Charles Akpan

Education is the key that unlocks the door for the development of any nation. It is the instrument that facilitates political, economic, social and technological development of a country. For education to play its key role on the transformation of a nation, it needs to be adequately and effectively planned because a faulty educational planning can jeopardize a country's development for decades. Therefore the importance of educational planning cannot be overemphasized. This chapter examines the types and reasons for educational planning. The types of planning have been succinctly discussed based on classification and an in-depth discussion of the reasons for educational planning presented. Similarly, the models of educational planning using the interactive and rational models have also been treated. The limitations of educational planning in Nigeria are identified and discussed. Premised on the constraints to educational planning, some remedies are proffered.

Education is universally accepted as a means for a country’s economic, social and political development. In Nigeria, education is seen as an instrument par excellence for national development. This means that education is the key for the nation’s economic transformation and the means for the country to meet up with global competitiveness. The success of higher education depends greatly on the effective and efficient management of resources by institutional administrators. Thus, effective management of resources is very important in the achievement of quality education. In the context of this paper resources mean the totality of everything that higher institutions need to achieve their goals and objectives. Educational resources are those things that can be used to achieve educational objectives. They can be tangible and intangible resources. They can be categorized into finance, physical/material, human, information, knowledge, time and technological resources needed for effective operation of higher education. They are educational inputs that enhance both academic and administrative work in higher institutions. Resource management therefore, means the systematic coordination and integration of available resources for the achievement of the set goals of higher education. It involves a number of related activities such as planning, leading, coordinating, controlling, supervising or monitoring and directing in order to achieve efficient use of available resources for maximum output. Resource management involves resource mobilization and development. The purpose of resource management in higher education is to produce quality graduates who can contribute meaningfully to the development of the nation. Institutional administrators are therefore, expected to have the requisite skills, knowledge and competence to intelligently and effectively coordinate and manage the various resources at their disposal for quality output. Hence, higher institutions need competent and effective educational leaders. Some of the skills needed for effective management of resources by institutional administrators include technical, conceptual, human, decision making and communication skills. Resource management in higher education is not just a responsibility for institutional heads alone, it involves team work. The administrator needs to understand this and enlist the cooperation of both staff and students. However, resource management in higher institutions in Nigeria is not without problems. These problems include among others incessant strikes, political crises, education wastage, poor maintenance culture, misappropriation of funds, ineffective leadership, resistance to change, cultism, lack of requisite skills and poor human relations. This paper therefore, focuses on resource management in higher education. The concepts of educational resources and resource management would be treated. The importance of resource management, skills required for resource management, types of resources and problems of resource management in higher education would be discussed. Premised on the problems of resource management, the paper would recommend some strategies for improvement of resource management in higher education in Nigeria. Keywords: Resources, Management, Problems, Higher education, Nigeria.

The study sought to find out the influence of ICT competence on lecturers’ Job Efficacy in two Nigerian universities. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The sample of the study consisted of 500 university teachers randomly sampled from a population of 1,795 teachers. Data for the study were collected using ICT Competence and Job Efficacy Questionnaire (ICTCJEQ). The data were analyzed using Chi-square and One-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical techniques. The results of the study revealed that male and female lecturers did not differ significantly in their level of ICT competence. Lecturers with high ICT competence were found to be more efficacious in classroom instruction, research/publication, communication and recordkeeping than those with moderate and low ICT competence. The findings of this study revealed that the level of ICT competence of lecturers significantly enhanced their job efficacy. Premised on these findings, it was recommended that lecturer...

The purpose of this study was to find out the extent to which job security and job satisfaction predicted organizational commitment of university teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria. The relative contribution of each of the two independent variables to the prediction was also investigated. A survey design was adopted and the study sample consisted of 290 lecturers selected from 2 universities using purposive sampling technique. Two hypotheses guided the study. Instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and t-test. The result of the study revealed that both job security and job satisfaction jointly had a significant effect (F = 9.87; P< .05) on organizational commitment of university teachers. There was also a significant correlation between the joint predictor variables and organizational commitment (R = 0.593; P<.05). Job satisfaction was a more potent predictor of organizational commitment (t = 3.38; P < ...

The study was aimed at finding out the relationship between accreditation of academic programmes and quality university education. The study area was South-South Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Simple random and accidental sampling techniques were used to sample 4 federal universities, 400 academic staff, 300 final year students and 200 employers for the study. Three types of instrument titled: Adequacy of Requirements for Accreditation of Academic Programmes Questionnaire (ARAAPQ), Quality University Education Questionnaire (QUEQ) and Employers Rating of quality University Graduates questionnaire (ERQUGQ)   were used for data collection. All the items on the three instruments were weighted on a 4-point response type scale.  Each of the three instruments had a reliability coefficient of 0.82, 0.77 and 0.80 respectively, using Cronbach Alpha reliability method. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive (means and standar...

