TEACHER-PRINCIPAL COMMUNICATION PATTERNS AS CORRELATES OF EFFECTIVE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

The materialization of education activities and its continued existence is to a large extent dependent on the quality of it teachers. Atanda and Lameed (2006) defined teachers as professionals who impart skills, knowledge, information and attitude into the learners. A teacher is a trained person who teaches, especially as a profession. Teachers, apart from students, are the most crucial inputs of any educational system (Fadipe, 2003). As such, no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers. Teachers are the centre-piece in any school level.

Secondary school is one of the levels of Nigeria Education system. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) (2004) in her National Policy on Education (NPE) defined secondary education as the education children receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage. Secondary school is the bridge between the primary and tertiary levels. As contained in the document, the goals of secondary education shall be to: Provide all primary school leavers with the opportunity for a higher, irrespective of sex, social status, and religious or ethnic background; Offer diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in talents, opportunities and future roles; Provide trained manpower in the applied science, technology and commerce at sub-professional grades;

One of the underline principles is that secondary schools should be able to provide and promote Nigerian languages, arts and culture in the context of world’s cultural heritage. This could be best achieved through a well structured curriculum with the help of the school administrators such as the school principles. A school principal is the primary leader in a school building. Bradley, Portin, Knapp, Sue Feldman, Felice, Catherine and Theresa (2009) defined school principal as the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school. The principal is part of a divisional administrative team whose function is to support and assist the schools in meeting the overall objectives of the division and the needs of individual students. The principal’s main focus should be to develop and maintain effective educational programs within his/her school and to promote the improvement of teaching and learning (Ogunu, 2000).

Statement of the Problem

In most secondary schools today, what is found is ineffectiveness in administration. Ineffectiveness in school administration has become a topic of discussion in television programmes, radio, newspapers, churches, social organizations and society at large. Among the issues in question are; mass failures of students in most external examinations, the high rate of indiscipline in the school system, the unsecured learning environment, poor professional performance on the side of teachers among others. This ineffectiveness in secondary schoo administration is characterized by high rate of indiscipline on the part of teachers and the students. The teachers show negative attitudes to their duties. Many student exhibit nonchalant attitudes toward their studies, they involve themselves in truancy, criminal act like stealing, cultism, exam malpractice and the rest of them. These unhealthy incidents appear to be responsible for ineffectiveness in secondary school administration. Considering the ineffectiveness in the secondary school administration especially in Ekiti education zone, one begins to wonder what might be the reason. Again looking at the impact of effective communication patterns on

teachers and principals who are the key actors in the secondary schools one wonders if such communication patterns are in existence in the schools in Ekiti education zone. This had led to the search for the possible cause and solutions of the problem. Having gone through the importance of effective communication patterns in effective school administration which includes sound discipline, positive professional performance of the teachers, secured learning environment, students good academic achievements and peaceful interpersonal relationship between the principal and teachers. Against these back drops, the researcher found it necessary to investigate the communication patterns existing in these schools with a view to find out whether teacher-principal communication patterns is a correlate of effective school administration in public secondary schools in Ekiti

education zone. Put in question form, to what extent does teacher-principal communication patterns correlates with effective school administration in public secondary schools in Ekiti education zone

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