WELCOME TO KENTERPRO:
IMPACT OF RESOURCES ALLOCATION ON LEADERSHIP PERFORMANCE OF PRINCIPALS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN PANKSHIN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background to the Study

Not only is maintaining educational opportunity equality dependent on the fair distribution of resources, but the efficiency of the education system as a whole is also tied to this factor. Fairness in resource allocation is vital for both of these reasons. However, in many different types of school systems, resources are not distributed fairly regardless of the socioeconomic profile of the students. Advantaged schools, on the whole, have more students enrolled in each class, while disadvantaged schools, on average, have fewer students enrolled in each class. Additionally, disadvantaged schools are more likely to have teacher shortages, as well as shortages or inadequacies of educational materials and physical infrastructure (Pablo, 2014). Additionally, in general, schools that serve a predominantly socioeconomically disadvantaged student body are more likely to have resources of a lesser quality than schools that serve a predominantly advantaged student body.

The maintenance of a high-quality secondary education is heavily reliant on the schools’ provision of sufficient financial, human, and material resources. Examples of such resources include spacious and well-ventilated classrooms, adequately equipped laboratories and technical workshops, well-stocked libraries, assembly halls, recreational ground, farm land, gymnasia, health centres, counselling rooms, staff offices, and conveniently placed urinals and latrines, as well as a sufficient allocation of ozone-depleting substances in the air conditioning system (David & Yongmei, 2012).

This is based on the assumption that high-quality secondary education can be efficiently maintained even if schools do not receive adequate funding. According to Afolabi, Oyewusi, and Ajayi (2018), the success of any secondary school depends upon the resources available to it. This is a short way of stating the obvious. Money is highly significant in this regard since it allows for the acquisition of all other essential components of the school, such as buildings, the purchase of equipment, the payment of wages and allowances for teachers, and the payment of operating expenditures. They also stated that school leaders cannot exist or efficiently carry out its tasks without enough financial resources at its disposal. They said this in both of their arguments. It is necessary to have money in order to pay the workers, maintain the plant, and keep the services operating. Afolabi, Oyewusi, and Ajayi (2018) made the following observation about the significance of providing adequate funding for the school system: “for schools to function effectively, they need sufficient money. Money is needed to buy textbooks, establish new buildings, pay teachers’ salaries, buy science equipment, and maintain other services that are required by a school in order to carry out its functions as an educational institution.” Afolabi, Oyewusi, and Ajayi (2018) also mentioned that There are many challenges that the secondary school administration in the Pankshin Local Government Area is currently facing, but none of them are as persistent or as excruciating as the challenge that relates to the distribution and management of the resources that are available in the schools.

The topic of school leadership has recently emerged at the forefront of education policy agendas on a global scale. It has a significant impact on the motivations and capacities of educators, as well as the atmosphere and environment of the school. As a result, it plays an important part in the improvement of educational outcomes. It is necessary to have effective school leadership in order to increase the efficacy and equity of the educational system (Beatriz, Deborah & Hunter, 2018). As nations work to modernise their educational institutions to meet the requirements of more complex societies, the demands placed on schools and the individuals who run them are also shifting. In many nations, there has been a shift toward decentralisation, which has given schools greater autonomy in the decision-making process and increased the level of accountability for their outcomes. At the same time, the demand to enhance overall student performance while serving increasingly diverse student populations is putting pressure on schools to utilise more evidence-based teaching approaches. This pressure comes from the requirement that schools must serve more diverse student populations.

As a consequence of these tendencies, the function of school leadership is now increasingly defined throughout schools by a stringent set of responsibilities that include the management of both financial and human resources, as well as the management of leadership for learning. Concerns have been raised in many nations over the possibility that the traditional function of principal, which was developed in response to the requirements of the past, may no longer be applicable. Principals have a lot of work to do in many nations, and because so many of them are approaching retirement age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new ones. Many people who could be good candidates choose not to apply because the tasks they would be filling are already too demanding, they do not receive proper preparation and training, their career opportunities are limited, and they do not receive adequate support and rewards. As a result of these developments, school leadership has become a priority in the education systems of countries all over the world. The quality of school leadership needs to be improved, and it also needs to be made more sustainable by policymakers.

