THE DATA MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF HEAD TEACHERS
Abstract
This study data management practices of head teachers in Okigwe education zone of Imo State tries to investigated how head teachers in Okigwe zone carries out data management. The need for this study arouses because of the researchers personal encounter in the processes of collecting his first school leaving certificate from his primary school in the zone and some other noticeable problems associated with data management in the area. The entire head teachers numbering 277 and 277 assistant head teachers making the sample seize of 554 were used for data collection. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.96 using Cronbach Alpha while three experts two in educational administration and planning and one from measurement and evaluation carried out the face and content validation of the instrument. Four research questions and four null hypothesis tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. Mean and standard deviation were employed to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics was used to test the four null hypothesis. A twenty four item questionnaire on data management practices of head teachers in Okigwe education zone of Imo State was used to get information from 554 head teachers and assistant head teachers. Based on the mean scores, the following results were obtained. That data collection measures adopted by head teachers does not encourage good data management practices. Head teachers were not keen to the use of data in their school management. They were not exposed to data processing measures. There were lack of government policies on data management practices of schools, lack of facilities in terms of computers, shelves, data bank and good filing system in their schools. Following recommendations were made that the record keepers should be trained or retrained in the modern system of record keeping. The head teachers need to be exposed to the improved system of data management. The ministry of education should design a data collection system in a very simple and unambiguous ways. Head teachers should be involved in decision making of the government as for them to have use for data they collect.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
One of the most serious setback to educational development in Nigeria is none availability of data or lack of authenticity where available Nwagwu, 2003). In the blue print put forward by the implementation committee on the National Policy on Education (2004) it was noted that:
Difficulties are encountered in Nigeria in obtaining such basic data like the population of students, the population of teachers, the number of instructional materials available in schools, tile number of school building to be renovated and many others (lgwe, 2004). The state ministries of education lack accurate data which affects its policies and programmes and this is as a result of fabricated data supplied to the ministry by the school head teachers (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). According to Ikpe (2002), statistical data on educational expenditure are not always available and if available, they do not give a sufficient breakdown to make the data valuable for most planning purposes in the ministry of education. Uyanga (1993), opined that educational planners all over the developed economics of the world, sets future educational target based on objectives identification, peoples aspiration, problems of the society, needs and gaps in the field of education.