Abstract
This research work evaluated the effects of the new salary scheme on teachers’ performance with reference to selected secondary schools in ogun-state. 50 copies of questionnaire were administered by teachers in different secondary schools. The non-parametric of chi-square was used to measure the relationship between the new salary scheme and teachers performance. The study found out that there is significant relationship between the new salary scheme and teachers performance, it was also discovered that there is a significant relationship between teachers’ efficiency, productivity and incentives given. The study equally showed that teachers will not see the new salary scheme has adequate and well compensating. The researcher however recommended that a professional body or association should be established to regulate the entrance into teaching occupation and control ethical conducts of members, government should make teachers one of the highest paid workers in the country, also the society and the teachers should be reoriented to see teaching as prestigious job with high social status, in-service training, collaboration, workshops, and ICT training should be encouraged by government for teachers.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
There is a saying that “the return of labor is salary or wages. The study focuses on the key determinants of job satisfaction among teachers in ogun state, which include the impact of working and living conditions on teacher’s morale, and also the new salary scheme which was implemented by the federal republic of Nigeria for its workers in which are one of them. In recent times, there has been a growing interest the financial aspect of education. One of the reasons for such interest is the considerable growth in the volume of educational activities to such an extent that education is today one of the largest industries in all countries and in Nigeria. According to Ogbodo (1995), education is the employer of highly skilled personnel in which teachers are most essential. Education utilizes large amount of a country’s available resources and how it does this aects the well being of the population. One of the resources which education utilizes a great deal is money and this is a very important input on which the success of any school system depends. These resources are essential in the payment of teacher’s salaries, which is the main key factor to motivate teachers. For teachers to deliver something meaningful to the students, their salaries determine how serious and how motivated they will be, to discharge their duties, for “effective payment of salaries will lead to effective teaching”.
Government has been the sole provider of funds for schools and financing of education in the country. According to vaizey(1973), it has been a intractable problem for government in most developing countries due to uncontrolled increase in school age population leading to expansion of education with the attendant upward push in the cost of education. For decades, teachers have claimed, step by step, up the traditional pay ladder, automatically earning salary increase based on their education level and years of service. Around the nation, most school districts and teachers recognize that traditional pay schedule is for what it is an imperfect market system. Yet, for many years, in community aer community, teacher’s salary talks oen ended up focusing on ways to adjust the system. Only in recent years has the salary talk climate been more conductive to discussions of alternative pay structures, structures that oen involve compensating teachers not just for how long they have been teaching, but how well. Each day, teachers and other school sta take on responsibilities that in past years would have been undertaken by parents. However teachers feel they are being asked to do more than just teach, and also should be paid accordingly. Teachers also believe that higher salaries and benefits would reflect a larger measure of public respect for their professions. Sandra Freidman, president of the American federation of teachers, has been quoted as saying that beginning teachers should earn wages comparable to those afforded beginning doctors and lawyers. A typical government teacher is required to teach between seven to eight periods each day to classes which frequently have more than forty pupils. Teachers are also expected to assist with others school based activities that are sometimes labor intensive, the reward system in terms of pay packet s and promotion does not appear to have job motivation as its goal. In Nigeria the average teacher salary before increasing it was ₦9,000 per month, without any form of allowance. If they are lucky, they are given a motorcycle or bicycle loan which further reduces the salary to about ₦8,000/month. There is no case where primary or secondary school teachers are sponsored to further his/her education. A teacher who earn #9,000 monthly, who have a family of two children and which his children spent an estimate of ₦5,000 per month; it will be ineffective for him to sponsor the other activities in his family. These can lead to getting a business job that will affect his teaching career, because he will not have time for his students. In 2010, the federal republic of Nigeria increased the basic salary scheme (B.S.S) for its minimum worker in which teachers is among to ₦18,000. Teachers will be able to perform effectively because they will be motivated through the increase in their salaries.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Educationalist as well as laymen believes that to avert a breakdown of the educational system, huge sum of money had to be invested in education. Within past decades, Nigeria educational system has witnessed unprecedented growth. This phenomenal growth has entailed the production of indigenous high level manpower with increased wages to match its quality. Despite the huge amount government said its spending on education, teachers cannot boast of their profession because of the inadequate salaries being given to them, which lead to increase in their salaries. In this research work, we shall look at how the new salary scheme which is currently upgraded affects teacher’s performance in the school organization.
