ABSTRACT
The attempts to understand the influence of higher educational qualifications, gender and type of university on administrative competence of university career administrators necessitated this study. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent of influence of higher educational qualifications, gender and university type/ownership on decision-making skills, planning skills, communication skills and public relations skills of university career administrators. To guide the search for solutions to the problem of the study, four research questions and four hypotheses were formulated. The Expost-facto research design was used. The population of the study was 657 university career administrators in all types of universities in the North Central Geo-political Zone of Nigeria. A sample size of 373 was drawn from the population. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics for research questions while multiple regression coefficients and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at an alpha level of 0.05 significance for research hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that there was no significant influence of higher educational qualifications, gender and type of university on decision-making skills, planning skills and public relations skills of university career administrators, but they have on communication skills. Based on the findings, it was concluded that university career administrators need higher educational qualifications to improve on their communication skills. Consequently, the study recommended that: every university career administrator should develop the capacity to advise university management on the best alternative for solving administrative problems since decision-making skills are not based on qualifications, gender and type of university of an administrator; university career administrators should plan their activities effectively and efficiently irrespective of their qualifications, gender and type of university and; private, state and federal universities should train their career administrators to acquire higher educational qualifications such as Masters and Ph.D in order to improve on their communication skills.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study:
Higher/tertiary education in Nigeria is vested with enormous responsibility of offering high level manpower training to equip the individual with the relevant skills needed to be self- reliant and useful members of the society. The National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004) defines tertiary education as the education given after secondary education, in universities, colleges of education, polytechnics and monotechnics including those institutions offering correspondence courses.
The Policy specifically stipulates that the goal of tertiary education shall be to:
contribute to the national development through high level relevant manpower training; develop and inculcate proper values for the survival of the individual and society; develop the intellectual capability of individuals to understand and appreciate their local and external environments; acquire both physical and intellectual skills which will enable individuals to be self-reliant and useful members of the society; promote and encourage scholarship and community service; forge and cement national unity; and promote national and intellectual understanding and interaction. Tertiary educational institutions shall pursue these goals through: teaching; research and development; virile staff development programme… (P: 36).
In relation to the above, Ogbonnaya (2003) sees higher education as the third tier or tertiary level of Nigeria educational system. They include the education or training given in the Universities, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Colleges of Agriculture and Institute of Journalism. Hill, Hoffman and Rex (2005: 34) define higher education to include “all public and private degree-granting institutions, which primarily consist of two-year colleges and four-or-more-year universities”. According to World Bank (2008), higher education has become a key driver of growth and development. Countries with higher skill levels are better equipped to face new challenges and master technological discoveries. This is because skills for the knowledge economy are built at the tertiary level of education. Training needs have long been issues of concern for organizations worldwide. Higher productivity and efficiency are the main issues that consistently surface in most discussions on training needs in organizations. Montgomery and Esman cited in Karim (1995) support this view that the main thrust behind the training of employees in an organization is to upgrade and promote organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Bachelor’s degree, master’s and doctorate degrees are among the higher educational qualifications obtained from higher/tertiary educational institutions.
A bachelor’s degree refers to a first university degree such as a BA, B. Sc, B. Ed etc awarded to someone following successful completion of a course of study. A master’s degree could be described as an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. Within the area studied, graduates of master’s degree possess advanced knowledge of specialized body of theoretical and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, critical evaluation and/or professional application; and the ability to solve complex problems and think rigorously and independently. Apparently, a master’s degree qualification is capable of giving the career administrator high order skills and the ability to solve complex problems which is the hallmark of administration. Doctorate degree is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries represents the highest level of formal study or research in a given field. In this study, higher educational qualifications refer to master’s and doctorate degrees. Master’s and doctorate degrees are sometimes referred to as higher degrees.
The need for training of university career administrators and indeed, all staff of university for higher educational qualifications is being considered by many universities. For example, the conditions of service guiding senior staff of the Lagos State University (LASU), (2008) stipulates that any member of staff may apply for training leave for the purpose of acquiring a higher degree or professional qualification or to upgrade professional, technical or administrative competence relevant to the schedule of duties within the university. A staff member on training leave shall be entitled to his full salary, and allowances in respect of tuition, books, subsistence and other relevant expenses.
The LASU conditions of service seemed to be fair to both academic and administrative staff in terms of giving them the opportunity to acquire higher educational qualifications. Some of the administrative staff of the Lagos State University have affirmed that the provision is real as many of them have obtained master’s and doctorate degrees on the job. The reverse is observed to be the case with universities in the North Central Zone of Nigeria. In any case, different organizations have different reasons for training and not training their employees. Tracey (2001:24) submits that many organizations ask this familiar question: “what if I train them and they leave? There are two answers: What if you don’t train them and they leave? Or worse, what if you don’t train them and they stay?”
