CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
A planned coordinated and risk-taking change made into any work organization or educational system to promote efficiency and higher production is known as innovation administration. It is the introduction of new ideas, methods, tactics, and procedures into the educational system with the goal of increasing the system’s internal and external efficiency. The introduction of new ideas into school administration is a reaction to technology advancements that have resulted in unique and innovative practices all over the world. As a result, innovation is the cost-effective application of ideas, technology, and procedures in new ways to obtain a competitive edge, which may take the shape of increased productivity, job performance, services, and commitment. It is possible to accept or adapt innovation. Uchendu Ebelechukwu (2015) defines innovation as a process in which new programs or practices are implemented or injected into a system’s functioning to replace ineffective or obsolete ones. Education is regarded as the bedrock of every country’s progress. It enhances a society’s quality of life by enhancing its capabilities. Education improves man’s ability to apply his achievements to the betterment of his surroundings. As a result, educational growth preceded and completed national development in every known great country. Today, particularly in emerging nations like Nigeria, there is a growing belief in the unidirectional link between education and economic progress. Education has long been seen as a medium for countries’ and individuals’ economic, social-cultural, and political growth (Obayan Audu, 2006). Education is a social process through which people gain societal competence and personal development. The skill of learning about oneself and one’s surroundings for the sake of self-development is known as education (Oyedeji Akinlabi, 1998). Education is a tool for creating a cohesive, self-sufficient, prosperous, and equal society that can preserve its traditions and ideals. However, there was no well-planned and structured educational system in the past, and this was 1882, when the majority of schools were mostly managed, operated, and funded by missionaries. Missionaries introduced Western education to Nigeria in 1842, resulting in the founding of the first school, known as “the Nursery of the Infants’ Church,” in Badagry in 1843. (Jacob and Weigman, 1973; Murina Ibe, 2012). The missionaries’ ownership of the school has prevented the introduction of a principalship into the educational system. Even most of the schools were run by missionaries with the sole purpose of teaching Nigerians the gospel of evangelism and including reading, writing, and arithmetic (3Rs) in their curriculum; it wasn’t until 1887 that the first and most acceptable educational ordinance was passed, which paved the way for proper school planning, standardization, grants-in-aids, and procedures for opening and closing schools. As a result, the government has decided to include principals in secondary schools throughout the nation. As a consequence of the 1887 Education Ordinance, the government started to fund, create, and own certain secondary schools, which gave rise to the principalship in secondary education. Secondary school, on the other hand, is a critical stage in the educational process. It is a stepping stone to post secondary education and a prime time for pupils to realize their full potential. Its advantages should be proportional to the expenditure; as a result, educational planners and managers place a high value on performance at this level. All teaching-learning activities revolve around the school as a formal institution. Principals and instructors are important human resources in achieving school instructional leadership goals, pupil relationships, student academic progress, facility manipulation, and other teaching tasks that must be completed at the school building and community level. While speaking about the supervisory abilities of the principals, Oyedeji Akinlabi (1998) stated that of all the key duties that school principals are relied upon to perform, none is bigger than their responsibilities as supervisors, instruction, and curriculum designers. Supervision involves teacher support services, such as assisting teachers in identifying their difficulties and determining the best techniques for resolving them. According to Good’s Dictionary of Education (1998), supervision refers to all efforts made by school authorities to provide leadership to teachers and other educational employees in order to enhance teaching. In the school setting, Ojo Ladipo (1991) described supervision as “a dynamic and on-going process aimed at realizing the creative abilities of students, teachers, and the community in order to construct the best possible educational programs.” Principals, on the other hand, are in charge of overall supervision of school programs and will be able to impact the administrative success of principals in general. The principal’s supervisory abilities will assist in grading instructors, assisting teachers in using different self-evaluation methods, and assisting the principle in providing a proper enabling environment for teaching/learning activities to a considerable degree.
Mbiti Grace, (2000), who was speaking on principals’ communication abilities and administrative success, said that communication is the lifeblood of every business. Without adequate communication, no institution can satisfy the needs of its constituents. Information must flow from the school administration to the staff and students, and the heads of departments must be informed by the principals before informing the rest of the staff and pupils. Principals should, however, utilize their communication skills wisely to support effective communication between the school and the community, create strong relationships with parents by conducting meetings with them at regular intervals, and strengthen the parent-teacher connection. Perhaps the most vital and fundamental element in the management process is based on working with people, which is done through some forms of communication, which is why Morgan Cornman, (2002) lamented that; possibly the most vital and fundamental element in the management process is based on working with people, which is done through some forms of communication. He went on to say that the proper utilization of communication processes is critical to the effectiveness of management efforts. Keeping everyone informed, according to Nwankwo and Luisggel (2002), is a good strategy to ensure successful leadership, cooperation, coordination, support, and commitment.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Secondary schools were required to be administered in a way that ensured that human resources performed their anticipated responsibilities and discharged their tasks according to applicable rules in an ideal situation. As a result, the school as a whole will have been able to lift the bar in terms of student academic success, teacher job performance, human relations, cohesiveness, and better motivation. Secondary schools will be propelled towards effectiveness with all of these in place because everyone in the system will be actively involved in role-playing (Morgan Cornman, 2002). This does not seem to be the case in Akwa Ibom State, where many secondary schools are marked by extreme teacher misbehavior, low student academic performance, a high incidence of test malpractice, and a high prevalence of absenteeism among both staff and students. These terrible attitudes at Akwa Ibom State secondary schools do not meet acceptable norms, considering that the graduates produced were meant to be active and compete well with those from other countries. The caliber and efficacy of a school are largely determined by its management. As a result, research into novel administration for improved instructional efficacy in secondary schools is required.
