A RESEARCH PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER’S DEGREE IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING

ABSTRACT

Effective Secondary School administration is central to providing the needed enabling  environment  for  producing  the  desired  Secondary  school products (students) that can meet with the national objectives for secondary education. The purpose of this study was to investigate entrepreneurship leadership as a factor  in  effective  secondary  school  administration  in  Enugu  State.  Four research questions and two hypoptheses guided the study. The hypotheses were tested at  0.05 level of significance while the decisions on the responses to the research questions were determined using real limit of numbers. The descriptive survey design was adopted. The sample population for the study consisted of

100 principals and 100 vice principals selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire, titled Entrepreneurship leadership, a factor in Effective secondary school Administration (ELFESSA). The study focused on the extent of possession of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics by the secondary school

administrators, the effect of gender and location on the extent of possession and

the capacity building strategies for developing entrepreneurial leadership characteristic. Mean and standard Deviation were used to answer the research questions while a t-test statistics was used for data analysis. Findings show that the secondary school administrators in Enugu State possess entrepreneurial leadership characteristics but lack computer literacy. The study also discovered that gender does not affect the possession of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics while  location does.  Strategies for developing entrepreneurial leadership characteristics were stated. Recommendations include among others, that  the  government  should  mandate  school  administrators  to  enforce  the teaching of  entrepreneurship  objects in their schools and  follow it  up  with effective monitoring.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Every formally instituted organisation exists to achieve some specific goals. These goals however can hardly be achieved without effective administration. In other words, administration is an indispensable factor in the realization of the aspirations of any organization. Edem (1987) viewed administration as the planned activities which aim at the fulfilment of the goals of a particular organization. These activities include; task descriptions, assigning tasks to personnel, directing the personnel for effective performance, co-ordinating the different units or departments and ensuring a free flow of information. Ndu, Ocho  and  Okeke  (1997)  defined  administration  as  being  concerned  with decision-making, planning, organization, communicating, co-ordinating and evaluating. In the opinion of Ogbonna (1995), administration is a process which entails the utilization of human and financial resources in maximizing the realization of goals. For the purpose of this study, administration simply put is working through people to achieve organizational goals using resources. This definition reveals a key important component of administration which controls the other components for the realization of organizational goals, and that is leadership.

The execution of all the administrative functions of an organization is actually spear-headed by the leader who is also known as the chief executive. The leader sets the pace and inspires others to willingly act towards the realization of the organizational goals. Keeja (1998) viewed leadership as the ability to  influence others by persuasion, example, and tapping inner moral values. This definition is very apt for this study as it brings out the means by which a leader can influence others positively.  This means that influencing others to act in a way that can produce desirable outcome is not automatic.  It is not  dependent  on  title  or  formal authority  or  position one occupies.  Rowe (2007) asserted that although one’s position as the chief executive gives the person the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization, yet the power does not make him a leader. It simply makes him the boss.

Leadership differs from a position of authority in that, it makes the followers  willingly  want  to  achieve  high  goals  rather  than  bossing  people around. It is therefore imperative that any individual who is appointed to a position   of   authority   should   possess   certain   leadership   attributes   for effectiveness. Some of the attributes of an effective leader identified by Etuk (1991) include the ability to command respect and confidence, ability to make timely decisions, a personality to organise and co-ordinate group activities and ability to appraise his subordinates and get along with them. Effective leaders are effective followers and so they set examples for others to follow. They act

as catalyst by motivating and inspiring their subordinates into higher levels of teamwork. The leader must show signs of professional competence, exemplary character and ability to carry others along through effective communication. The possession of such leadership attributes will most likely make for effective administration.

The very essence of any administration is to fulfill the aspirations of its organization. In other words, no organization, no administration. This is because an organization is the foundation upon which the whole administrative structure is built. In the opinion of Mbipom (2000) an organization is a group of people working together for a common purpose. In this sense, an organization is born whenever an identifiable group of people contribute their efforts towards the attainment of common set goals. Of course no group either large or small can unitedly work towards the attainment of a common goal without someone co- ordinating, directing, guiding and motivating them. The viability of any organization therefore depends on how well it is administered and managed. In other words, the success or failure of any organisation depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of the leader or administrator. The school is an organization established by a society to equip her citizenry with the necessary knowledge, attitude, skills, values and norms that will help them meet the needs of the society.One of the functions of the school in the opinion of Lydiah and Nasong (2009),  is  to  take  human  raw  material  (students)  and  convert  them  into something more valuable as in employable adults. The school carries out this

function through the provision of basic infrastructural facilities, instructors, teaching and learning equipment. An indispensable factor in the discharge of this function is the administrative process.  It is duty of the school administrator to ensure effective manipulation of the resources available in his school. He takes both the credit and the blame for the organizational success or failure.

