ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to evaluate the postgraduate educational administration and planning programmes in South-East Nigeria. Due to the important roles played by these personnels, there is need to ensure that they are properly trained. The study adopted descriptive survey design. A questionnaire containing 55 items was designed and used for data collection. Six research questions were answered and six null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The entire population of 535 which consists of 75 lecturers and 460 students in both federal and state universities offering postgraduate educational administration and planning programmes in the South-Eastern geo-political zones in Nigeria were used for the study. An instrument named “EVEAMPU” was developed, validated and used for the study in addition to the Focus Group Discussion. The internal consistency reliability estimate of the questionnaire was determined using Cronbach Alpha reliability method which yielded reliability estimates of .72, .89, .95, .78, .86, and .92, for the six clusters of the instrument and an overall estimate of .77 respectively was used to ascertain the internal consistency of the questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using mean, standard deviation to answer the research questions and t-test statistic was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 levels of significance. The major findings of the study revealed: (i) the methods employed in teaching postgraduate programmes in educational administration and planning in universities are: lecture method (3.41 ± 0.56), problem-solving method (3.50 ± 0.61), discussion method (3.50 ± 0.60), and project method (3.54 ± 0.59); (ii) there are no adequate educational facilities for postgraduate students (1.63 ± 0.51); (iii) there is adequate funding of postgraduate studies (2.57 ± 0.48); (iv) appropriate methods are employed for students’ admission and welfare services (3.41 ± 0.46); (v) some of the problems encountered in administration of educational programmes are: over population of students (3.55 ± 0.65), inadequate academic staff (3.64 ± 0.53), programmes are rarely reviewed (3.68 ± 0.54); (vi) some of the strategies for improving postgraduate programmes in educational administration and planning in Universities in South-East Nigeria are: frequent programme evaluation (3.84 ± 0.40), there should be adequate books and periodicals (3.65 ± 0.52), postgraduate students should be made to attend and present papers during conferences before the end of the programme (3.73 ± 0.51). The implication of the findings of the study for all stakeholders of postgraduates educational administration and planning programmes – NUC, federal and state government, dean of postgraduate schools, head of department, federal ministry of education, policy makers, heads of academic and administrative units of universities and researchers is that if strategies of improving the programmes are adopted the needs of the graduates and the entire public would be achieved. It is recommended that postgraduate programmes should be well funded by the government through NUC and ministries of Education to help solve the problems of adequate provision of facilities and necessary services at all administration capacities. Curriculum of studies should be evaluated regularly and revised to match students’ needs.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Postgruate programmes are programmes designed by Nigerian universities after a successful graduation from first degree courses. They are designed for the acquisition of higher degrees in various disciplines or areas of knowledge including agriculture, arts, business administration, education, engineering, physical and biological studies.
The purpose of establishing postgraduate programmes in Nigerian universities is to ensure that products of such programmes contribute immensely to National development through deepened research and knowledge-production, publication of research results, and teaching functions. Akinpelu (2002) stated that postgraduate programme is one of the ways of raising the educational level of any nation. One of the reasons for the validity of this statement is that a lot of manpower is produced through postgraduate programmes. Hence, Guba and Lincoln (2005) noted that institutionalizing programmes at such educational level produces a stream of indigenous manpower (professionals) such as managers, engineers, lecturers and a host of more productive and skilled work force.
In the universities in Nigeria, postgraduate training is geared towards the realization of the ideals of the universities and of higher education in shaping the intellectual, moral, physical and emotional perception and sensitivities of those who pass through these institutions. As early as the year 1960, postgraduate programmes in educational administration and planning had started at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. With passage of time and experience, many other universities in the country joined by mounting their own postgraduate programmes. Such other universities in South-Eastern Nigeria currently running postgraduate programmes in educational administration are: Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; Ebonyi, State University, Abakiliki; Imo State University, Owerri; Abia State University, Uturu, Enugu State University of Science and Technology and Anambra State University of Technology, Uli.
To ensure orderly development of a well co-ordinated and productive university system that will guarantee quality and relevance for national development and global competitiveness; and coupled with the increased number of students admitted into the undergraduate and graduate courses, the federal government of Nigeria, in agreement with professional bodies in education, work together to provide regulations for university academic programmes. The federal government Nigeria established the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the regulatory body for all Nigerian universities. The NUC provides standards for all academic programmes run in Nigerian universities (CLE, 2002).
According to Ogonu (2004), the federal government of Nigeria established the National Universities Commission with the primary objective of ensuring that high standards are attained and maintained in the universities throughout the country. With regard to Educational Administration and Planning, Okoro (2000) remarked that in the postgraduate educational administration and planning, all activities of the people working in the institution are directed towards the attainment of the goals of teaching, learning, research and services, and they require periodic reviews and evaluation.
Different educational administration programmes have boosted the number of students seeking admission into postgraduate schools. According to Akinade (2002), the enrolment of students in postgraduate programmes in educational administration and planning in Nigerian universities has been in the increase for the past 30 years. The expectation of the entrants is that a higher degree would position them for entry into the labour market. This has resulted in to many first degree holders enrolling in higher degree programmes.
