpanya community Secondary School, Akanya

4. Avrugo Day Secondary School, Avrugo

5. Government. Secondary School, Okenya

6. Odolu day Secondary School, Odolu

7. Community Secondary School, Ajaka

8. Community Secondary School, Ogbogbo

MOPA/AMURO LGA

1. Amuro Community Secondary School, Amuro

2. Baptist Girls high School, Mopa

3. Ilai community Grammar School, Ilai-Mopa

4. Evangelical church of West Africa Secondary School, Mopa

5. Government day Secondary School, Takefe-Iddi

6. Cruise memorial college, Mopa

ADAVI LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Ege

2. Government. day Secondary School, Okunchi

3. Government. Secondary School, Kuroko

4. Community Secondary School,, Adavi-Eba

5. Community Secondary School, Kuroko

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6. Government. Day Secondary School, Inoziomi

7. Ruhul-Islam college of Arabic studies, Adavi-Eba

8. Ebira Community Secondary School, Ogaminana

OKENE LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Etahi

2. College of Arabic and Islamic School, Okene

3. Okene Secondary School, Okene

4. Government. day Secondary School, Ahache

5. Local Government. Secondary School, Agassa

6. Local Government. Secondary School, Upogoro

7. Government. Secondary School, Okene

8. Queen of Apostle College, Okene

9. Okene central commercial Secondary School, Anyava

10. Local Government. Secondary Ohiana

11. Lenon memorial college Ageva

12. Okengwe commercial Secondary School, Arigo

13. Government. day Secondary School, Iruvucheba

IJUMU LGA

1. Ikoyi Community High School, Ikoyi

2. Markaz College of Arabic and Islamic studies, Aiyegunle- Gbede

3. Government. Girls Secondary School, Ayeforo-Gbede

4. Iyara Muslim College, Iyara

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5. Community High School, Aiyeforo-gbede

6. Community High School, Iyamoye

7. Community High School Iyara

8. Community Comprehensive College, Ayeh-gbede

9. Community Comprehensive College, Ekirim-Adde

10. Okoro – Gede High School, Okoro – gbede

11. Local Government. Secondary School, Ayegule-Gbede

12. Community Secondary School, Ayere

13. Community Secondary School, Ogidi

14. Government day Secondary School, Ogidi

15. Government day Secondary School, Ogae-Aduge

16. Baptist High School, Ekinnri – Adde

17. Baptist Secondary commercial School, Iyah-Gbede

18. Aiyegunle-Gbede Secondary School, Aiyegunle-Gbede

19. Iffe-ijumu Secondary commercial college, Iffe – Ijuma

YAGBA WEST LGA

1. St. Peters college, Egbe

2. Government Secondary School, Egbe

3. Odo-Eri Community Grammer School, Odo-Eri

4. Ogbe Community Secondary School, Ogbe

5. Comercial college, Egbe

6. Community High School, Odo-Eri

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7. Odo-Ara Community Secondary School, Odo-Ara

8. Local Government. Secondary School, Ejiba

9. Odo-Eri High School, Odo Ere

10. Ogah Ogbori Grammar School, Agunbelewo

11. Akun Maru Community Secondary School, Okoloke

12. Unity Secondary commercial college, Odo-Eri

13. Government. Day Secondary School, Okeri

14. Oke – Ere Grammar School, Oke Ere

YAGBA/EAST LGA

1. Community High School, Alu

2. St. Kizito College, Isarilu

3. Panyan Community High School, Ponyan

4. Local Government. Secondary School, Alaloduri-Ejuku

5. Isanlu Community Secondary School, Isanlu

6. Community High School, Ejuku

7. Igbo-Ero Community Secondary School, Igbo-Ero

8. Community Secondary School, Igbagun

9. Jamat Nasir Islam community High School, Ife-Olukotun

10. Wesley High School, Ife- Olukotun

11. Omuo Community High School, Isanlu

12. Esetu memorial commercial Secondary School

13. Ijowa High School, Ijowa

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14. Africa Community Secondary School, Isanlu

15. Community High School, Takete – Isao

16. Elafin Victory College, Elafin

KABBA LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Illah – Bunu

2. Community High School, Kakun

3. St. Augustine College, Kabba

4. Local Government. Secondary School, Otu-Egumbe

5. Community Secondary School, Odo-Ape

6. Oke-bukun High School, Oke-bukun

7. St. Banabas College, Kabba

8. Government. Secondary School Iluke

9. Government. Secondary School, Olleh-Bunu

10. Community High School, Oke-Ofin

11. Local Government Secondary School, Ayede – Bunu

DEKINA LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Emewe – Etopa

2. Community Secondary School, Egume

3. Community Secondary Commercial College, Anyigba

4. Ukpo Community Secondary School, Ajogwoni

5. Araba Community Secondary School, Araba-Salifu

6. Oganenigu Community Secondary School, Aloko

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7. Emakoji Community Secondary School, Adoji