Secondary education occupies a key position within the Nigerian educational system. The Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004), in recognition of the importance of secondary education stated its broad goals to include; preparation for useful living within the society and for higher education.   In pursuance of these, diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in talents, opportunities and future roles have been designed with emphasis on entrepreneurship. Suffice it to say that well administered secondary education will equip the students with the right intellectual capacity for further studies and encourage spirit of enquiring resulting to their being resourceful, inventive and self- reliant. Regrettably, lamented Omorigie (2005), the products of today’s secondary education system can neither usefully live in the society nor move into higher institution without their parents’ aid or forgery. They can neither think for themselves nor respect the views of others. They have no regard for dignity of labour but rather crave for anything that would fetch them quick money. This is a far cry from the national education goals, hence, there is need for change.

It must be noted that education cannot be seen as an instrument ‘par excellence” for effecting national development where the secondary education is  not  effectively  managed  or  administered  to  accomplish  its  aims  and objectives.  The  administrative  head  of  a  secondary  school  is  called  the principal. As the leader, he or she takes both the credit and blame for the organizational success or failure. In order to ensure effectiveness, the principal has to apply the right leadership approach in the management of both human, material and financial resources.  The  principal in the opinion of  Ekundayo (2010) is a change facilitator. When it comes to efforts to improve the quality of the school, the principal is the key person in making change occur. For effective secondary school administration, principals need to review their leadership practices and be open to adopting leadership skills, attitudes and practices that match with the organizational demands, thereby producing the desired outcome.

Entrepreneurship possesses characteristics consisting of relevant behaviours, skills and competence that enable an individuals see and run an enterprise or organisation successfully. It is central to the promotion of wealth creation and economic growth .In the view of Sobel (2008), entrepreneurship is the process of discovering ways of combining resources. An entrepreneur is therefore a calalyst for economic change in an economy by introducing new goods or new methods of production. He is a catalyst for economic change. There are certain attributes that characterize successful entrepreneurs. Bram (2008) noted that such characteristics are not what a person is born with but can

be learned, though some people may seem to have an aptitude for the qualities that   make   up   the   entrepreneurial   spirit.   He   mentioned   some   of   the characteristics to include; discipline, calm, attention to detail, risk tolerance and balance. Such entrepreneurial characteristics enable an individual to seek and run an enterprise or organization successfully.

It is  worthy of  note  that a  key  element in  entrepreneurial  success is leadership.  Thus  for a  successful  entrepreneurial  venture  leadership  is very essential. It is through the process of leadership that an entrepreneur is able to influence employees to achieve the objectives of the organization. In the view of Gunther and McMillian (2000), entrepreneurial leaders translate ideas into action. They passionately seek new opportunities, always looking for the chance to profit from change and disruption. The implication of the above definitions is that entrepreneurship leadership has no regard for maintaining the status quo but is rather result oriented. It is against this background that this study focuses on entrepreneurial   leadership   as   a   factor   in   effective   secondary   school administration  in  Enugu  State  with  a  view  to  finding  out  the  extent  of possession  of  the  attributes  of  entrepreneurial  leadership  by  the  secondary school administrators in the state public schools and the capacity building strategies for acquiring such attributes.

Statement of Problem

With the present high rate of unemployment among school leavers in Nigeria, the emphasis in our educational institutions today including secondary schools  has  shifted  to  entrepreneurship.  This  is  because  entrepreneurship enables individuals to acquire skills and competences to set up their own businesses, create jobs and wealth, thereby rendering public services that are unique and essential, thus contributing to national development. This of course requires principals who have knowledge, skills and experience in entrepreneurship   leadership   to   be   able   to   create   good   entrepreneurial environment for effective skill acquisition.

It appears however that  secondary  school products (students)  are  not knowledgeable enough in entrepreneurship. This may be accountable for the reason why many of them who may not be cognitively sound are seen from observation trooping in and out of lesson centres, making several attempts to get their  O  level  papers  or  to  gain  admission  into  higher  institutions  without success. Some, in frustration involve themselves in destructive and non – productive activities thereby becoming a menace to society. This ugly situation has motivated  the  researcher in looking at  entrepreneurship  leadership  as a factor in effective secondary school administration.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is generally to investigate entrepreneurial leadership as a factor in effective secondary school administration in Enugu state.

