School Community Relation and Effective Management of Public Secondary Schools

SCHOOL COMMUNITY RELATION AND EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

 

 ABSTRACT

The study investigated school community relation and effective management of public secondary schools. Four research questions and four null hypotheses were posed and formulated respectively to guide the study. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study reviewed literatures that are related to the study. Survey design was adopted to collect relevant data used for the study. The population of the study was 4536 while the sample was 368 respondents. The instrument used for data collection was self-structured questionnaire titled, “School-Community Relation and Effective Management of Public Secondary Schools Questionnaire” (CREMPSSQ). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study revealed that school-community relations impact significantly in effective management of  public secondary schools in the study area.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Education is a vital tool for inculcation of the right values and skills necessary for the development of individuals and the society at large. It is widely acknowledged as a major instrument for promoting socio-economic, political and cultural development. It is an indispensable instrument for human progress, empowerment and affecting national development.

The Federal in its opening statement on the National Policy on Education, maintained that ‘‘education in Nigeria is an instrument “par excellence” for effecting national development’’. (FGN, 2013). This suggests that a nation that lacks a sound educational philosophy and culture stands the risk of decay whereas a nation that sees to the development of its education is bound to achieve great success (Amaechi, Anamonye, Onuoha and Okwu, 2012).

Every nation of the world placed educational development at the top most level among other social service providers in the state. Abdulyaqin and Durosaro (2017) would say that the status of education as both a service and a business has made the educational sector retain a place of priority in the budgetary allocation of any national. The type of service provided by education is in different levels, thus in Nigeria, we have pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary educational levels. With the launch of UBE, and the policy to eradicate illiteracy and to ensure that all children of school age are in school, the government alone could not chatter for the provision of educational services in this country thus have allowed the participation of voluntary agencies and private partnership in education.

To buttress this, Abdulyaqin and Durosaro (2017) opine that even though investment in education comes from both public and private bodies, it is the role of the government to create an enabling environment for private participation in the educational sector. The type of service provided by education is in different levels, thus in Nigeria, we have pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary educational levels. With the launch of UBE, and the policy to eradicate illiteracy and to ensure that all children of school age are in school, the government alone could not chatter for the provision of educational services in this country thus have allowed the participation of voluntary agencies and private partnership in education. Ayeni, (2012) sees education as the transmission of knowledge and worthwhile values from one person to another in the school.

School as an open system and a social organization thrives on the effective interrelationship within it and with its relevant community. What happens in a school affects the community, and what happens in the community affects the schools (Nwankwo, Nwokafor, Ogunsanwo & Ighalo, 1985) as sighted in Bala (2013). This means that the community builds its schools and the schools build their communities (Sidhu, 2007). Therefore, school community interdependence is unbreakable. This means that school community relationship is very important in secondary schools because schools cannot exist in isolation but in cooperation with the community in which they find themselves (Ihebereme, 2008). The success or failure of secondary schools depends to a large extent, on the level of relationship the schools maintain with their neighbouring communities. This makes it demanding on the school administrators to identify the key areas of school community relationship between their schools and the host communities. Miller (2011).

The school in pursuit of quality requires a lot of human, materials, physical facilities and financial resources for building the capacity of the education system to be able to deliver high quality and relevant curriculum to learners of all ages. To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote long life learning opportunities there must be recognition of measurable learning outcomes in schools especially, in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

A community is a group of people that interact and support each other, and are bound by shared experiences or characteristics, a sense of belonging, and often by their physical proximity. A community inherently consists of a group of people. It cannot be established by a sole individual. For instance, geographical location (e.g., neighborhood) is often a common element to various definitions of community (Miller, 2011; Sampson, 2001; Vaughan, 2011). Physical proximity was the most frequently reported theme in the reviewed literature and the focus groups. Researchers often focus on proximity as a necessary attribute which bounds people in their communities (Parsons, 1960; Sampson, 2001).

Community was also at times viewed as a tangible entity. For instance, if a person defines their community by the place where they live, then their neighborhood is the tangible representation of their community. Conversely, symbols, such as shared rituals and language, may define membership to a community. While a unifying definition was proposed, it is important to remember that community is at its core a personal experience of belonging to a group; therefore, definitions of community are relative and grounded in a specific context (Mahar et al., 2013).

In Nigeria today, there should be great concern about the state of schooling at all levels. This is rooted in the realization that literacy levels and academic achievement determines an individual’s job attainment and earning as well as the general economic well being of the society. Moreover, the low quality of social skills, innovation and creativity acquired in schools accounts for the poor quality of education in the country.

