Abstract
Secondary
Education is essential as it among other functions provides all primary school
leavers with the opportunity for education of a high level. This has informed
the several calls for high standards in the sector. Financial resources were
identified as basically a vital factor in achieving high standard in education.
This paper investigated availability and extent of utilization of financial
resources for achieving high academic standard in Government owned secondary
schools in Ebonyi State. The study was guided by two research questions. The entire
population of 145 principals of the secondary schools was used for the study as
no sample was drawn. Data were collected using two different instruments:
checklist on availability of financial resources (CAFR) and questionnaires
on-extent of utilization of financial resources (QEUFR). Two experts validated
the instruments. The instruments were tested for reliability and they yielded
the index of 0.95 and 0.93 respectively. Data were equally analyzed using
frequency count and percentages for question one while mean and standard
deviation were used for question two. Among the findings was that though
financial resources were available in state secondary schools, they were being
utilized in low extent. Conclusion was drawn that for high academic standard to
be achieved in the secondary schools, financial resources should be provided
and properly utilized. One of the recommendations of the study is that
government should provide a comprehensive guideline on utilization of financial
resources in public secondary schools.
Introduction
It seems difficult to promote and sustain any meaningful
development in the society without quality education. Research (Oyekan, 2000;
Okecha, 2002) shows that a high standard education is needed to develop the
capabilities of nations and to harness their vast resources for functional
self-reliance and survival of humanity. The education our children receive
especially at the secondary level deserves attention, as it will contribute
less or nothing towards human survival if sub-standard. Besides, Adesina (1981)
asserts that since secondary education determines the fate and dictates the
pace of education at the primary and tertiary levels, it should have a desirable
standard. It is in the light of these that there is need to maintain high
standard in the secondary schools if our aspiration for excellence will be
realized.
Secondary
education is the education children receive after primary education and before
the tertiary stage (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). The purpose of
secondary education shall be to:
(a) Provide
all primary school leavers with the opportunity for education of a high level,
irrespective of sex, social status, religious or ethnic background
(b) Offer diversified curriculum to cater for the
differences in talents, opportunities and future roles;
(c) Provide trained manpower in the applied
science, technology and commerce at sub-professional grades;
(d)
Develop and promote Nigerian languages, art and culture in the context
of world cultural heritage;
(e)
Inspire students with a desire for self improvement and achievement of
excellence;
(f)
Foster National Unity with an emphasis on the common ties that unite us
in our diversity;
(g)
Raise a generation of people who can think for themselves, respect the
views and feelings of others, respect the dignity of labour, appreciate those
values specified under our broad national goals and live as good citizens;
(h)
Provide technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for
agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development, (FRN,
2004:18-19)
The
main aim behind the establishment of secondary schools in Nigeria, which Ebonyi
State belongs, is to achieve those stated objectives, which their attainment
calls for high standard and its sustenance. In the view of Gipps (1988),
establishment of standards is necessary for the restoration of the commitment
to excellence lacking from many parts of the education service. Restoration of
high standard in our educational service will make it truly accountable to its
sponsors and will as well provide the public the opportunity of measuring the
effectiveness of the education system. Notable Scholars such as Nwana (1993),
Ukeje, (1993) and Nwagwu (1998) conceptualized "Standards" as the
expected level of quality and as special level of proficiency. Financial
resources are basically identified as one of the vital means for achieving high
academic standards. These financial resources are materials of monetary value,
which can be expended on expenditure items. Effective operation of secondary
schools in Ebonyi State in terms of the standard of Education offered is
dependent on the provision and usage of financial resources. Financial resource
are needed to facilitate implementation of school policies and programmes; to
enable activities such as educational tours and excursions to take place, to
involve students in co-curricular activities such as music and sports and to
develop schools as educational establishment (Federal Ministry of Education and
Youth Development, 1993:2011).
Financial
resources are said to be available when provisions are made for fund required
to carry out activities leading to the attainment of goals. In Ebonyi State
owned secondary schools, financial resources such as percentage of government
expenditure allocated to the sector, contributions from the Parents -Teachers -
Association (PTA), donations; grants among others are expected to be available
for utilization. Financial resources utilization in this regard is one of the
major tasks of a school principal. The success or failure of the school
porgrammes largely depends on the way the financial inputs are utilized. Agabi
(1992) States that a greater proportion of our secondary education objectives
are achieved when there is rational use of a given financial resource than when
rationality is not attained.
