EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT

This research investigates the influence of social media usage on research skills of undergraduates offering Educational Management at six different universities randomly selected from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. Various studies on the effects of social media on students have concentrated mainly on academic performance . This research shifts its attention away from this and rather focuses on how social media influences core research skills of undergraduates. The identified areas include how it influences their ability to source for quality research materials; generate ideas about areas of research interest; and develop creative writing skills. Questionnaire was developed to explore the participating students' views regarding social media, their adoption of social media for research purpose, and the influence of social media on their research skills. The population consisted of six hundred (600) students from six universities comprising male and female respondents. Data was analysed using descriptive analysis and frequency. Chi-square (X2) was used to test the only null hypothesis in the study. The findings of this paper indicate that undergraduates frequently copy from Wikipedia as their major source of information; uses Facebook to generate ideas from colleagues about their research focus; and make use of Wordpress or Blogger to develop their creative writing skills. However, students' reliance on these social media tools alone has resulted in their dwindling research skills to produce quality research works. Recommendations were made on how to improve students' research skills.

Recent reports by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (2017) revealed that while the numbers of schools and children in both rural and urban areas are increasing, the numbers of qualified teachers are not increasing proportionately. This is a problem that needs to be addressed because non-performing schools negatively drawback the country's educational standard. While scholars have examined the factors that affect the academic performance of pupils in rural and urban areas, there is much to be done on the factors that determine teachers' job performance in rural and urban centres. It is on this basis that this paper comparatively examined the factors that are responsible for teachers' job performance in rural and urban schools in Ijebu-Ode Local Government area of Ogun State, Nigeria. A descriptive research method was adopted while the target population involved teachers, pupils, and the school based management committee (SBMC) in public primary schools. The sample size consists of 140 respondents. The breakdown of participants is 80 teachers (40 rural teachers and 40 urban teachers); 40 pupils (20 rural pupils and 20 urban pupils); and 20 SBMC (10 rural participants and 10 urban participants). The sample was drawn from 10 public primary schools (5 rural schools and 5 urban schools) out of a total of 42 primary schools in Ijebu Ode LGA. Three instruments were used to collect data from the participants. Independent t-Test was used to statistically test the mean score of the dependent variables for the two independent groups. The findings of the study revealed that teachers in urban public schools outperform teachers' from rural public schools on three indicators (i) quality teaching (ii) coverage of the syllabus and (iii) instructional design; while teachers from rural schools outperform teachers in urban school on two indicators (i) teachers' workload and (ii) evaluation of pupils' assignments. Recommendations were made on how to improve teachers' job performance in both rural and urban areas.

The study at investigating the management factors influencing students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. It examined the influence of human resources on students’ academic performance; the influence of financial resources on students’ academic performance; established the influence of physical facilities on students’ academic performance and how staff motivation influence the students’ academic performance in public secondary schools. Descriptive design method was used. One hundred and two (102) teachers was used out of five hundred twenty two teachers in Ijebu Ode Local Government which represents 20% of the total population. Questionnaire was used as the instrument which was tagged “Management Factors Influencing Academic Performance of Students (MFIAPS)”. Simple percentage was used to analyse the demographic data while mean statistics was used to analyse the research questions. It was revealed that human resources as influence on students’ academic performance in secondary schools as the respondents are of the opinion that with adequate non-academic staff in the schools to handle other activities in the school. It can be concluded from the study that the work commitment affects students’ academic achievement and the relationship is mediated by teacher’s performance. This shows that teacher’s performance can mediate the effect of work commitment on students’ academic achievement. The researcher recommends that the State Teaching Service Commission and private investors in education should ensure effectiveness and transparency when recruiting teachers into the teaching service in order to absorb the right and qualified teachers in the profession.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science that involves the development of intelligent machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. AI has the potential to address some of the biggest issues facing education today, innovate teaching and learning methods, and hasten the achievement of SDG 4 (quality education). With continued investment in research and responsible implementation of AI, we can create a more equitable and inclusive education system that empowers students to succeed. In this paper, we discuss the history, roles, benefits, drawbacks and examples of AI in education and its future implications.