Research has demonstrated that school leaders may make a difference in the performance of the school as a whole as well as individual students if they are provided with sufficient tools to enable them to make key decisions. However, adequate resource allocation by itself does not inevitably lead to improvements unless it is effectively supported. This is the case only if there is adequate support. In addition, it is essential that the fundamental responsibilities of school leaders be clearly defined and delimited in order to ensure that they are carried out effectively. Understanding the behaviours that are most likely to increase a group’s performance should be the starting point for defining the responsibilities of school leadership.

For a very long time, organisations that were concerned with boosting their efficiency and productivity centred their attention on performance (Won-joo & Frank, 2019). On the other hand, the administration of “leadership capacity” is a comparatively newer topic. Organizations in every industry increasingly view effective leadership as a vital factor in achieving organisational performance goals and gaining a competitive edge, and as a result, they are pouring ever-increasing sums of money into leadership development programmes (Raelin, 2014). It should come as no surprise, given the level of investment that has been made, that many companies are now focusing their attention on the most effective way to manage their leadership talent in order to assure succession, progression, and the achievement of organisational goals.

Leadership is one of the components of an organisation that receives the greatest attention and scrutiny from researchers. Leadership operates under the presumption that organisations achieve their maximum potential when adequate resources are made available and when leaders take measures that motivate individuals to work harder or more effectively. To put it another way, leaders should take actions that contribute to increased organisational success, which is often measured by increases in revenue and profits. According to the same line of reasoning, exceptional leaders are the ones who bring the most success to the enterprises they steer. Treating other people as a means to some other objective is not an example of effective leadership. Strong leaders look out for their followers and strive to improve their quality of life. According to Gill (2016), effective leadership is characterised by the quality of interactions rather than the hierarchical level, collaborative problem solving, dialogue rather than commands, shared values and beliefs, and honesty along with a commitment to work toward the common good.

Historically, the primary concern of school leaders was the administration of the resources that were allotted to their respective schools. It used to be the mark of a competent school administrator to have a school that was well-run, with buses arriving and leaving on time, the facility being clean, and the hallways being orderly and quiet. As a result of the change toward leadership for learning, preserving order in the physical space is essential, but it is not sufficient, to meet the expectations and accountability requirements that are placed on educators in the modern era. When dealing with complicated school organisations, educational leaders need to take a systems approach. Education leaders are responsible for managing day-to-day operations and environments in order to ensure the success of all students and provide a high-performing learning environment. This is accomplished by aligning resources in an efficient and effective manner with the vision and goals of the organisation. Leaders recognise the importance of equitably distributing resources in order to meet the diverse academic, physical, and mental health requirements of their students, and they praise the impact that resource allocation has on the performance of a leader. Leaders are responsible for addressing any problems that may obstruct the learning of students or staff members, as well as for enforcing laws and policies that keep students and staff members safe. They perform their legal responsibilities, adopt suitable policies, support due process, and defend the civil and human rights of everyone, which helps them maintain and create a trustworthy and professional work environment. In light of the aforementioned, the primary objective of this study is to determine the impact that resource distribution has on the level of leadership performance in senior secondary schools located within the Pankshin Local Government Area.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The issue of how resources should be distributed across schools is one of the many challenges faced by the secondary school administration in the Pankshin Local Government Area in the present day. However, none of these challenges is as pervasive or as excruciating as this particular one. The rapid growth of the secondary school system in the Pankshin Local Government Area can be attributed to the efforts of both the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in education there. There is no way around the fact that such a rapid expansion of the school system will result in a high demand for additional school buildings, an increased number of qualified and competent teachers and clerical staff, and instructional facilities in order to ensure that students are able to effectively teach and learn in the schools. Therefore, one of the most efficient strategies to maintain a free education that is of a high quality is to supply the schools with an enough amount of human resources that are highly qualified, highly motivated, and well-motivated.

Furthermore, the majority of school leaders failed to address other staff members or stakeholders who contradict the vision by displaying low or negative expectations; contested or eliminated courses and grading policies that contradict the vision and mission as a result of inadequate resource allocation in the school. This was a direct result of inadequate resource allocation in the school. Many times, the school leaders fail to make use of the outputs from a school-wide assessment in order to identify priority areas for improvement and to set measurable goals with specific grade level and content area targets; names milestones and benchmarks of student progress; and develops a school improvement plan that identifies a strategy to reach school-wide targets and goals. This is a problem because the use of these outputs is necessary in order to identify priority areas for improvement and to set measurable goals with specific grade level and content area.