This
study was motivated by the belief that the standard of educational experiences
offered in Ebonyi State owned secondary schools is poor. The schools presently
and in all ramifications appear ill equipped and incapable of offering high
academic standard. Observation has shown that in virtually all the schools are
insufficient classroom facilities, dilapidated and hazardous study environment
as most floors, walls, doors and windows become out of use and create a
situation of insecurity. Similarly, some school buildings are usually seen in
bad condition with either blown-off roofs, broken walls, leaking roof while
most school environments are untidily kept both of which pose a serious threat
to high standard academic performance. These problems would be surmounted if
financial resources were available and properly utilized. It has been observed
(Ogbonna, 2000; Enyi 2001; and Uvah 2005) that a consistent, predictable and
adequate financing makes an institution stable. It is against this background
that the logical basis for this paper is to ascertain availability and extent
of utilization of financial resource for achieving high academic standard in
Ebonyi State owned secondary schools.
Research
Questions
The
Study was guided by the following Research Questions
1. Which financial
resources are available in public secondary schools in Ebonyi State?
2. To what extent are
financial resources utilized in the secondary schools?
Method
A
survey design was adopted for the study to enhance generalisabllity of
findings. The population of the study consisted of all the one hundred and
forty-five (145) principals of public secondary schools in Ebonyi State. All
the schools were used for the study as no sample was drawn. Therefore a total
of 145 respondents were involved in the study.
Two
instruments were designed for collection of data. They include: Checklist on
Availability of Financial Resources (CAFR) and Questionnaire on Extent of
Utilization of Financial Resources (QEUFR). The checklist contained II item
financial resources and two different columns of "available" and
"not available" to be completed by the researcher by ticking against
each item as applicable. For the questionnaire on extent of utilization of
financial resources, the scale was weighted in such a way that for positive
statement very high 4, high 3, low 2, and very low 1. Items 1-13 were used for
data collection. Both instruments contained section "A" indicating
columns for (a) Name of School and (b) Address of school. The instruments were
validated by two experts, one each from the departments of Educational Administration
and planning and Measurement and Evaluation of Ebonyi State University. On the
basis of their comments and suggestions some of the original items were
dropped. A reliability index of 0.95 was established for the instrument on
availability using spearman rho while
that of utilization was established at alpha of 0.93 using cronback alpha.
Data
were collected by visiting each of the schools where the checklist were
completed and questionnaire given to the respondent. School cashbooks assisted
in the completion of the checklists. Repeat visit was done in very few schools
where the respondents were not on seat on the day of visit. Completed
questionnaire was either collected on the spot or passed across to the
researcher through an assistant. All the instruments were collected.
Data
were analyzed on individual item basis using frequency count and percentages
for research question one while mean and standard deviation were used to
analyze research question two. For research question one, item was considered
available if it scored up to 50% while for research question two, 2.5, 2,0, 1.5
and 1.0 mean scores were used for very high, high, low and very low utilization
respectively.
Results
Data
were organized and analyzed based on the issues raised in the research
questions.
Research
Question 1: which
financial resources are available in public secondary schools in Ebonyi State?
Table 1: Availability of Financial
Resources
|
S/NO
|
ITEMS
|
AVAILABLE
Number %
|
NOT AVAILABLE
Number %
|
||
|
1.
|
Subvention from Fed. Govt
|
0
|
0
|
145
|
100
|
|
2.
|
Subvention from State
Govt.
|
145
|
100
|
0
|
0
|
|
3.
|
Subvention from Local
Govt.
|
0
|
0
|
145
|
100
|
|
4.
|
Tuition fee
|
0
|
0
|
145
|
100
|
|
5.
|
Donation from charity organisations
|
25
|
17.24
|
120
|
82.76
|
|
6.
|
Sales (farm produce, etc)
|
85
|
58.62
|
60
|
41.38
|
|
7.
|
Income form rental
services
|
74
|
51.03
|
71
|
48.97
|
|
8.
|
PTA Levy
|
145
|
100
|
0
|
0
|
|
9.
|
Donations from past
students
|
35
|
24.14
|
110
|
75.86
|
|
10.
|
Income from special
launching
|
77
|
53.10
|
68
|
46.90
|
|
11.
|
Special levy
|
73
|
50.34
|
72
|
49.66
|
Result as presented in table I shows that out of II items listed,
6 were available as indicated by the 50% decision score. The available items
include 2,6,7,8,10 and 11.5 items were not available since they did not score
up to 50% response for availability. Items not available include: 1,3,4,5 and
9. Available items represent 54.55% of the total items listed while unavailable
ones represent 45.45%. Going by simple majority, conclusion is drawn that
financial resources are available in Ebonyi State owned secondary schools.