Perhaps the greatest culprit for the destruction of the educational enterprise in Nigeria has been excessive government involvement and the violation of the law of subsidiaries, which states that in each society a higher authority should not usurp or appropriate to itself functions and duties that can be adequately performed by a lower authority.

Government has its hands in virtually every facet, feature and dimension of education at all levels, from the approval to the construction of schools, colleges and universities, from the establishment of curricula and the setting of standards and inspection to the appointment, discipline and removal of school authorities, and from the fixing of salaries and allowances to the determination of timetables for terms and semesters, etc. This anomaly is responsible in large measure for the collapse of educational institutions and the failure of the educational enterprise in Nigeria, hence the need for community participation in quality assurance education provision.

FGN (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004) holds high the stated objectives of secondary school systems in Nigeria aptly. Specifically, the school system which is geared towards catering for the differences in talents, opportunities and future roles.

 

1.2       Statement of the Problem

In relation to the background of the study, there is no clear policy on legal school-community relations in public secondary schools management in Nigeria. The only legal participation of parents and community in school affairs is under Parents Teachers Association (P.T.A.). It is also not clear who is responsible for ensuring parent and community involvement in the management of public secondary schools. The role of parents for a long time, has remained to be that of provision of finances for infrastructure developments, attending annual meetings and provision of security and healthcare to their children. In order to achieve the educational goals of the schools the community needs to be fully involved and an active participant in the implementation, monitoring and actualization of school programmes.

The community ought to be treated as an integral part of the school and their roles seen more as complementary rather than supplementary. There is a need to build strong communication and successful working relations between schools and the many communities that they serve. Accounting issues, funding pressures, increasing competition and expanding expectations are just a few items in the growing list of communication pressures facing secondary schools today.

School-Community relations has the potential of developing education in relation to access, retention, quality education, transparency and accountability if well established. In this part of the world (Nigeria) relationship is left to individual schools and administration to come up with their own initiatives and models which work by experimentation. There is no unified approach by the government even when so much has been written about its benefits. It is, therefore, not clear how such community involvement or relationships should be established. Therefore, this study investigates school community relation and effective management of public secondary schools.

 

1.3       Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to investigate school community relation and effective management of public secondary schools.

Specifically, the study aims to investigate the following:

1. The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school discipline.
2. The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school funds.
3. The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school facilities.
4. The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school curriculum.

 

1.4       Research Questions

The following research questions guides the study.

1. How does school-community relation impacts on effective school discipline?
2. To what extent does school-community relations impacts effective administration of school funds?
3. What relational impact exists between the school and the community with regards to effective administration of school facilities?
4. What impact exists between the school and the community with regards to effective administration of school curriculum?

1.5       Research Hypotheses

1. School-community relationship does not significantly impact effective administration of school discipline.
2. School-community relationship does not significantly impact effective administration of school funds.
3. School-community relationship does not significantly impact effective administration of school facilities.
4. School-community relationship does not significantly impact effective administration of school curriculum.

 

1.6       Significance of the Study

The result of this study will serve as a very important instrument and guide for the school and the community, the teachers, educational administration; school heads and the nation as a whole.

To the schools, community participation in school management strengthens school agents to formulate policies that will involve parents and community. It would actually motivate the stakeholders to provide the necessary assistance for improved performance in exams. The goal is to provide and maintain a healthy teaching – learning environment through the provision of appropriate and adequate physical infrastructure as well as ensure good mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of the students.

The study will help the student to be close to their society and become relevant in solving the immediate problem the community faced based on the experience they acquired.

The teachers will recognize the importance of relating with his immediate community therefore will channel his community therefore will channel his curriculum to meet the need of the society.

For the development of better educational programs; effective utilization of the school funds and school facilities, this study will serve as a guide for the planning of school curriculum assignment of teaches to subjects and classrooms.

The community developer will also find the student relevant as it will sharpen its relationship skill with the school.

Also to the Students, involvement of the learners in school management especially in policy formulation would make its implementation easy since the learners would be more receptive.

Finally, it is hoped that this study will serve as a benchmark for further studies and investigation in this educational area, will therefore contribute to the mental health of this nation as a whole as it will bond the relationship between the school and the community.

1.7  Limitations of the Study

In carrying out this research, certain problems were encountered. These were financial constraint, inadequate related literature and shortage of time. These led to the limiting the study to public secondary schools in Oyo East Local Government Area, Oyo State.

