THE OPINIONS OF PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS ON THE IMPACT OF CONDITIONS OF SERVICE ON THE JOB PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION OF TEACHING AND NON-TEACHING STAFF IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

 

This research work investigated the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of conditions of service on the job performance and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State. The research was aimed at seeking the opinions of principals and teachers as well as the officers of Ministry of Education. The Objectives of the study was to determine the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of salaries and other allowances, promotion, fringe benefits, staff development, staff welfare services and retirement benefits on the job performance and retention of teaching and non teaching staff. A total population of 9,936, which comprised of all teaching and non-teaching staff under study were considered. A total of 222 questionnaires were distributed to the targeted staff with only one hundred and eighty (180) respondents. The sampled size were randomly selected by a simple random sampling technique and multi- stage cluster sampling technique. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The data used for the study were obtained by the use of questionnaire developed by the researcher and validated by experts in Educational Administration and Planning of Ahmadu Bello University. The questionnaire was subjected to a pilot study conducted in some senior secondary schools in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State and reliability coefficient was 0.94. Six research questions on what are the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of salaries and other allowances, promotion, on the job performance and retention of teaching and non teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State were answered while Six null hypotheses formulated stated that there is no significant difference in the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of salaries and other allowances, promotion, on the job performance of teaching and non teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State were tested using Chi Square Statistical Analysis. Findings indicated that all the Six Null hypotheses formulated were rejected, that shows that there was significant positive impact of prompt payment of salary, regular promotion, fringe benefits, regular staff development, adequate welfare services and access to retirement benefits on teaching and non teaching staff job performance and retention. Conclusions were made and recommendations were proffered such as paying teachers salary promptly, ensuring regular promotion as at when due, staff need to be sensitized and educated with regard to the purpose and use of pension benefits. A policy could be implemented to allow teachers to borrow a certain percentage from their pension to ease their financial burden. Finally, suggestions were proffered for further studies such as similar studies be conducted on the opinions of primary schools teachers in Lagos State.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1         Background to the Study

Education is the bed-rock of any nation‘s defense. Education is that process that helps to develop the whole man physically, mentally, socially and technologically to enable him to function effectively in any environment in which he may find himself. (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2009). Ogundele, (2000) observed that no nation rises above the level of its education and no educational system outgrows the quality and status of its teachers. Nakpodia, (2006) observed that in any educational arrangement, the success lies in the commitment of the teachers. Therefore, the relevance of job satisfaction and motivation are very crucial to the long-time growth of any educational system around the world. Teachers are expected to render a very high job performance. And the Ministry of Education is always curious regarding the job performance of its teachers. Also, the Ministry of Education demands a very high measure of loyalty, patriotism, dedication, hard- work and commitment from its teachers. (Ubom & Joshua, 2004). Unsatisfactory working condition and conditions of service which are the major contributory factors that are militating against the enhancement of teachers‘ effectiveness in their performance of duties. Factors such as inadequate fringe benefits, delay in the payment of retirement benefits, irregular staff promotion or non promotion at all, denial of rights of workers, delayed and unpaid salaries and allowances resulting in incessant industrial disputes and strikes, lockouts and academic dislocation. These issues must have contributed to the mass exodus of secondary school teaching staff into more viable organizations Some leave either

for politic or what they called a more lucrative job where conditions of service is more favorable in comparison with teaching and research work. The researcher is therefore, focusing her research work on the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of conditions of service on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos state.