The increased population of candidates offering postgraduates programmes in educational administration and planning has further necessitated the need for proper administration of educational facilities, personnel, equipment and academic programmes. Postgraduate programmes can be mounted in all of state, federal and private owned universities in Nigerian. The administrators of private universities rely on the founder or proprietor that established the institution for funds; state-owned universities rely on the government of the state that established them, while federal universities are funded through the Federal Ministry of Education and National Universities Commission (NUC). What the National Universities Commission (NUC) can do is to ensure adequate financial allocation of the universities as well as devise ways of effective monitoring of the finances of the universities to check abuses. The question of checking abuses draws attention to the need for monitoring and evaluating how each programme is being run.
The major Postgraduate degree programmes offered in educational administration and planning in Nigerian universities include Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), Master of Education (M.Ed), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D). Internships and attachments to Federal and State Ministries of Education, as well as in other related agencies, form parts of certain courses and programmes. These programmes are offered to prepare qualified individuals for leadership roles in government, colleges of education and universities, and also provide advanced learning experiences to candidates in specific areas of specialization (School of Postgraduates Studies, UNN Handbooks 2005).
A postgraduate study in educational administration and planning programmes in Nigerian universities is executed through a wide range of taught postgraduate courses and research. Masters degrees are awarded after appropriate course work and project report or dissertation examination. In the case of Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, the programme requires comprehensive research, presented in the form of a thesis with course work in exceptional cases. This study focused on Masters in Education (M.Ed.).
Students who enroll for these programmes must be prepared for some work in analytic and quantitative methods as useful aids to research in the field of educational administration and planning. Students are expected to draw up research topics from their areas of specialization. On the whole, the entire postgraduate programme is meant to enable students to acquire research skills and apply same in solving problems in educational administration and planning (School of Postgraduates Studies, UNN Handbook 2005). The quality of programmes offered should also enhance the satisfaction of students’ needs and national interest. Ogbonnaya (2004) noted that quality services in higher educational level can be achieved when total quality administration philosophy is adopted with regard to the operating characteristic ability of a product to function and the degree to which delivered products meet pre-determined standard.
After a critical examination of the postgraduate educational administration and planning programmes of universities in many states in Nigeria, Ayim (2003) opined that there are some factors which can cause poor job performance in the implementation of objectives of some of the educational administration and planning programmes in universities. According to him, these factors include: lack of facilities and equipment, inadequate funding, lack of qualified personnel, poor office accommodation for administrators, poor library facilities, poor condition of services, and lack of proper training of administrators. The consequence of the foregoing is that many activities that ought to be carried on are neglected and abandoned.
In addition, lack of adequate equipment and textbooks can frustrate the lecturers and students, thereby making teaching and learning theory-oriented rather than process-oriented. Lack of hostel accommodation can as well lead to over-population in little available hostels. Where the above situations are the case, some students can be forced to live in nearby private rooms and accommodations. According to Afianmaghan (2007), if facilities are regarded as important to educational productivity, university administration should strive to provide them whenever they are required; and these facilities should be managed properly in order to prolong their life span and to save some cost.
Unfortunately, in some cases, some of the equipment imported for teaching and learning in postgraduate educational administration and planning programmes are imported without properly trained/skilled personnel to put them in use so that they will do the function for which they were imported. When this is the case, some of these machines are left lying dormant and wasting in the areas they are dumped. This means, therefore, that no matter the quantity or quality of facilities officially provided for use in postgraduate educational administration and planning programmes, what is needed from the administrators is keeping them in good condition.
The above ideas about facilities and how to manage them draw attention to large scale administrative problems. Thus, to overcome the problems of the postgraduate educational administration and planning programmes, the effective administration of the existing resources would demand that university administrators make appropriate policies, objectives and programmes towards ensuring proper utilization and maintenance of the available facilities. It also demands that administrators conduct regular inventory of school plant facilities to enable them make necessary reports and initiate timely and meaningful actions.
In order to ensure sustenance and comparability of standard, there is usually an inbuilt mechanism to guarantee this. Evaluation of postgraduate programmes in educational administration and planning is usually carried out to ensure the maintenance of minimum standards and the determination of the strengths and weaknesses existing within the programmes. Aworthern and Sanders (2005) indicated that educational programme evaluation is used for improvement, planning, decision making, and accountability and staff personnel.
To ensure the attainment of institutional goals, programme evaluation must be seen as a continuous process. Hence, Igwe (2003) was right to have opined that programme evaluation is necessary if the objectives of any programme are to be achieved. Okoro (2000), lending his weight on this, remarked that evaluation of programmes entails the collection of data and information relating to students and programmes, and using same to judge the effectiveness of the programme as well as detect the deficiencies that need to be addressed. In addition, Okoro (2000) further emphasized that effective evaluation of educational administration programmes requires that decision should be made on the basis of authentic data collected during the evaluation process.