 

1.8    Delimitation of the Study

This study is delimited in scope to an investigation of the impact of school-community relation on the effective management of public secondary schools in Oyo East Local Government Area, Oyo State.

1.9       Operational Definition of Terms

School: A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers.

Community: Refers to parents, neighbours, caregivers, sponsors, guardians and elders.

Relation: In this study, relation is defined as the way in which schools and the community are connected; it’s impacts on or relevance to another.

Public schools : Refers to government sponsored schools which are under the Ministry of Education.

School-Community Relationship: This is a type of relationship (whether symbiotic or parasitic) that exist between as school which is a learning centre and its immediate community in which the school is established.

School management: Refers to the skills and techniques used to ensure proper planning, organization, implementation, controlling and evaluation of school resources, activities and teaching and learning experiences.

Effective Management: This is defined as a systematic arrangement of human, material, and financial resources that are available for education and carefully using them within defined guidelines or policies to achieve educational goals effectively.

 

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter reviews relevant literatures related to the subject matter.

 

2.1       Conceptual Framework

Community involvement in secondary schools is very fundamental for the development in education transparency and accountability to be realized. It is important that school administrators and managers should relate well with parents and other members of the school community including learners for the ultimate goals of education to be realized.

Epstein (1995,1997) seeks ways to help children succeed in school and later life, and focuses on partnerships of schools, families, and communities that attempt to: improve school programs and school climate, provide family services and support, increase parents‘ skills and leadership, connect families with others in the school and in the community, and help teachers with their work. The various types of involvement which explain how school administrators, families and communities can work productively together to create an impact on public secondary school management can be summarized as parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, collaborating with the community.

It is envisaged that, qualified and receptive school managers who co-operate with parents and provide a good environment for community participation in school affairs, will bring about respect and motivation and therefore success in national examination, confident students who are enrolled and retained in schools and ultimately moulded into disciplined and competent individuals with ability to face life challenges effectively. Nevertheless, not all parental and community involvement has a positive impact on public secondary schools management. Poor management and lack of co-ordination can have negative outcomes which are no feedback, lack of harmony, inadequate resources and lack of transparency. None the less, the positives still outweigh the negative impact.

 

Concept of secondary school

Secondary school is an educational institution meant for children over eleven (11) years old. According to the Federal Government of Nigeria (2004) in National Policy on Education, secondary education is the education children receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage. The policy further states that the aim of secondary education is to provide opportunity for qualitative education for primary school leavers, cater for the differences in talents of the pupils, develop Nigeria cultural heritage, produce a generation of people who respect the dignity of labour, foster Nigerian unity and to inspire its students with the desire for achievement and self-improvement both at school and in later life (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004).

To achieve the stated goals, secondary education is of six years duration given in two stages; a junior secondary school stage and a senior secondary stage. Each shall be of three years duration. The secondary education level occupies an important and critical position in the set-up of the educational system as a transitional stage between basic and tertiary education. Ideally the secondary schools are to carter for the needs of educating and training middle level technicians and skilled workers (Alam, 2009). The specific terms of National Policy on Education (NPE) as stated by Federal Government of Nigeria(2004), secondary education objectives to be pursued are:

1. The secondary school education will provide all primary school leavers with the opportunity for education of a higher level, irrespective of sex, social status, religious or ethnic background.
2. Offer diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in talents, opportunities and future roles.
3. Provide trained manpower in the applied sciences, technology and commerce at sub-professional grades.
4. Develop and promote Nigeria language, art and culture in the context of world’s cultural heritage.
5. Inspire students with a desire for self-improvement, achievement of excellence and foster National Unity with emphases on the common ties that unit in our diversity.
6. Raise a generation of people who can think for themselves, respect the views and feelings of others, and respect the dignity of labour, appreciate those values specified under broad national goals and live as good citizens.
7. Provide technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development.

The junior secondary school is both pre-vocational and academic. Students who complete junior secondary school are streamed into the following; the senior secondary school; the technical college; out-of-school vocational training centre; and an apprenticeship scheme. The streaming is based on the result of tests’ to determine academic ability, aptitude and vocational interest and capability. The senior secondary school shall be comprehensive with a core curriculum designed to broaden students’ knowledge, skill and outlook. Transition from secondary education to tertiary education is done through the appropriate selection mechanisms such as Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) which oversees the setting, marking and release of examination score results for admission into tertiary institutions.

