Principals’ Administrative Process Strategies For The Achievement Of Quality Assurance In Secondary Schools In Kogi 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 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.

 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’?

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 quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

3. Find out principals’ staff personnel strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

4. Identify principals’ coordinating strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

5. Determine principals’ budgeting strategies for the achievement of quality assurance in secondary schools in Kogi State.

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