Abstract Quality Assurance in Universities and other Higher Institutions has become a global issue. There has been a growing interest on the part of governments around the world that universities in their countries provide quality education to their students. To this end, varying agencies and commissions have been established to assure quality education. In Nigeria, the National Universities Commission (NUC) is charged with this responsibility. This paper, therefore, examines the role of this commission in quality assurance in Nigerian universities. Quality assurance is the concern that certain accepted criteria of minimum standards of quality should be achieved in the production of goods and services. it is a regulatory mechanism focusing on accountability and improvement, thus, establishing confidence in stakeholders that the inputs, processes and output of educational system fulfill the expectations or measure up to minimum standards. In the university system, quality assurance is the guaranty of confidence and certainty that standards and quality of a program run by the university are being maintained and enhanced. In Nigeria, two basic mechanisms are used to ensure quality in universities. These are the internal and external mechanisms. Internal mechanism is the internal framework which involves the process of evaluation and promotion of quality within each university. The external mechanism centers on the activities of the NUC as a regulatory body to supervise the development and academic activities of universities in Nigeria. These involve among other things, establishment of minimum academic standards and accreditation of academic programs. Thus, this paper focuses on the concept of quality assurance, minimum academic standards for universities, quality assurance mechanisms including accreditation of academic programs. A model for assessment of quality of university education would be presented and recommendations proffered. Keywords: Quality Assurance, National Universities Commission, Quality Assurance Mechanisms, Accreditation and Assessment of Educational Quality.

The aim of the study was to find out the perception of principals on parents’ involvement in the management of public secondary schools and the challenges of involving them in school management practices. The study area was Cross River State of Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The survey research design was adopted for the study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 200 principals (120 males and 80 females) from a population of 232 principals. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire designed by the researcher and titled “Parents’ Involvement in School-Based Management Questionnaire (PISBMQ)” for principals to assess the extent of parents’ involvement in school management practices. It was a 4-point Likert scale which comprised 27 items. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.75, using Cronbach method of reliability estimate.The data for the research questions were analyzed using desc...

The success of any organization depends greatly on its leadership. The school leader (principal) should possess certain qualities that would enable her to perform her administrative tasks efficiently and effectively for the attainment of the school goals and objectives. Therefore, this study was aimed at finding out the relationship between principals’ leadership qualities and their administrative tasks performance effectiveness as perceived by secondary school teachers in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The sample of the study consisted of 820 teachers sampled from 82 secondary schools using stratified proportionate random sampling technique. The instrument developed by the researcher and titled “Principals’ Leadership Qualities and Administrative Tasks Performance Effectiveness Questionnaire (PLQATPEQ)” was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviatio...

The issue of access to University education has become a serious one in Nigeria as a result of population explosion and the increasing understanding of the significance of university education in the development of the individual and the nation. Access, therefore, is viewed as the opportunity and right to receive university education. But access to education is not without problems. This paper examines the issues and problems of access to university education in Nigeria. The issues and problems discussed include the Federal character principle, the quota system, funding, attitude of government towards education, socioeconomic background and poverty and sex discrimination. The role of Federal government in promoting access to university education is also examined. The paper concludes with some recommendations for enhancing access to university education in Nigeria. Introduction The demand for university education in recent times has increased phenomenally. Every graduate of post-primary institution struggles to have admission to the university to study. This depicts that, perhaps, people have realized the importance of university education in one's life as a means for social mobility, self-development and self-actualization. It is to this end that Ehiametalor (2005) argues that there seems to be a general perception among the Nigerian people that only university degree can promise a good future. According to him, the demand for university education has reached an unprecedented high level that more than double the current number of universities in the country will be required to fill this need. In 1948 when the University College Ibadan was established, the total enrolment was 210 students (Okebukola, 2004). But today over one million secondary school graduates are seeking opportunities to enter into universities across the country. Regrettably, the available universities in the country could not provide all the opportunities for those yearning for university education. Thus, the issue of access to university education has become a serious one (Fabunmi, 2005).

