STUDENTS PARTICIPATION IN ADMINISTRATIVE DECISION-MAKING IN THE GOVERNANCE OF UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Decision making is a process of selecting from among a set of alternatives in the light of given objectives. It can be viewed as a mental process resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternatives (Burker and Miller, 1999). Decision making is also defined as a judgment, a process of formulating and implementing decision a conscious selection among alternatives and a process of problem solving. The process of decision making includes the use of complex, logical and mathematical process (Okeke, 2007) Decisions are classified into policy decisions, administrative or managerial decisions and operational or executive decisions. Ogbonnaya (2002) defined policy decisions as decisions made by public officials which give direction to public policy actions. While administrative decisions are decisions which determine the means to be used in achieving organizational goals (Obi, 2003). Operational decisions according to Okeke (2007) are decisions which are made on daily basis a cases arise. He added that executive or operational decisions are concerned with the ways in which different programmes of the institutions are carried out.
Administration is a process of coordinating the efforts of human and material resources systematically to achieve set goals (Ezeocha, 1990) while management is defined by Peretomode (1996) as a social and interactional process involving a sequence of coordinated events planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling or leading in order to use available resources to achieve a desired goal in the fastest possible way. Administration and management are related because both involve the coordination of human and material resources to achieve set goals in any organization. However management is more embracing in the sense that it involve planning, organizing, controlling, leading among others while administration involve more of the coordination of human and material resources in the process of implementing programme (Ejiogu, 1990). In this study, however management and administration mean the same thing.
Administrative decisions making in educational institutions are normally embarked upon by university administrators, provost, or principals for the day to day running of their institutions (Obi, 2003). In the universities in particular administrative decisions covers such areas as regulation of teaching and learning activities courses assigned to faculty staff, promotion of research, admission of students, students discipline, welfare of students, and the regulation of their conduct, budgeting and spending (Okeke, 2007). These decisions are made by university administrators and staff. However administrative decision-making for students participation in this study covers students representation in the disciplinary committees of their universities, students participation in formulation of rules and regulation on students’ union government, students participation in administrative decision-making on accommodation matters, students participation in decision-making on internally generated revenue like tuition fee development fee, examination fee, library fee, and students participation in administrative decision-making on the selection of students leaders.
In his decision making theory called competencies decision making theory Abbot (1974) taught that leaders should identify and differentiate between types of decisions in an organization, determine the type of information needed for the decision and consider the involvement of all stake holders in the institution in making decisions in order to avoid the negative consequences of taking decisions without the consideration of some stake holders in organizations. The researcher therefore anchored this study on Abbot competencies decision-making theory and on Hodgett and Altman (1979) bounded rationality decision making theory which seek to identify and select the best alternative from different organizational temperament and experiences before a decision is made.
It should be noted that the desire of the federal and state governments to provide higher education for her citizens has led to the establishment of universities in all parts of Nigeria. The major aims of which are to produce high level manpower for overall national development, to inculcate the best values for the survival of individual and society, to develop the intellectual capacity of individual to understand and appreciate their local and external environment among others. (FRN, 2004).