8. Ikani-Eibo Community Secondary School, Ogbaloto

9. CMML, Ogbogodo

10. Community Secondary School, Ajiolo-Ojaji

11. Government Secondary School, Ologba

12. Government. Secondary School, Odu

13. Community Secondary School, Okura-Olafia

14. Community Secondary School, Agada

15. Government. Secondary School, Olowa

16. Community Secondary School, Ajekelaga

17. Community Secondary School, Iyale

18. CMML, Anyigba

19. Government. Secondary School, Ojofu

20. Peter Tokula Memorial High School, Odu, Ofumu

21. Dekina Division Secondary School

22. Our Ladies Secondary School, Anyigba

23. Community Secondary School, Olowa

24. Government Day Secondary School, Dekina

25. Ofiji Community Secondary School, Emewe- Okpada

26. Biraidu Community Secondary School, Abocho

27. Agbeji Grammar School, Agbeji

28. Muslim High School, Anyigba

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29. Ochaja Girls Secondary School, Ochaja

OMALA LGA

1. Efe Community Secondary School, Abejukolo

2. Community Secondary School, Abejukolo

3. Agojeju-odo Community Secondary School, Agojeju – Odo

4. Community Secondary School, Ollah

5. Ife Community Secondary School, Bajaji-Odo

6. Bagana Community Secondary School, Bagana

7. Ife Community Secondary School, Agbenema

8. Ife Community Secondary School Ibado-Akpacha

9. Government Day Secondary School, Abejukolo

IBAJI LGA

1. Community Secondary School, Enweli

2. Ebaji Community Secondary School, Odomomoh

3. Community Secondary School, Attah

4. Father Arome Memorial College, Echeno

5. Government. Day Secondary School, Ejule-Ojebe

6. Community Secondary School, Iyano-Ibaji

7. Edoja Community Secondary School, Uchuchu

8. Community Secondary School, Unale-Ibaji

9. Community Secondary School, Odeke

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APPENDIX B

Department of Educational Foundation,

Faculty of Education,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

4/1/2014.

Sir/Madam

LETTER TO RESPONDENT

I am a post-graduate student of the Department of Educational

Foundation, (Administration and Planning Unit), University of Nigeria,

Nsukka. I am conducting a research on “Principals’ Quality Assurance

Strategies for Effective Secondary School Administration in Kogi State”.

In order to carry out this research, your co-operation in filling the

research questionnaire is needed. You should feel free to give your response

as the research is purely for academic purpose and all information supplied

shall be treated confidentiality.

Thanks for your anticipated co-operation.

Yours sincerely,

Abdulrahaman Muhammed

(Researcher)

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PART A: PERSONAL DATA

Read thoroughly the following items and indicate the answer that best

corresponds to your opinion by ticking ( √ ) in the appropriate column.

Name of School……………………………………………………………

Local Government Area……………………………………………………

Gender: Male Principal

Female Principal

Part B: Information on Principals’ Quality Assurance Strategies for

Effective Secondary School Administration in Kogi State

Read the following items and indicate the answers that best

corresponds to your opinion by ticking (√) in the appropriate column. Use

the key stated below to answer the questions.

Clusters A, B, C, D, and E.

Strongly Agree SA (4-points)

Agree A (3-points)

Disagree D (2-points)

Strongly Disagree SD (1-point)

Cluster A: Principals’ Planning Strategies for the Achievement of

Quality Assurance In Secondary School in Kogi State

S/N ITEM STATEMENT SA A D SD

1 Preparation of school time table on time

2 Adequate provision of ICT facilities to enhance

teaching and learning in the school

3 Provision of enough furniture in the school

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4 Equipping the school laboratories with standard

laboratory facilities

5 Playing major role in school curriculum

implementation

6 Introducing innovations that will bring about

improvement in academic standard of the

school.

7 Employing some security operatives to ensure

protection of life and properties in the school

surroundings

8 Renovation of the school plant as at when due

Cluster B: Principals’ Organizing Strategies for the Achievement of

Quality Assurance in Secondary Schools In Kogi State


9 Organizing programs like debate and quiz

competition during special assembly at least

once in a week.

10 Make proper arrangements prior to any external

examination

11 Making sure that materials needed for

conducting internal examination are made

available to the exam committee at the right

time.