The distribution of resources could potentially improve management and succession planning. It is possible that improving how resources are distributed across a variety of individuals and organisational structures could help modern schools become more effective in meeting the problems that they face today. The fact of the matter is that the manner in which resources have been distributed is one of the primary elements that has contributed significantly toward widening the gap between educational objectives and achievements. As a response to the issues that were outlined above, this study seeks to investigate the impact that resource distribution has on the effectiveness of leadership in senior secondary schools located within the Pankshin Local Government Area.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of resource allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State. The following are the specific objectives:

1. Ascertain the impact of qualified personnel allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area;
2. Determine the impact of funding allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area;
3. Assess the impact of material resources allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area;
4. Investigate the impact of time allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area; and
5. Find out the impact of curriculum resources allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area.

1.4        Research Questions

In pursuance of the objectives of this study, the following research questions were formulated for the study:

1. What impact does qualify personnel allocation have on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area?
2. In what way do funding allocation impact on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area?
3. What is the impact of material resources allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area?
4. What is the impact of time allocation on leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area?
5. How does curriculum resources allocation impact leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

            The following null hypotheses are postulated to guide the study:

H₀₁: There is no significant relationship between qualified personnel allocation and leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area;

H₀₂: There is no significant relationship between funding allocation and leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area;

H₀₃: There is no significant relationship between material resources allocation and leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area;

H₀₄: There is no significant relationship between time allocation and leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area; and

H₀₅: There is no significant relationship between curriculum resources allocation and leadership performance of principals in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area.

1.6       Significance of the Study

This research will shed light on the impact that funding distribution has on secondary school leadership effectiveness. The findings of this research will have far-reaching implications for education at all levels and for society as a whole. Students’ academic performance would improve if more time and money were dedicated to providing them with a wide range of learning facilities that would help them understand and remember what they are taught.

If schools are adequately funded, teachers will have access to materials that will enrich their lessons and encourage students to think critically and creatively, while also making them more likely to act on a whim. There is mounting evidence that teachers, at least at the individual level, can help boost student learning by influencing classroom environments. Teachers will be highly motivated and ready to confront the obstacles that may be offered anytime there is an economic slump if resources are properly allocated to the school. The right teachers need to be placed in the right classrooms.

The research will be useful to the staff development programmes and will receive significant attention as a result. Further, rather than being tied to protests, reviews of fringe benefits will be conducted on a more regular basis, particularly in circumstances where these benefits are warranted by economic and societal factors. The research will show that secondary schools require more resources since teachers’ productivity could be severely hindered by inadequate materials. In addition, the home economics classrooms, computer labs, scientific labs, technical shops, and libraries will all have the tools they need.

The findings also have implications for the field of education and for society as a whole. This is because the knowledge obtained will favourably affect society if sufficient funds are supplied to schools, teachers are supported in their teaching with a variety of available instructional materials, and students learn well.

The results of this research will be useful in informing principals’ recommendations to the government and other stakeholders on the kinds of resources schools require. Thus, the school will receive reliable data about its requirements. A principal’s responsibility for the upkeep of the school’s physical assets is also a huge aid. The assets should be safeguarded from robbery, fire, and other potential threats. Principals play a crucial role in fostering relationships between schools and the neighbourhoods they serve. Educators that are able to lead their schools to success despite low funding have the support and confidence of their school’s community and parents.

It is hoped that the results of this research would encourage the government to timely and adequately fund schools with the appropriate resources. The attainment of educational goals would be facilitated by this. The government and other interested parties will be aided in their efforts to allocate sufficient funds for secondary school resource provision.

This study will provide a body of material for future researchers to draw upon, hopefully inspiring them to devote time and energy to finding answers to the issues raised about secondary school resource distribution.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study impact of resource allocation on leadership performance in senior secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area is aimed at investigating the opinions of principals, teachers and non-academic staff on the impact of resource allocation on leadership performance in secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area. Respondents will be drawn randomly from the secondary schools within the state.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Resource allocation: This is the process of assigning and managing educational assets in a manner that supports an educational strategic planning goals. These resources include human allocation resources, time allocation resources, curriculum allocation resources, among others.

Leadership Performance: This is the extent to which a principal in a secondary school performs either well or badly.