The education system in Nigeria plays a role in driving developmental and societal progress as well as contributing to economic growth and national development. However, it faces challenges that hinder its ability to reach its potential. This research paper focuses on the state of Nigeria's education system, analyzes the obstacles it faces and proposes an approach to addressing these challenges. The suggested approach encompasses aspects such as; improving funding and resource allocation, recognizing the crucial role of well trained and motivated teachers in creating a positive learning environment, fostering community involvement and parental engagement, ensuring inclusivity and access to education for all, implementing effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the impact of educational policies and interventions... This paper presents a road map for navigating the planning and policy challenges in Nigeria's education sector by adopting an approach that addresses funding issues, curriculum reform, teacher training, technology integration, community engagement, inclusivity measures well as implementing robust monitoring systems. Nigeria can overcome its educational hurdles and promote sustainable development. It is essential for government entities, educational institutions, communities and parents to collaborate closely in order to realize this vision of transforming the education system into one that paves the way for a future of Nigerian children while benefiting society as a whole.

This research paper examines the failure of the 1977 Nigeria National Policy on Education and explores the diverse factors that contributed to its inability to achieve its intended objectives. The paper examine the policy's implementation challenges, including inadequate funding, bureaucratic inefficiencies, socioeconomic factors, structural issues, and curriculum relevance. Drawing lessons from the policy's shortcomings, the paper offers recommendations for education policymakers to consider when designing and implementing future education policies. The importance of context, consistency, stakeholder engagement, data-driven decision-making, and the integration of practical skills development is highlighted as crucial elements for the success of education reforms in Nigeria. By learning from the past and applying these recommendations, Nigeria can work towards building a robust education system that contributes to national development.

This study explores the traditional education system in Nigeria. Traditional education deeply rooted in a nation's heritage has long been instrumental in passing down cultural values, skills, and societal norms. This study unravels the seven cardinal goals of traditional education and its unique knowledge transmission processes. However, it also highlights the rigidity and limited scope of this system. In the context of Nigeria's evolving educational system, this study advocates for a seamless integration of traditional education into the formal education system, particularly through curriculum development and teaching methods. Such integration promises a more comprehensive educational experience. Moreover, community engagement with the involvement of elders and community and religious leaders is recommended to ensure relevance and responsiveness to societal needs. This paper concludes by emphasizing the need for further research to devise sustainable strategies for reviving and preserving the traditional education in Nigeria. The aim is to create an education system that caters to the diverse needs of Nigerian society and steers it towards a brighter future.

The paper addresses the critical issue of graduate unemployment in Nigeria and investigated skill acquisition as a sustainable solution. The paper highlights the mismatch between educational outputs and labor market demands, noting the insufficiency of traditional white-collar job training in today's economy. Globally, graduate unemployment remains a significant problem. In Nigeria, over 500,000 graduates annually struggle to find employment due to a declining manufacturing sector resulting to loss of self-confidence and economic instability. Skill acquisition is presented as a viable remedy, encompassing vocational and entrepreneurial skills such as bead making, textile production, and computer programming. These skills foster self-reliance and entrepreneurial capabilities addressing the scarcity of job opportunities. Entrepreneurial skills including; business management, leadership, communication, and customer service are crucial for job creation and economic growth. The paper identifies challenges of entrepreneurial skills acquisition in Nigerian universities, such as an overemphasis on theory, weak university support, family influence, poor funding, lecturer capacity, and inadequate facilities. It stresses the importance of both hard and soft skills, digital competencies, and exportable skills for the global job market. Effective skill acquisition programs require robust government and institutional support, adequate funding, updated curricula and strong public-private partnerships. The paper suggests expansion and enhancement of skill acquisition programs, adequate funding, establishing strong collaborations between the government, private sector and educational institutions, conduct awareness campaigns to highlight the benefits of skill acquisition, regular review and update educational curricula to reflect current market needs and technological advancements as a sustainable strategy for reducing unemployment and driving economic growth in Nigeria.

The study explored the impact of practicum experience on students professional development in Ogun State, Nigeria. A descriptive research design survey type was used. The population of the study comprised 358 final year educational management students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State who were eligible for the 2023/2024 practicum exercise. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 100 students representing 28% of the total population. Data were collected using a well structured questionnaire tagged “Practicum Professional Development Questionnaire (PPDQ)”. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.867. Findings revealed that practicum significantly influences students’ professional competencies, students encounter moderate challenges during practicum, and mentorship shapes students’ professional outlook during practicum. It was concluded that practicum is an indispensable component of professional development, as it creates an avenue for students to develop the practical skills and competencies required for their future careers. The study recommended; enhanced collaboration between universities and practicum schools, provision of adequate resources, and improvement in mentorship quality.

