CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
One of the major problems facing educational progress in Nigeria is lack of sufficient data and accuracy of data where available. Data is one of the most valuable resources possessed by any organizations. Such data in the hands of the school administrators include human and material resources which are effective tools for the accomplishment of educational goals and objectives. These include data in relation to staff, students, school buildings, facilities and equipment. In this context, data is defined as the various schools records that relate to staff position, buildings, students, facilities and equipment used in making projections within the education system. According to Onwurah (2004) in Mgbodile (ed), school records refer to documented statements of facts about persons, facilities and activities in and about the school.
All organizations including educational institutions require effective planning in order to achieve their set goals. Planning according to Longe (2003), in Babalola (ed) in general is a process of establishing priorities for future actions in an attempt to solve problems, which stem from the existence of scare resources. Also Mgbodile (2004), defines planning as the act of getting prepared in advance or preparing an action ahead of time to achieve a desired objective. In this study planning is defined as the use of statistical data in preparing a set of activities in the school system.
Educational planning involves making projections towards the achievement of education goals. According to Adesina (1995) in Peretomode (ed) educational planning is the process of applying scientific or retional procedures to the process of educational growth and development, so as to ensure the effectiveness of the educational system. According to Uwazurike (1991), educational planning takes place at two major levels viz National or state and local and institutional levels. Planning at the National or state level as termed ‘Macro’ while planning at the local and institutional level is referred to as ‘micro,
Macro planning which is also referred to as global view of educational development involves education financing, educational reform and teacher training. The planning is normally based on budget. Micro planning involves planning education at the local government level or at the institutional level. It involves the diagnosis regarding general orientations of education policies, economic, social, local geographic and cultural realities. It is also called planning at the grassroots, because it entails an indepth study of educational problems as they are perceived at the local or institutional level. It deals with the improvement of teaching equipment, facilities, their acquisition and maintenance, attitudes of parents, students and teachers to education. It involves school mapping locations, education disparity which has to do with equal provision of educational services and internal efficiency which does not only involve allocation of resources but also the problem of efficient utilization of scarce resources.
Data management involves taking appropriate decisions towards utilizing data efficiently in the achievement of goals. Data management for educational planning is concerned with data sourcing, collection, processing, storage and retrieval as well as utilizations, in order to facilitate the achievement of goals in education. Nwangwu (2004) defines data management as a device designed to store and retrieve data as effectively as possible. Data management is the means of converting raw facts into information for official use. For the purpose of this study education data management is defined as the efficient co-ordination and utilization of the various school records, human and material resources for the achievement of educational goals.
The researcher, observed that in the education zone, educational programmes and activities were not properly planned in the public schools. There were cases of student withdrawing from the public schools into private schools, poor performance of students in public examinations, increasing menace of examination malpractices, shortage of staff in key subject areas, inadequate teaching facilities and equipment, and school authorities complaints over poor funding. Also observed was the problem of poor record keeping, emanating from the principals and the staff of the Post Primary School Management Board and their Lukeworm attitudes, non-utilization of submitted records as well as due to ignorance about the value of such records. Lack of office space for record keeping, absence of record keeping facilities, such as computers, shelves, cupboards, file cabinets and non-availability of transport facilities to the Board to reach schools for data collection. All these were seen to constitute set-backs in the planning and implementation of educational programmes in the zone. Eze (2004) noted that several factors contribute to poor record keeping and data management in the secondary schools that hinder proper planning and implementation of polices. Such factors included inadequate record keeping facilities like shelves, cupboards, file cabinets, lack of qualified staff, poor space among others. Accordingly, Obi (2003) notes that wrong information and inaccurate data make it difficult for the educational administrators and planners to plan properly. All the identified lapses above have to be addressed, the staff need to be trained to be responsive to their duties, good record keeping culture has to be cultivated, various facilities for collecting and storing data need to be improved in the zone.
The focus of this study is to investigate measures for improving education data management, in order to facilitate efficient public secondary school management in Nsukka education zone. Given the importance of proper education data management, the researcher felt that there was the need to carry out an investigation into measures to improve the situation for better results.
Statement of the problem
Mismanagement of data has been one of the problems facing educational administration and planning in Nigeria. This arises due to poor documentation of data by those entrusted with the responsibilities. There is poor record keeping culture among the principals of schools as well as the management staff of the Post Primary School Management Board (PPSMB).Other problem areas include ignorance as well as inexperience on the part of the record keepers, lack of record keeping facilities like cupboards, shelves, file cabinets, etc lack of office space, no data bank and computers in recent times, for data processing, storage, retrieval and utilization. There is also the problem of transport facilities to help the PPSMB go round schools in the zone for proper inspections and supervision of schools to allow for proper data collection from the schools
It was also observed by the researcher that some principals operated two to three different records in the school. These included accurate, near accurate and falsified records. Principals inflated number of classes in their school if they realized that their promotion to next rank depended on how many new classes they have. The accurate and faked data were meant for their internal consumption while the inflated or deflated were used for submission to legitimate authority based on what they were told the data would be used for. The above conditions have been making it difficult for educational administrators and planners in the zone to properly address education planning process. The problem of this study is centered on this question: How can data keeping culture be improved to ensure proper education data management in the education zone?.
Purpose of the study
The main purpose of this study is to investigate measures for improving education data management of public secondary school in Nsukka education zone; specifically, the study will:-
- Identify the available facilities and equipment for data management in public schools
- Find out how these facilities and equipment are effective measures for improving data management.
- Investigate if lack of skilled manpower is a problem to education data management and
- Determine strategies for improving education data management in the zone.
Significance of the study
The findings of this study will be of immense benefits to the following: education planners and administrators, management staff of PPSMB, principals, teachers and students, student researchers, and the entire society.
The findings will provide education planners and administrators with accurate information required for effective educational planning especially in making projections for the future. It will also enable them supply adequate and durable facilities as well as equipment for data collection and storage in the school.
It will enable the management staff of PPSMB to be responsive to their statutory functions and also enable them to appreciate the need and importance of accurate and reliable statistical record-keeping in the educational sector.
The findings will enable principals and students appreciate the need and problems associated with education data, hence they will be contributing valid information that will help build up the education system.
The findings will provide a valid working literature for other student researchers in investigating other areas of data management not covered in their study.
Finally, it will be of great benefit to the entire society as accurate and reliable data will bed to better funding, supply of facilities and equipment to schools for the interest of the people.
Scope of the study
The geographical scope of the study is limited to Nsukka Education Zone comprising of three Local Government Areas; Nsukka,, Igbo-Etiti and Uzo-Uwani in Enugu State. The content scope include the following: measures for improving education data management of public secondary schools in the zone and importance of data management in Educational planning.
