EFFECTS OF GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT TEACHERS, A CASE STUDY OF AKOKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT TEACHER

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY

Education is one of the vital tools for emancipating mankind, such that each society puts a lot of capital on it to ensure that the entire generation acquires the necessary skills, knowledge and the desired attitudes critical for future survival. However, owing to its value, the extent to which education is measured greatly anchors on examination scores, yet academic achievement also corresponds to teachers’ job performance. In recent years there has been growing concern over the falling standard of education in Nigeria which is premised on the consistent abysmal performances of students in public examinations. A number of factors are suggested to be responsible which include poor attitude of students to learning, lack of infrastructure and teacher’s aids, leadership issues and such others Meindinyo et al (2017), as well as motivation of teachers, Ajayi (1983,2009). According to Ayayi motivation cannot seen but its presence can only be assumed. In general, motivations of workers from various originations continue to remain a challenge to managers over the years, including the education sector. The implementation committee on the national policy on Education in Nigerian may have recognized the teachers’ plight when it recommended that teachers should be treated in such a way that they have job satisfaction. However, issues of how to motivate teachers to give them more satisfaction with their jobs continued to engage the attention of government’s educational administrators and educational policy makes but without much success, for not much has been done to actually motivate the teachers and the resultant effects of this are that, many people see the teaching professional as a gateway or stepping-stone to better jobs. Many in the profession attempt to combine teaching with some other endeavors such trading and are thus distracted and their morale is usually very low. Nwankwo (1982) writing on staff motivation in schools pointed out that, “the problem of what to do make teachers work hard for the interest of the school and in their own interest is a fundamental one.

Effective staff motivation demands that, on the one hand, the teachers be so engineered to devote themselves to achieve the objectives of education, the school or of the students, and on the other hand, that the individual teacher’s goal and needs be met. Several writers associated sta motivation with the satisfaction of the needs of a staff. That the more the needs of the workers are satisfied within the organization, the more they are motivated to work and thus satisfy the needs of the organization. Similarly, Nwagu (1976), pointed out that productivity in education, which is very crucial to economic productivity, depends primarily (though not entirely) on teachers competence. Wanjala (2012), having done a study in Vihiga Sub-County with a focus on the influence of motivation on teachers’ work performance, indicated that teaching was a domain that required sacrifices given that most institutions had done very little to motivate them, and this was to blame for perennial poor academic performance. While giving a report on teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in the Sub-County, Rachuonyo South Sub-County Quality Assessment Report (2013) established that there was serious laxity among the teachers in preparing professional and the necessary teaching documents, such as schemes of work, lesson plans of work, supervision of school activities was equally inadequate and learners were insufficiently attended to. This study is carried out to examine the eect of government incentives on local government teachers, using Akoko local government teachers as a case study.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Teachers play an important role in shaping the future of students for the betterment of the next generation, it is however important for the government to pay more attention on the welfare of teachers. It has been observed that the salary of teachers is very low compared to other professions and this makes it diicult for teachers to meet up with their financial responsibilities. Financial instability of teachers aects their performances in classes. Teachers are not motivated by the government and this has aected the productivity of teachers in schools. Sometimes the salaries of teachers are not forthcoming and their bonuses are not been paid. The teaching career is no longer attractive because of the low income attached to the job. Most people see a teaching as a backup plan if other plans fail. Even most teacher combines teaching with other business activities, this action thereby prevent them from giving their full concentration of teaching students. Providing a conducive teaching environment is one of the responsibilities of the government to teachers. An unconducive teaching environment reduces the effectiveness of teachers which in turn disrupt students’ learning process. All these problems influence the study of the effect of government incentives on local government teachers.