Abstract
This study examined the perceived effect of Teachers’ Preparation and Professional Development on Students’ Academic Achievement in Ogun State Secondary Schools. The decline in the performances of Secondary School students in external examinations conducted by WAEC and NECO which are the major yardstick in measuring effective teachers’ and students’ achievement in the last two decades is alarming. This study aims at finding out the impact of Teachers Preparation and Professional development on students’ academic performance.200 teachers were randomly selected from 20 stratified zones in Ogun State. Students WAEC and NECO results from 2008 to 2013 from the chosen schools were obtained to test for students’ academic performance. Questionnaire was theinstrument used in the study while t-test, correlation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data collected. The result showed significant effect of teachers’ professional development on teachers’ effectiveness as well as improved students’ achievement. It was recommended among other things that multidimensional in-service programmes be developed for every teacher, only well trained and qualified teachers should be recruited as full time staff and government should costitute Teachers’ Professional Development Fund in form of corporate social responsibilities of companies operating within to  boost in-service training for teachers for enhanced students’ academic performance.

Keywords: Teachers preparation, professional development, academic achievement, teachers’ effectiveness, in-service programme.

ABSTRACT
This study is to find out the hindrances to effective teaching and learning in two African universities with the aim of providing everlasting solutions. The development of country depends not so much on the physical and material resources that are available but on the human and capital (skilled/knowledgeable human resources) to make use of the physical and material resources. The questions to ask on education in Africa are: are we progressing or retrogressing? Why do we still remain developing or third world continent despite the decades of independence? When and how are we going to meet up? Answers to these questions depend on what one is looking at and for what purpose which is the aim of this study. The design used is of mixed-method research design type while random sampling was used in selecting the respondents. Questionnaire and interview were the major instruments used while Cronbach’s Alpha was used in finding the reliability of the instrument with coefficient of .82. Chi-square goodness-of-fit analysis was used in analysing the data. The results showed curricular, cultural, environmental and financial factors are major hindrances to effective teaching and learning.
It was recommended among others that facilities in universities should establish and measure defined education outcomes of studying institutions.

Keywords: Perceived, Hindrance, Effective, Teaching, Learning.

Poor orientation, socialization, networking and professionalization in teachers' professional development can negatively affect teachers' job satisfaction and thus result to low performance. Teachers who are dissatisfied with their jobs and are poorly motivated are not likely to perform well and could even behave unprofessionally. This study was conducted to determine the impact of Cluster Training Strategy on Primary School Teachers' Job Satisfaction and Performance. The study was a quasi-experimental type leading to a pre-examination and post-examination of primary school teachers' job satisfaction and performance.A total of 500 primary school teachers were selected by simple random sampling from ten cluster school centres during the 2014 SUBEB and UBEC teacher professional development programme in Ogun State. Data were collected with a self-constructed Questionnaire on Teachers' Job Satisfaction and Performance (QTJSP) and the data were analysed usingdescriptive statistics and repeated measures t-test. The study anchored on Herzberg's Hygiene theory.The results of analysis of data showed that primary school teacher job satisfaction and performance improved immediately after the cluster training programme. It was recommended amongst others that the cluster training strategy should be adopted as the mode of retraining primary school teachers in Nigerian educational system.

It is a known fact that governments alone can no longer shoulder the responsibility of education; hence, there is a need to consider other stakeholders whose contributions may help to salvage the situation. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of community and private participation in infrastructural and sustainable quality of secondary education in Ogun State. Descriptive survey research design was used. Ten (10) Secondary Schools were randomly selected while 42 teachers 112 community members and 54 private secondary school owners were selected for the study. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used in analyzing the data. The major instrument used is questionnaire tagged Community and Private Participation in Secondary Education Questionnaire (CPPSEQ) while the SSCE conducted by WAEC and NECO in the last 5 years were used to measure the impact of the intervention of communities and private bodies on secondary education. The result revealed significant contributions of community and private bodies to the development and enhancement of infrastructure and quality service delivery in secondary education. It was recommended among other things that the ideal secondary school should be jointly administered by the government and members of the host community through the CDA, PTA, school based management committee and old student associations. Government should provide enabling environment for the private sector to thrive through proper legislations and concessions without necessarily compromising standard. Individuals and corporate bodies should be encouraged to invest in Secondary Education for enhanced infrastructural and academic quality.