Supporting the training of employees, Bray, Campbell and Grant cited in Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy (2007) point out that education level was positively related to future managerial success. Effective administration of modern organizations such as universities in the contemporary world requires constant update of administrative skills of the practitioners. This assertion has been further enriched by the above authors that anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young and the greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. They submitted that to be successful, learning must continue throughout life. Training of staff for the acquisition of higher educational qualification is sometimes seen by employers as an investment. Franklin, Fernald and Tarbishy (2009), agree that training and development of human resources has become the unspoken competitive advantage. Tracey (2001) opines that many people perceive that lack of skilled workers will affect an organization’s ability to grow and prosper. Ameh (2003) concludes that lack of training rapidly devalues an employee’s worth and that training is the very best investment any organization can make on its employees.
Gender as a key concept in this study refers to the distinction between males and females in terms of the role they play in society. The concept of gender emerged primarily from the experience of differences that indicate male-female distinction in administrative, political, economic, professional and cultural contexts. According to Miller and Swift (1996), studies on gender roles and gaps are targeted towards a philosophical framework embedded in structural and ideological discursive trend predominantly concerned with researches on gender equality. On the other hand, Seidler cited in Adadevoh (2001), argues that in education, men are characterized as stern, firm or authoritarian and women as weak and emotional, unable to control dignified vocation or incapable of actually transmitting any knowledge hence, capacity building becomes a competence/incompetence free floating images of sexuality. However, there are still far fewer women than men in decision-making positions at global, national and local levels of governance including the micro levels of the community and household, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2002). While sex has to do with biological make up, gender refers to socially constituted meanings that are associated with each sex. In this study however, gender refers to male and female university career administrators in relation to the functions they perform. Attempts will be made in this study to determine whether administrative competence is gender-based.
Administration refers to the activities that are involved in managing the work of an organization. According to Mbipom (1999), administration refers to the process of harnessing both human and material resources for the purpose of achieving organizational goals and objectives.
The term competence in this study is synonymous with abilities, capacities and skills needed for effectiveness, productivity, achievement and performance, since their conceptual meanings are similar. Smith (1996) sees competence as the ability to do a particular activity to a prescribed standard. He added that competence is concerned with what people can do rather than what they know. Tight (1996) states that competence has several implications; firstly, if competence is concerned with doing then it must have a context… Secondly, competence is an outcome; it describes what someone can do. It does not describe the learning process which the individual has undergone. Thirdly, in order to measure reliably someone’s ability to do something, there must be clearly defined and widely accessible standards through which performance can be measured and accredited. Fourthly, competence is a measure of what someone can do at a particular point in time.
The concept of competence is often misunderstood. This is because of its association with vocational training and skill rather than understanding. The notion of competence to Brezinka (1988) refers to a relatively permanent quality of personality which is valued by the community to which one belongs. In this sense, it is not simply a skill but a virtue; a general sense of excellence and goodness. In much current usage, competence has been whittled down to the ability to undertake specific tasks. It is considered to mean series of discrete activities that people have the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to engage in effectively.
Administrative competence in this study refers to the ability of the career administrator to be skillful, effective, efficient, and rational in the process of decision-making, planning, communication and public relations in order to achieve university objectives. The main objective of the university is to achieve excellence in all ramifications of life including decision-making, planning, communication and public relations. A career administrator is said to be competent for example, in relation to how he/she is able to make sound decisions in a situation of ambiguity and uncertainty, arranging and organizing activities with good results, having good spoken and written communications with superiors, subordinates and the public and, maintaining a warm and cordial relationship with the university community among others.
This research seeks to study the influence of master’s and doctorate degrees, gender and type of university on the decision-making skills, planning skills, communication skills, and public relations skills of university career administrators in universities in the North Central Zone of Nigeria. The concepts of decision-making, planning, communication and public relations constitute the key measurable variables of this study.
Decision-making, according to Koontz and Weihrich (2006), refers to the selection of a course of action from among alternatives; it is at the core of planning. Administrators sometimes see decision-making as their Central job because they must constantly choose what is to be done, who does it, when, where, and how. Decision-making is part of everyone’s daily living (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006). The task of the university career administrator is how to harness both human and material resources to achieve the university objectives. Nwachukwu (2007) conceives decision-making as the selection of a course of action from available alternatives in order to achieve a given objective. To do this effectively and efficiently, the administrator would have to be equipped with the right knowledge and skills that would guarantee a good decision. Ogbonnaya (2002) maintains that decision-making is one of the major responsibilities of the educational administrator. In this study, decision-making skills refer to the ability to think independently, initiate good actions, create good avenues for achieving university goals, give useful advice to university management, choose or decide on the best option in a situation, exercise good discretion and to supervise subordinates effectively. The extent to which master’s and doctorate degrees will influence these skills of decision-making of the university career administrator will be examined.