Among the numerous problems confronting tertiary institutions in Nigeria is the perceived poor job performance of some academic staff which some claim could be due to poor conditions of service. In recent years, stakeholders in the education sector complained about the job performance of academic staff in the Nigerian tertiary institutions. It has often been expressed by the public that the academic staff are no longer dedicated and committed to the job. It appears that the academic staff who are trained and expected to produce a host of cherished societal virtues such as honesty, humility, fairness, integrity, punctuality, dedication and patriotism are not dedicated and committed to their job and this is indeed not unconnected to their condition of service which is not attractive as other sector of the nation economy. There had been a common belief among scholars, researchers, educational planners and administrators that teaching as a profession deserves due and wholesome attention (Wilson & Rosenfield, 2003). It seems that no concrete efforts have been made to actualize this free opinion in our secondary institutions. Teaching and non-teaching staff in our secondary institutions seems not to be enjoying some of the good conditions of service that could bring about high productivity on their part such as health insurance scheme, study leave, training and retraining, regular promotion, retirement benefit, proper pension arrangement, staff training remunerations, responsibility allowances, maternity leave etc. Increasingly, organizations are realizing that they have to establish an equitable balance between the employee‘s contribution to the organization and the organization contribution on the employee. Establishing this balance is one of the main reasons to reward and recognize employees. Studies that have been conducted on the topic indicates that the most common problem in organization today is that they miss the important component of recognition, which is the low-cost, high-return ingredient to a well-balanced reward system. A key focus of recognition is to make employee feel appreciated. Good condition of service is fundamental to the success and survival of any organization or institution. Hence, it occupies a central role in education and organizational discourse. This is because the relationship between man and his work has always attracted the attention of renowned philosophers, sociologist, and educationist. A major part of man‘s life is spent at work. It not only provides status to the individual but also binds him to the society (Gautam, Van Dick, Wagner, Upadhyay, & Davis, 2005). An employee who is satisfied with the conditions of service would perform his duties well and be committed to his job, and subsequently to his organization or institution for greater performance. Therefore, the way people are treated increasingly determines whether an organization will prosper or even survive (Lawler, 2003). It should however be noted that the success of any educational system whether private or public to a large extent is dependent on the adequacy and commitment of its teaching staff.

According to Okeke (1988), the teacher‘s role is central in the educational process as it determines the quality and effectiveness or the results to be realized. Also worth mentioning is the fact that a teacher‘s performance and effectiveness is also dependent on the extent of motivation provided through attractive incentive  and working condition. It is therefore important that any schools administration should help teachers experience job satisfaction for maximum performance and productivity. This is because, as Fagbamiye (2000) observe, a teacher can only be productive if he/she is in the right frame of mind, free from distraction and appropriately motivated through salary and conditions of service. This view was further complemented by Alumung (1994) when he said that good salary and professional growth in the form of promotion are parts of the motivation factors influencing teachers‘ productivity in the classroom. This point is further stressed by Taiwo (2002), when he asserted that Nigerian teachers enjoy low social status, and that the teaching itself has been looked down upon, disrespected and seen as an occupation, which many take to as a last resort. People are the most important resources of any organization. How they feel about the work they are doing and the results received from that work directly impart an organization performance and ultimately its stability (Milliman, Fergusan & Czaplewski, 2008). Fagbamiye (1981) asserted that the poor public image of teachers would wreak untold havoc on self image and confidence of teachers who remain in their classrooms and would be a major contribution to why teachers drop out of the profession. According to him, this is the root cause of falling standard of education in Nigeria. Bukar, Idris and Bukar (2011) asserted that teachers are not being sponsored to pursue higher academic training and there is the problem of poor attendance of teachers at academic seminars/workshops and conferences. Harris (2012) noted that, a good administrator will help their teachers by finding positive ways to encourage them to attend courses, workshop and activities that will ultimately help them to become better teachers

Nbina (2012) opined that teachers of today are buffered by many challenges whch dampen their moral and lower their motivation to perform effectively and this could have an adverse effect on the educational system. Ayeni and Popoola, (2007), added that employees are among the most important determinants and leading factors that determine the success of an organization in a competitive environment. Besides that, if managed properly employee commitment can lead to beneficial consequences such as increased effectiveness, performance, and productivity, and decreased turnover and absenteeism at both the individual and organizational levels (Fiorita, Bozeman, Young & Meurs, 2007). Thus, it is of utmost importance for employers to be at breast with conditions that can affect their employees‘ interest, since it would affect the performance of the organization/institutions as well (Awang, Ahmad & Zin, 2010). On a general belief, condition of service is the name given to the terms on which workers are collectively employed. According to Business Dictionary.Com, conditions of service is a general and specific arrangements, provisions, requirements, rules, specifications and standards that form an integral part of an agreement or contract.

Nwadiani, (2006) in his opinion add that the major indicators that give rise to improper condition of service to include irregular and late payment of salary, lack of adequate facilities, complex crises, lack of annual leave, lack of accommodation, high cost of living, unpaid fringe benefit, not paying retirement benefit as at and when due and research grant. It is imperative therefore, that in order to meet with the global world, employers of labour must be prepared to improve the conditions of service in order to bring about high job performance

and sincere organizational commitment. The institutions or organization must be ready to go beyond the stated rules in the conditions of service. Good conditions of service are hinged toward high productivity and commitment. It was in the light of the above that this study was carried out to seek the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of condition of service on the job performance and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos state. It is obvious that if people feel good about their jobs, their happiness would be a reflection of their job performance thereby leading to satisfaction which will be seen in the quality of their work and may have a positive feedback from their output and therefore contribute to success of the institutions and organization (Inyang, 2000).