This study examined the conceptions of incessant Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike actions in Nigeria public universities and identified the positive and negative sides of this action to university teachers. A qualitative research design of narrative type was used for this study. Twelve academic staff were sampled based on their availability to participate voluntarily in the study. Twelve individual interviews with academic staff were conducted. A list of fifteen (15) categories was generated to conceptualised incessant ASUU strikes in Nigeria public universities. Results showed that the context of incessant ASUU strikes were perceived as involvement in politics, desire for continuation, civil responsibility, engagement, research output, and programme disruption. The most positive outcomes of incessant ASUU strikes to academic staff was engagement in terms of stress aversion, alleviating burnouts, and natural work leave. The most negative outcomes of incessant ASUU strikes to academic staff was programme disruption in terms of disruptive academic calendar, loss of productive time, and over-extension of study programmes. The findings revealed that incessant ASUU strikes in Nigeria public universities have been designed to maintain the integrity of university education and the need to provide global standard quality education. The study recommended that the University management should initiate 'Semester Break' to relief lecturers from academic burnout. Academic staff in public universities should work closely with their Union chapters to promote quality university education.

The study investigated young graduates' perception of the N-Power programme and poverty alleviation in Nigeria. In a country where people cannot boast of two square meals a day, where diseases, accidents and hunger kill on daily basis, where suicidal cases, human sacrifices for ritual are rising on daily basis and security of lives and properties are not guaranteed, creativity and innovation play dominant roles in solving these problems. Such a country will not develop unless adequate preventive measures are taken which are considered fit and welcome by the populace. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The populations for this study comprised of 150,000 selected graduates employed in 2016 from which the 36 states including the Federal Capital territory were stratified into four zones, while random sampling technique was adopted to select 1000 research participants. Questionnaire and interview were the major instruments used for data collection. Percentage and Mean were used in analyzing the data. The results showed among others that N-power significantly reduced graduates' poverty alleviation; N-power significantly has impact on males' and females' poverty alleviation. It was recommended among others that government should look inward for additional benefits for males and females like loan facilities, career guidance programme, and scholarship to reduce the rate of female abuse and alleviate the suffering of the people. Government should increase the stipend, organize induction course for the beneficiaries and effectively see to the monitoring of the beneficiaries on field for efficiency.

This study reviews the challenges of students and lecturers towards the implementation of Computer-Based Test (CBT) in Nigerian higher education institutions. In Nigeria, quite a large number of Polytechnics have either developed their portal or have one portal deployed for them for the purpose of computer-based test (CBT). It has tremendous positive effect on teaching, learning and assessments of students. Increased access to IT and ICT in the home; at work and in educational establishments mean that learning has becomes a truly life-long activity, an activity that has drastically changed how students are assessed by their lecturers and at the same time changed how lecturers now assessed their students not in an orthodox way of assessment but technologically inclined method. Present-day reality were highlighted by the study. This paper looked at the challenges facing implementation of CBT in Nigeria higher education institution. It also looked at the merits and the demerits of CBT,...

Students of nowadays find it difficult to secure admission into higher institution in Nigeria because of population explosion and limited facilities in the existing institutions. The number of private higher institutions is gradually outnumbering the public higher institutions in Nigeria and yet many students are still denied the opportunity to secure admission. This no doubt has great effect on quality of education given in our higher institutions and the development of our youths nationwide. This study was carried out to appraise the contributions of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in the provision of higher education through the distance learning system which is a departure from the conventional system of higher education. Questionnaire was the major instrument used. Survey research design was used while two hundred (200) students from National Open University from three states, Lagos, Ogun and Ondo were selected for the study. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and t-test were used to analyse the data. The result shows that there is no significance difference between the introduction of National Open University of Nigeria and accessibility to higher education. National Open University of Nigeria also has no significant influence on the quality of education in the higher institutions. It was recommended among other things that: government should fund National Open University and other distance learning education centre adequately to provide accessibility, quality and cost-effective education.