Research
Question 2: To what extent are financial resources utilized in the secondary
schools?
Table
II: Extent of Utilization of Financial Resources
|
S/N
|
ITEM
|
X
|
SD
|
|
1.
|
Construction
of New buildings
|
188
|
0.95
|
|
2.
|
Purchase
of equipment
|
1.99
|
0.95
|
|
3.
|
Payment
of stationery
|
1.83
|
0.91
|
|
4.
|
Payment
of utility bills
|
1.85
|
0.91
|
|
5.
|
Sponsoring
of workshop/seminar
|
1.77
|
0.88
|
|
6.
|
Sponsoring
of excursion trips
|
1.87
|
0.96
|
|
7.
|
Sponsoring
of sporting activities
|
2.32
|
0.98
|
|
8.
|
Purchase
of instructional materials
|
1.72
|
0.94
|
|
9.
|
Hiring
of resource persons
|
1.34
|
0.51
|
|
10.
|
Expenses
on consumables toiletries, entertainment, etc
|
2.82
|
1.04
|
|
11.
|
Vehicle
maintenance
|
1.92
|
0.87
|
|
12.
|
Payment
of minor claims
|
2.74
|
0.99
|
|
13.
|
General
maintenance
|
1.39
|
0.62
|
Result as in
table 2 indicates that out of the 13 items of expenditure listed, financial
resources are very highly expended on only two items, which are 10 and 12
representing consumables and minor claims, and highly utilized on only item 7,
which represents sporting activities. There are indications of low expenditure
on 8 items, which include 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 11; depiction of very low
utilization of financial resources on items 9 and 13. It then means that
utilization of financial resources is low in the secondary schools.
Discussion
The first finding of the study reveals that financial resources
are available in state secondary schools in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. This is
because available financial resources represent over 50% of all the listed
items. The schools receive subvention otherwise known as "overhead" from
the State Government, realize money from sales, rental services, Parent Teacher
Association (PTA) levy, special levy and special launching. The finding agrees
with the observation made by Mba (2003) that financial resources are available
in State owned secondary schools. The finding also corroborates with Adekunle
(1990) which states that there are financial resources in secondary schools
managed by the government. Several scholars (Oguntoye, 1998; Ogbonna, 2000;
Maduewesi, 2001) believe that there are financial resources for our secondary
schools to achieve desired academic standard.
The second finding reveals that mere existence of these financial
resources does not necessary imply their effective use in achieving academic
standard in state secondary schools. Data analysis reveals that only 3 out of
13 identified items of expenditure are rated as where financial resources are
very highly and highly expended, indicating low and very low utilization on 10
others. The situation is a set back in the quest to achieve high academic
standard in our secondary education. Jobeyewa (1992) earlier warned that
principals of secondary schools would be put under watch as most of them have
little or nothing to show for the financial resources accruing to their
schools. Similarly, Adekunle (1990.) Cautions that principals of state
secondary schools should not see themselves as money grabbers or ten per
centers as that is inimical to the achievement of high academic standard. In
the same view, Nwankwo (2007) maintains that high academic standard in the
nation's secondary education system could not be achieved due to low
utilization of financial resources. The situation is undesirable and
unacceptable especially now Nigeria seems to be in a haste to attain high
technological development status.
Conclusion
State
Governments especially that of Ebonyi State where this study was carried out
should appreciate the essence of qualitative education and recognize the need
to effectively run their secondary schools. Financial resources have remained
the fulcrum upon which achievement of high standard in education rests.
Availability of these financial resources does not guarantee their proper
utilization. Proper utilization of financial resources calls for
self-discipline and strict adherence to rules by principals. There is need to
sensitize the principals and all stakeholders along this line of thought to
enable us re-position our secondary schools to achieve our national secondary
education objectives.
Recommendations
Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made:
(1) Though financial resources are available in
state secondary schools, they do not seem adequate. Wealthy individuals,
charity organizations and other stakeholders should effectively partner with the
government in funding public secondary schools.
(2) Since financial resources constitute the
never center of the school and must be managed to achieve our secondary
education objectives, government should therefore come up with a comprehensive
guideline on utilization of financial resources.
(3) School principals should be regularly
exposed to further studies on financial management through seminars/workshop.
(4) Principals who poorly utilize their school
financial resources should not be allowed to head schools.
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Source:
DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS,
EBONYI
STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IKWO