From the forgoing, it is obvious that secondary education is a very crucial level of education that cannot be ruled out in a child’s life. To achieve the broad aims and specific objectives of secondary school education, communities as an integral part of the school must be involved in the administration. Mgbodile (2004), reveal that communities have been backbone of education in Nigeria as their influence and participation in secondary school administration cannot be underestimated.

 

Concept of community

The concept of community is an important one in education because the school is located in a community and its characteristics to a large degree depend on the character of the community where it is located. The term community refers to a pioneer settlement, a village, a city, a tribe or even a nation. Whenever a group of people, small or large live together in such a way that they share particular or common interest, the group is a community. Community according to Hornby, (2002) means a group of people living together and united by shared interests, religion and nationality. This implies that community is the people living in one place and with the same nationality, culture, or race. They share experiences in common and develop a strong sense of belonging due to their interactions in various life activities.

Ochai (2012) describes community as a group of people interacting among themselves in a geographically defined space and time. The author notes further that they share time and certain cultural attributes like norms, belief and value system. The community may have similar socio-cultural norms and social institution. On the other hand it may have people of diverse ethnic origin and differing cultural practices. The latter is heterogeneous community while the former is homogeneous in nature, (Ugwu, 2000).

Community connotes a closely integrated settlement with its own institutions and able to mobilize them for cooperative actions. Community according to Ezeh (2004), is viewed as a place in which people live (villages, cities) or reflecting a population group bearing similar characteristics (rural dwellers), as a traitor concern commonly shared by people. Ezeh further opines that community could also be viewed in terms of social relations characterized by personal intimacy, emotional, social cohesion and continuity.

In Nigeria and indeed in many other African countries, the typical image of a community is that of a medium-sized rural village with a close-knit group of inhabitants, largely self-contained with everybody knowing and standing in accepted relationships to one another (Amujiri, 2000). Despite the various definitions of a community, it is in the researcher’s view that a community is either formed as a result of culture or is made up of people of the same motives and vision (aspirations) who in one way or the other participate in the administration of the secondary schools in their locality.

 

Concept of Management

This has to do with the management of public affairs and organization. According to Onah (2005), management in general is the process of using human and material resources to get things done in order to achieve goals already established by an organization. Onah further enunciated that management is a goal-oriented intention; hence it is about the management of the resources economically and effectively. This is in order to maximize the advantages and minimize disadvantages for the system being administered.

Management in any organization involves its day-to-day functioning and activities. Administration, as seen by Udensi (2003), is the most vital aspect of an organization and a network of the attainment of organizational goals and objectives. He further explained that without proper and careful administration, use of good resources and involvement of groups, the goals of secondary school education as stated by the National Policy on Education will not be achieved.

Administration has to do with; policy, leadership and management activities engaged in by people who occupy position of formal responsibility and authority in an organization; coordinating the efforts of people towards the achievement of their set out goals; and the polices of the Board of Education (Elechi, 2003). From the foregoing, one can assert that administration is a purposeful effort which has to do with bringing both human and material resources together in an organized manner to achieve some stated goals and objectives of an organization. It is the organization and direction of persons in order to accomplish a specified end, making use of available material resources to accomplish some goals that are set.

 

2.2       Theoretical Framework

The school cannot exist in isolation but in cooperation with the community in which it finds itself. The study adopted the social system theory since the school is part of an open social system which requires interaction with its environment.

Ludwig von Bertallaffy (1968) is the main architect of Social Systems Theory which is divided into two main classes: ― open systems which interact with their environment, and – closed systems, which do not interact with their environment. Since it has some impacts from contingency approach, Social Systems Theory generally deals with the so called open systems.

 System Theory is the trans-disciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena, independent of their substance, type or spatial or temporal scale existence. A system can be said to consist of four things. The first is objects which are the parts, elements, or variables within a system. These may be physical or abstract or both, depending on the nature of the system. Second a system consists of attributes which are qualities or properties of the system and its objects. Thirdly, a system has internal relationships among its objects. Fourthly, systems exist in an environment.

A system, then, is a set of things that affect one another within an environment and form a larger pattern that is different from any of the parts. The fundamental systems- interactive paradigm of organizational analysis features the continual stages of input, throughout (processing), and output, which demonstrate the concept of openness or closeness. A closed system does not interact with its environment. It does not take in information and therefore is likely to vanish. An open system receives information, which it uses to interact dynamically with its environment. Openness increases its likelihood to survive and prosper.