12 Organizing staff meeting on the first day of

every term

13 Instructing the sport master to invite teachers

from other schools to officiate the inter house

sport competition

14 Conducting PTA meeting at least once in a term

15 Consulting with staff members before

organizing a send forth party for outgoing

students

16 Making sure that letters of invitation to attend

PTA meeting are served to all parents through

their children in the school.

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Cluster C: Principals’ Staff-Personnel Administration Strategies for the

Achievement of Quality Assurance in Secondary School in

Kogi State


17 Taking regular attendance of staff members

18 Advising the ministry of education or teaching

service commission to consider the educational,

occupational and personal experiences of

applicants before recruitment to school

19 Conducting orientation programe whenever new

staffs are posted to the school

20 Assignment of duties to teachers to be based on

specialization and expertise.

21 Teachers to be internally supervised by their

heads of departmewrfv ent or subject

coordinators

22 Satisfying staff needs to achieve efficiency,

good performance and job satisfaction

23 Delegation of duties and responsibilities to staffs

in his own interest and the interest of the

institution he serves.

24 Encouraging staff professional growth by

encouraging teachers to undergo on -the -job

training like seminars and workshops

Cluster D: Principals’ Coordinating Strategies for the Achievement of

Quality Assurance in Secondary School Administration in

Kogi State


25 Ensuring that every teacher is working towards

the attainment of school goals.

26 Coordinating the activities of committees during

special school programmes and events like inter

house sports competitions, send-off ceremonies

etc.

27 Ensuring that teachers and students are in the

class room during lecture periods

28 Appointment of some capable teachers and

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assigning some responsibilities to them

29 Appoint teachers to coordinate student social

activities like clubs, societies and associations.

30 Holding periodic meetings at different levels

with staff, students, parent committee, heads of

department or subject coordinators etc. to

discover areas of needs/problem and proffer

solutions.

31 Issuance of query to any staff caught in any act

of indiscipline

32 Moving from class to class to know how

students are fairing

Cluster E: Principals’ Budgeting Strategies for the Achievement of

Quality Assurance in Secondary School Administration in

Kogi State.


33 Making sure that various departmental needs are

forwarded by heads of department or subject

coordinator for inclusion in the school budget.

34 Involvement of experts like the school bursar or

accountant in the preparation of school budget.

35 Seeking the input/advice of teachers on the most

needed capital project(s) to be included in the

school budget.

36 Consider the expected revenue and the source

(s) it is to be derived before preparation of

budget.

37 Setting up budget monitoring team in the school

38 Sourcing for funds from PTA/private sectors for

budget implementation

39 Sourcing for funds from foreign donor for

budget implementation

40 Preparing a supplementary budget when the

need arises

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APPENDIX C

Department of Educational

Foundations

Faculty of Education

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

4/01/2014

Dear Sir/Madam

REQUEST FOR VALIDATION OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

I am a post graduate student of the above mentioned department in the

Faculty of Education of this institution. I am currently conducting a research

work on the topic “Principals’ Quality Assurance Strategies for Effective

Secondary School Administration in Kogi State”.

I wish to request your assistance in the validation of the research

instrument in terms of: clarity of items, simplicity of vocabulary, relevance

of items of the study, and agreement of the items with the research topic,

purpose and research questions set aside for the study. Please, kindly

comment and suggest measures for improvement of the instrument.

Attached is a draft copy of the instrument, purpose, research questions

and hypotheses for the study.

Yours faithfully,

Abdulrahaman Muhammed.

PG/M.Ed/12/62642.

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Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to examine principals’ quality

assurance strategies for effective secondary school administration in Kogi

State. Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Determine principals’ quality assurance planning strategies for

effective secondary school administration in Kogi State.

2. Determine principals’ quality assurance organizing strategies for


3. Find out principals’ quality assurance staffing strategies for effective

secondary school administration in Kogi State.

4. Determine principals’ quality assurance coordinating strategies for


5. Find out principals’ quality assurance budgeting strategies for


Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study.

1. What are the principals’ quality assurance planning strategies for

effective secondary school administration in Kogi State?

2. What are the principals’ quality assurance organizing strategies for

effective secondary school administration in Kogi state?

3. What are the principals’ quality assurance staffing strategies for


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4. What are the principals’ quality assurance coordinating strategies for


5. What are the principals’ quality assurance budgeting strategies for


Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses formulated will guide the study. It will

be tested at 0.05 level of significance.

H01: There is no significant difference between the mean rating of male

and female principals on principals’ quality assurance planning

strategies for effective secondary school administration in Kogi State.

H02: There is no significant difference between the mean rating of male and

female principals on principals’ quality assurance organizing

strategies for effective secondary school administration in Kogi State.

principals’ administrative process strategies for the

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