ABSTRACT
The study investigates problems militating against secondary school administration in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State. The work was guided by five researcher questions. A researcher structured questionnaire of 22 items was used for data collection. The population of the study consists of all the secondary schools in the study area. Questionnaire was administered to 4 selected secondary schools in Esan North East Local Government Area. The data collected were analyzed using simple percentage. The study found out those inadequate sta personnel, finances, physical facilities/equipment, poor school community relation and indiscipline among students are major problems effecting secondary school administration in Esan North East Local Government Area. The study recommended that government through it appropriate agencies should recruit more teachers, provide more funds and physical equipment as well as a liaise with the school in curbing the increasing cases of indiscipline in secondary schools.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The principal of a school is both the teachers and administrator of the school. Edem (1998) described the principal as a leader who is endowed with authority to influence the activities, behaviour, beliefs, and feelings of his sta and students and who expects their willing co-operation. The principal ensure that the school is life to it responsibilities. This is why Ozigi (1997) opined that the school work revolves around the administrator, the school reputation depends on him, and he can make or spoil the school because the school projects are his own image. There in no doubt that the principal occupy prime position in the school system. The position of the principal also demand that the occupier must possess good qualities which among other things include dedication to duty visionary, honesty, emerge tic, mental alertness, understanding and intelligent. In our secondary school system, many principals do not possess these stalling qualities either because they were not well trained or were appointed due to situational problem which are sometimes presented as “Nigerian factor.”
This factor explains why one school performs extraordinary better than the other in major school activities. It is on this note that Griith (2000) opined that school administrators by virtue of their positions are leaders and the quality of their leadership determine. Some people are of the opinion that principals lack the ability to work towards the achievement of the stated goals of education of their school level and this has been attributed to the cause of the decline in the standard of education a speculated by various mass media. Many studies have show that the implementation of major school policies and programmes depend largely on the principal’s administrative capabilities and other factors which study intends to undo.
