Management practices and academic performance in government aided secondary schools in Yumbe District

Abstract

The study set out to examine the effect of management practices on academic performance in government aided secondary schools in Yumbe district. It was prompted by the academic performance in these schools showing a steady decline in the recent past. The objectives of the study were: to assess the effect of planning on academic performance, to determine the effect of organizing on academic performance and to establish the relationship between control as a management practice and Academic performance in Government aided secondary Schools in Yumbe District. The study was grounded on the Systems Theory by Bertalanffy et al (1960). A co relational cross sectional survey design with qualitative and quantitative approaches was used. The target population was 408 and the sample size was 202 comprising 01 District Education Officer (DEO), 01 District Inspector of Schools (DIS), 04 head teachers, 56 teachers, 116 student leaders and 24 members of boards of governors, randomly and purposively sampled. The data collection methods included: questionnaire survey, Focus Group Discussion and documentary review. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done and the data presented using frequency tables, correlation and regression analyses. The study discovered that planning was an important managerial function and most schools had annual work plans and budgets. Most schools had organized management structures although they were not functioning as expected. Most schools had established standards of performance for example examination grading, Rules and Regulations but did not have strong internal policies on Academics (Teaching & learning), Finance, welfare, asset management, Safety and security, and there was inadequate monitoring and supervision. The schools had limited risk awareness programmes and measures for management of risky behaviours were inadequate. It was concluded that there is significant positive relationships between planning, organizing, controlling and academic performance, meaning that these management practices are crucial for good academic performance. The researcher made the following recommendations: need for more stakeholder involvement, devoting more resources to activities that improve academic performance, need to generate internal policies for easy management and need to step up internal supervision. Finally, further studies on the factors influencing academic performance in Yumbe district could be explored