A school organization is a perfect example of an open system because it constantly interacts with its environment. In this case, the public secondary schools take input from the parents and community and through a series of activities transform or convert the significant inputs into outputs (inputs of other systems) to achieve some objectives. It takes its resources such as students, finance, material and information; transforms and converts these and return them to the environment (society or community) in the form of changed individuals. In this sense it is impossible for a school to be a closed system. The school  needs  clear aims and objectives which will  determine the nature of  inputs, the series  of  activities to  achieve outputs  and the  realizations of organizational goals.

Feedback about the performance of the system and the effects of its operations on the environment are measured in terms of achieving the aims and objectives. Basic principles of organization and management apply in any series of activities in any organization. The common elements of management planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and controlling apply in all cases. These essential administrative functions must be carried out in the school as an organization as well.

While general principles and prescriptions apply to all organizations, differences in their aims and objectives impact in the input – conversions – output process and is the series of activities involved in this process. The nature of inputs, the conversion process, and the forms of outputs will emphasize characteristic features of a particular organization. This theory has perceptions which are suitable for this study because they embrace the school situation and the immediate environment which involves the community in order to achieve the set educational objectives.

 

2.3       Review on the impact of School-Community Relation on the Effective Management of Public Secondary schools

 

2.3.1    The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school discipline

Education is a process of learning which is aimed at improving moral, cultural and intellectual attributers of students individually as well as a member of social group. The process of learning is looked at as training in the field of morals for individuals through which their potentialities are developed; the traits of the cultures are inculcated in them and the culture of the people is transmitted to the coming generations.

The main purpose of any educational system is to cultivate the individual’s capacity for problems solving and adoptability to the environment by developing the necessary knowledge, ability, skill attitude and good discipline. Several authors agree that discipline and learning must go hand in hand for effective teaching. Therefore, discipline is the most important for the criteria and maintenance of an effective learning situation and it needs a high involvement of community.

Parents must be invited to visit school and have a task with teachers about their children’s school work. In addition to this Shamrock (2002) argues that teachers should take close contact with parents in order to identify the overall problems of the child at home and at school. This indicates that the interaction of teachers and community are very important for maintaining good discipline in the school.

The word discipline is derived from a Latin word which means to learn. The word is also used to refer to one who learns from a master. Thus, to be disciplined is to learn. Discipline according to Adeboyede (2001), is decent and decorous conduct, an, exalted sense of responsibility, respect for authority, love for orderliness, eagerness to discharge duties with promptitude and efficiency. According to the Advance learner’s dictionary, discipline is a form of training or control which uses a system of punishment aimed at producing obedience to rules, self-control and so on. In spite of all that has been said about discipline is an act of retrieving one’s likes that do not conform to accept norms. That is, to make an individual to perform an action he would not have done based on his own decision.

Discipline in a school, is carried out based on a combination of various factors, both external and internal. Such factors include government policy, the attitude of the community to education of their youths, the quality of the staff in the institution, the way students in the school are controlled and physical facilities available tom the school. Discipline with regard to the topic under discussion should be viewed in terms of its relevance to education.

Among the major problems prevalent in a school setting, indiscipline has been a persistent one. The several cases of indiscipline among school children are stealing, bullying, lateness to school, disobedience, rudeness, fighting, truancy, drug addiction, and involvement in cult activities to mention but a few. Since the motive of discipline in education is to make individual acquire morals and skills that will sustain them in the present life as well as in future knowledge has to be passed through schools. Other areas of indiscipline noticed in school that affects the efficiency and effectiveness of secondary school administration in Nigeria according to Adeboyede (2001), include cases of disobedience, cases of truancy, cases of wickedness, cases of impudence and  assaults, cases of stealing, cases of dishonesty, cases of Sex and drug offences and cases of mass demonstration by students in the school.

The control and discipline of students and staff constitute a major fundamental and functional area for both the school authority and the community. In exercising disciplinary measures the principal or teacher must employ reasonable devices because where a student is injured or caused to suffer other incapacities or deformity the teacher or the school authority are legally responsible for such misdeed. This can dent the good image of the school and the relationship between the school and the community.In short the above can influence the school negatively if not well managed. Many of such situations would be solved or alleviated simply by active participation of community in what goes on in the school. In other words neither the school nor the community can afford to remain self-satisfying without the assistance of the other as each constitutes a fundamental and indispensable catchment resource to the other, (Obi 2003).