Planning is a core administrative activity of the university career administrator. Coombs cited in Oboegbulem (2007) sees planning as involving the application of rational systematic analyses to the process of development with the aim of making a system more effective and efficient. It also involves taking decisions for future action with a view to achieving predetermined objectives through optimum use of resources. Oboegbulem (2007) further views planning as the process of applying scientific and rational procedures to the process of educational growth and development so as to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the educational system. Adebayo (1994) reports that an administrator must be concerned with working out in broad outline the things that have to be done by his organization or department and must also decide the methods to be employed in doing them in order to accomplish the purpose set for the organization or department with the greatest efficiency. According to him, planning is the gateway to school administration; for without it, there can be little intelligent direction of activities. In this study therefore, planning skills refer to the ability to analyze issues effectively, employ effective methods for achieving task, organize activities effectively, and have good sense of timing, documentation of staff and keeping records, registration of students, delegation of responsibility and being punctual at official functions.
Another key function of the university career administrator is communication. Cole (1997) defines communication as a mutual interchange of ideas, feelings and opinions. Thus, in organizations, provision needs to be made for upwards as well as for downwards communication. Nwachukwu (2007) states that communication is the transfer of ideas from the sender to the receiver. Any means that an individual uses to transfer meaning, ideas, feelings, emotion or attitude to others is communication. In this study, communication skills refer to the ability to write good memoranda, write good letters and circulars, take notes at meetings effectively, have good knowledge of university laws, correct interpretation and application of university rules and regulations as well as good oral expression. For the goal of the university to be achieved in this direction, the university career administrator is therefore, required to display competence by performing those functions efficiently and effectively.
Public relations is another core administrative activity of the university career administrator. The university, being a human organization requires interaction between the boss and the subordinates, among subordinates themselves and between the staff of the university and the general public. Institute of public relations cited in Keghku (2000) defines public relations as the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding and goodwill between an organization and its public. The job of the university career administrator requires him to constantly interact with people. He is therefore expected to possess good interpersonal skills in order to do his/her job effectively.
In this study, public relations skills refer to the ability of the university career administrator to relate cordially with his/her superiors, with his/her colleagues of same rank, with his/her subordinates and with the public. It also includes creating and representing good image of the university. Keghku (2000) believes that public relations must of necessity and essence, be planned. It begins with research and ends with research. In university administration, the university career administrator is saddled with the job of public relations officer. Nwosu cited in Keghku (2000) upholds that the public relations officer is a “management insider”, not a “management outsider”, since he has to be fully informed about organizational actions, policies and decisions in order to properly present, explain, interpret and defend these among the members of organization’s public. If the university career administrator does not possess the right public relations skills which connotes incompetence, the image of the university would be jeopardised. Therefore, the goal of the university in this regard will not be achieved.
University career administrators are staff of the university who work in administrative units and ensure the implementation of policies and decisions of the university. The university is made up of teaching and non-teaching staff. The teaching staff are called lecturers and the non-teaching staff are further classified into various groups such as the Administrative Officers (University Career Administrators), Accountants, Executive Officers, Auditors, Medical Officers, Store Officers, Library Officers, Housekeepers and so on. The Administrative Officers who are in other words called university career administrators belong to the Registrar’s cadre and are the subjects of this study. Their ranks are: Administrative Assistant, Administrative Officer, Assistant Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrar, Principal Assistant Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Registrar.
The university career administrators are appointed with a minimum of first degree certificate and do not require additional educational qualifications for promotion.
However, it has been observed in recent times that majority of university career administrators that were appointed with first degree are disenchanted with first degree qualifications after putting in a number of years in the service of the university because of neighbourhood effect. Consequently, they begin to clamour for higher educational qualifications such as master’s and doctorate degrees. Today, many career administrators in the North Central Zone of Nigeria are holders of master’s and doctorate degrees. What then could be their reasons for seeking higher educational qualifications when first degree certificate is the basic requirement for their appointment and advancement to the top of their career? Could it be that higher educational qualifications would improve their decision-making skills, planning skills, communication skills and public relations skills and make them efficient and effective administrators?