The success of any organization depends greatly on its leadership. The school leader (principal) should possess certain qualities that would enable her to perform her administrative tasks efficiently and effectively for the attainment of the school goals and objectives. Therefore, this study was aimed at finding out the relationship between principals' leadership qualities and their administrative tasks performance effectiveness as perceived by secondary school teachers in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The sample of the study consisted of 820 teachers sampled from 82 secondary schools using stratified proportionate random sampling technique. The instrument developed by the researcher and titled "Principals' Leadership Qualities and Administrative Tasks Performance Effectiveness Questionnaire (PLQATPEQ)" was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and Pearson's product moment correlation statistical technique. The results of the study revealed that teachers perceived their principals as exhibiting moderate leadership qualities with relationship being the mostly exhibited leadership quality (X = 17.30). The study also showed that teachers perceived their principals as being moderately effective in their administrative tasks performance. They were assessed to be very effective in curriculum development and instruction (X =18.67). There was a significant positive correlation between principals' leadership qualities and their administrative tasks performance effectiveness. Premised on the findings of this study, it was concluded that leadership qualities are strong determinants of principals' administrative task performance effectiveness in secondary schools. It was recommended among other things that principals should improve their leadership qualities to enhance administrative tasks performance effectiveness.

The aim of the study was to find out the perception of principals on parents' involvement in the management of public secondary schools and the challenges of involving them in school management practices. The study area was Cross River State of Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The survey research design was adopted for the study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 200 principals (120 males and 80 females) from a population of 232 principals. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire designed by the researcher and titled "Parents' Involvement in School-Based Management Questionnaire (PISBMQ)" for principals to assess the extent of parents' involvement in school management practices. It was a 4-point Likert scale which comprised 27 items. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.75, using Cronbach method of reliability estimate.The data for the research questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while data for the hypotheses were analyzed using independent t-test statistics. The results of the study revealed that parents, to some extent, were involved in school-based management practices. The findings showed that parents were mostly involved in partnering with school to improve students' discipline, followed by involvement in policy/decision making, and the school development projects, with involvement in financial supports to school being the least. Generally, principals identified parental apathy, lack of time and expertise in school administration, working parents, and poor socioeconomic background of parents as major challenges in involving parents in school management practices. The study further showed that male and female principals did not differ significantly in their assessment of parents' involvement in school-based management practices. Rural school principals assessed parents as being more actively involved in school management than urban school principals. Premised on the findings of this study, it was recommended among others that school principals should create invitational school environments for parents. They should communicate regularly with parents and utilized educated community leaders as resource persons to the school to encourage parents to participate actively in school management.

The study investigated students' personnel library services and sustainable secondary education in Calabar Education Zone of Cross River State. To achieve this purpose, one null hypothesis was generated to direct the study. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to sample seven hundred and ten (710) senior secondary two (SS11) students out of a population of 6131 students for the study. The Students' Personnel Library Services and Sustainable Secondary Education Questionnaire (SPLSSSEQ) was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in Measurements and Evaluation in the University of Calabar. The reliability coefficients of the instrument ranged from 0.71 to 0.86 using Cronbach reliability method. Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistical technique was used for data analysis and the hypothesis was tested at .05 level of significance. The result of the study revealed that students' personnel library services significantly related with sustainable secondary education in terms of learning environment, instructional strategies and curriculum relevance. Premised on this finding, it was recommended that both the government and school administrators should ensure that adequate students' personnel library services are provided to enhance sustainable secondary education.

Introduction Higher education is the type of education people receive after post-basic education in institutions such as colleges of education, polytechnics, monotechnics and universities. Higher education in Nigeria is expected to contribute to national development through high level manpower training and the provision of accessible and affordable quality learning opportunities in response to the needs and aspirations of the citizenry. At the centre of all academic and non-academic activities in higher institutions are the students who are to be educated in various disciplines in order to make them worthy both in learning and character at graduation. In order to achieve this objective, effective management of students' personnel services need to be provided. This is important particularly in the face of the decline in the quality of graduates produced in our higher institutions and the challenge of producing well-educated, functional, cultured, disciplined, productive and employable graduates. In this era of globalization, coupled with astronomical increase in students' enrolment in higher institutions in Nigeria, there is the need to put in place adequate students' personnel services and to manage them adroitly in order to produce graduates that can meet the challenges of global competitiveness. Premised on these facts, the task of producing quality graduates in our higher educational institutions depends greatly on the proper management of students' personnel services. The students need to be properly admitted, oriented, organized, directed and guided in order to help them in their educational pursuit. This paper therefore, focuses on students' personnel services in higher education. The concept of management, students' personnel services, and the purpose of students' personnel services management in

Observations of teachers in the School System have shown that some of them work harder and are more effective in performing their job than others. This variation in job performance among teachers is attributable to a number of situational variables including motivation. It is what motivates workers in the work situation that determines their behaviour towards effective job performance. Since motivation of teachers is a personnel function of the school administrator, this paper therefore, examines the various approaches to teachers' motivation, Maslow's and Herzberg's theories and their implications for teachers' motivation are treated. The administrator's role in creating a motivational school environment is also discussed and some recommendations highlighted.