1.2         Statement of the Problem

Lagos State has taken Education as a matter of priority in its yearly budgetary statement. In order to retain its personnel for performance, Lagos State Civil Service put in place various strategies in form of incentives these include: training, career development, staff welfare services through free staff transportation services among other things. In spite of government priority measures, researchers have identified among other problems affecting teachers in the state which include, delay in payment of salaries and other allowances, delay and irregularities in promotion of teaching and non-teaching staff. Also, factors such as inadequate fringe benefits, welfare services not taking care of, and teachers not given the opportunity for further development through in-service programmes and workshops, delay in the payment of retirement benefits, thereby, resulting in strikes.

The specific problem militating against the job performance and retention of teaching and non- teaching staff due to poor conditions of service are:

1. mass exodus of teaching and non-teaching staff from the education sector into other sectors like the banking sector.
2. most qualified teachers are quitting teaching profession and giving room for unqualified ones.
3. absenteeism
4. most teachers engage in other businesses as means of getting their daily bread instead of relying on teaching.
5. most teachers are not given the opportunity to acquire more knowledge through training and re-training.
6. poor sanitary conditions and lack of affordable accommodation for teachers.
7. delay in promotion and employers not contributing to their teachers pension scheme.
8. most teaching and non- teaching staff are not computer literate.

The researcher was therefore concerned about  these problems, thereby

focusing the research work on the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of condition of service on the job performance and retention of teaching and non- teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State

1.3         Objectives of the Study

Objectives of the study seek to:

1. determine the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of salaries and other allowances on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
2. verify the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of promotion on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
3. ascertain the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of fringe benefits on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
4. examine the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of staff development on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff secondary schools in Lagos State.
5. find out the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of welfare services on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
6. identify the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of retirement benefits on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.

1.4         Research Questio

1. What are the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of salaries and other allowances on the job performances and retention of teaching and non- teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State?

2. Do the opinions of principals and teachers on promotion have any impact on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State?
3. What are the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of fringe benefit on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State?
4. How do the opinions of principals and teachers on staff development have impact on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State?
5. What are the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of welfare services on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State?
6. Do the opinions of principals and teachers on retirement benefits have impact on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State?

1.5         Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance:

1. There is no significant difference in the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of salaries and other allowances on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State
2. There is no significant difference in the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of promotion on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
3. There is no significant difference in the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of fringe benefits on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
4. There is no significant difference in the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of staff development on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
5. There is no significant difference in the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of welfare services on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching of staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.
6. There is no significant difference in the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of retirement benefits on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State.

1.6         Basic Assumptions

This study is based on the assumptions that:

1. Salaries and other allowances influence job performances and retention.
2. Promotion have positive impact on the job performances and retention of teaching and non teaching staff in Lagos state.
3. Job performance of teaching and non teaching staff in Lagos state will improve if fringe benefits are paid.
4. Staff development can influence the performance and retention of teaching and non teaching staff in Lagos state.

5. Welfare services influence the job performances and retention of teaching and non teaching staff in Lagos state.
6. Retirement benefits do not have any significant impact on the job performances and retention of teaching and non teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos state.

1.7         Significance of the Study

The study would be of immense benefit to the Lagos State government, and as well as stake-holders in education sector in that, it clearly shows the areas of weaknesses that may require additional efforts on teachers‘ salaries and allowances, development programmes and welfare services in Lagos State. The study will inform management and policy makers in the field of education in their decision making process and the use of incentives to motivate teachers so as to achieve maximum performance and retention of productive staff. The outcome will also assist Lagos State Government in the development of effective managerial strategies and policies that will improve conditions of service of teaching and non-teaching staff through improved quality working conditions to achieve educational goals and objectives in secondary schools in Lagos state.

1.8         Scope of the study

This study is limited to the opinions of principals and teachers on the impact of conditions of service on the job performances and retention of teaching and non-teaching staff in secondary schools in Lagos State. Therefore, the study is limited to only teachers and principals of senior secondary schools within the six education districts in Lagos State, as well as officers of Ministry of Education in Lagos State.

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