The study specifically intends to:-

(1)     determine  the  extent  to  which  the  Enugu  state  secondary  school administrators possess the characteristics of entrepreneurship leadership.

(2) determine whether gender affects the extent of possession of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics by secondary school administrators.

(3)   find out if location is a factor in determining the extent of possession of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics by secondary school administrators

(4) determine the capacity building strategies for developing entrepreneurial leadership characteristics among secondary school administrators.

Significance of the Study

The study has both theoretical and practical significance. The theoretical significance is anchored on the theory of Charismatic Leadership which tries to identify the extraordinary characteristics that inspire devotion and motivation of followers especially in  crises  situation.  The situation  in Enugu state  public secondary schools where the products (students) lack the necessary skills and competences to embark on meaningful economic activities for useful living in society is a matter of serious concern. Practically this study will be of immense

benefit to students, principals, teachers, educational planners/policy makers, the state government, families and future researchers who may be interested in the improvement of educational outcome through effective school administration. The outcome of the study will enable educational planners and policy makers develop a frame work for training programmes in entrepreneurship at the secondary school level. This will help to equip the students with skills and competences for setting up their own unique businesses, usefully engaging themselves and contributing their own quota to the development of society. It will also help to reduce unemployment, crime rate and mad quest for unproductive paper qualification.

The principals are the officers on whose shoulders rest the entire administration of secondary schools. The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the administration depends to a large extent on the leadership quality exhibited by the principals. It is a true saying that no one can give what he or she does not have. Hence, the principals need to have a good knowledge of entrepreneurship to be able to lead others in that direction and to create the enabling environment for entrepreneurial activities and learning in their schools. The findings of this study will therefore help the educational planners in developing a framework for appointing new principals and organising training programmes, workshops and seminars for serving principals and teachers. The study will also help to inspire the principals to be more visionary, proactive and willing to take risks in seeking alternative but legitimate sources of generating funds for meeting with

the school demands. The principals will no longer be contented with routine administration and management of the dilapidated and grossly inadequate facilities that characterize most of the schools in the state. They will rather harness the efforts of both the teachers and students in fund generating ventures for the interest of the school. This will create a patriotic spirit in the teachers and students, making them see the development of the school as a collective responsibility.

The  findings  of  the  study  will  at  the  long  run  help  to  improve  the financial  base  of  the  schools,  thereby  making  them  less  dependant  on government subventions. The government will on the other hand be able to spend more on the provision of basic infrastructural facilities and trainings that will help to promote qualitative and functional education for the overall development of society. There will be improved quality of life at the family level as talent and potentials of the children are nurtured and tapped for productive economic activities. Parents will therefore reap the benefits of investing their money on their children’s education as the school leavers who are not able to move higher due to financial constraints or inability to cope with the mental work involved, gainfully employ themselves or possess the skill to work for others. The findings of the study will also inspire the teachers and principals in making their own personal investments either individually or collectively to improve their living standard and social status.

Scope of the Study

The geographical scope of the study will cover the state government owned secondary schools in Enugu State. The study will focus on state government owned secondary school administrators (principals) in the six educational zones of the state which include; Agbani, Awgu, Enugu,  Nsukka, Obollo-Afor and Udi educational zones. The content scope will focus on entrepreneurship leadership as a factor in effective secondary school administration. The content scope will specifically focus on the extent of possession of entrepreneurship leadership characteristics by school administrators,   effect   of   gender   and   location   on   the   possession   of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics and ways of acquiring such characteristics.

Research Questions

(1)     To  what  extent  do  the  Enugu  State  secondary  school  administrators possess the entrepreneurial leadership characteristics?

(2)     Does gender affect the extent of possession of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics by secondary school administrators?

(3)     Does location affect affect the extent of possession of    entrepreneurial leadership characteristics?

(4)     What capacity building strategies would be adopted by the secondary school administrators for the development of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics?

Research Hypotheses

HO1: There is no significant gender difference between the mean responses of male and female vice- principals as regards the extent to which the principals possess the entrepreneurial leadership characteristics.

HO2: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of Principals in the urban centres and those in the rural areas with regard to the extent of principal’s possession of entrepreneurial leadership characteristics.

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