Some work reviewed, revealed that discipline has been eroded in many secondary schools in Nigeria particularly in the study area in recent years. And our schools cannot afford to groom our youngsters or futures leaders of tomorrow without discipline. On this, Nwabuisi (2010) is of the opinion that both the home and school should enforce good character traits through a systematic approach that includes adult good role modeling, curriculum integration, positive school climate and access to comprehensive guidance and counseling services. He also note that communities have not been performing their duties seriously in maintaining discipline especially in this period of moral decadence among the youths.

Also, some of the reports in the studies reviewed, it was implemented, that the disciplinary issues which the communities do not participate adequately were controlling deviance behaviour among students, checking lateness and going before time, curbing examination malpractice, joining in developing and enforcing rules and regulations and checkmate drug abuse, secret cult activities and stealing among the students. Buttressing on this, Obi (2003) is of the view that parents in the communities should help to fight all acts of indiscipline among students and staff for such cherished virtue as hard work, honesty and sincerity to be emphasized. The school administrators and other school management board must ensure that the communities through PTA are involved in maintenance of school discipline especially in Oyo East Local Government Area. They must carry them along in the disciplinary issues of their local schools.

 

2.3.2    The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school facilities

The processes of social interaction are the basis for creating social relationships. According to Calhoun, Light and Keller (1998) social relationship is relatively enduring patterns of interaction between two or more people. School community relationship is a two-way symbiotic arrangement through which the school and the community co-operate with each other for the realization of goals of the community. It is the degree of understanding and goodwill, which exists between the school and the community (Okorie, Ememe & Egu 2009).

School as a training centre helps develop pupils into efficient social beings and to train them to further educate the backward and unprogressive members of the society. The influence of community participation in the provision of infrastructural facilities on the administration of secondary schools in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Infrastructures are basic facility, serves and installations needed for the function of a school, (Ochai, 2012).Communities provide classroom, laboratory and office blocks adequately (Harb and El-shaarawi, 2006).  They maintained further that communities also carry out fencing of the school compound and provisions of public conveniences such as toilet in the school. Provision of more physical facilities would go a long way to enhance quality administration of schools in the state and in Nigeria as a whole. Although government alone cannot be held responsible for this, individuals, cooperate bodies and communities need to participate seriously to ensure qualitative administration of schools across the nation.

This agreed with Famade (2004) findings who reported that communities and parents provide facilities in schools. Research also revealed that in some schools, communities through the PTA are poorly involved in the provision of furniture’s such as chairs, tables, provision of computer and its accessory, electricity to the school and building quarters for the school staff. Evidence abounds that infrastructural faculties/equipment are not adequately available. This implies that adequacy of facilities and equipments for our secondary schools to achieve our educational objectives which help to impart the needed skills to students are yet to be fully available.

Community provides land to school for its operation, (Ochai, 2012). He notes further that school is cited in the community and it is the community that provides the land where the school is established. Land is one of the factors of production and also serves as infrastructural facilities. Support for school has come from a number of different sources. The local community is one of those sources. Without the land, the community cannot exist and without the community, the school cannot be established. From this analogy there is a relationship between the community, the school and the land. Nature provides the land where the community resides. The school is established in the community for the overall benefits of the community.

Among various contributions and participation of the community in provision of infrastructural facilities for effective administration of secondary schools, some are specifically aimed to support teachers (Jim, 2006). The author notes further that communities through the PTA provide, or construct housing for teachers who are from outside the community. In rural areas, lack of qualified teachers is critical, and preparing a safe environment and housing is necessary to motivate and attract teachers, particularly female teachers, who otherwise tend to stay in urban areas.

Apart from shortage of these facilities, many of the facilities available are in deplorable conditions. The sharp decline in the academic achievement at various levels of education system in Nigeria is largely attributed to the poor conditions in the educational institutions (Idoko, 2015). Schools cannot deliver where there are decaying school structures, empty or ill equipped laboratories, workshops (where they exist), congested classrooms. On this fact, Harb, and El-shaarawi (2006) observes that where some of these equipments exist, they are too few compared to the number of students that need them. What students ought to learn practically is reduced to theory.

Thus the little indifference or concern on the provision of some infrastructures in the school could be because school authorities do not treat the communities as partners in the education of their children (Onuh, 2007). This is coupled with the fact that the communities in the state had imbibed the spirit of free education and look on the government to provide everything, which is not possible now, thus, the serious need for community participation in the school affairs to overcome the death of infrastructural facilities.

Most schools in rural areas, according to Ugwu (2000), Olagboye (2004) and Obomanu (2010), lack human and material resources for development and maintenance of the existing infrastructures due to illiteracy and lack of exposure on the part of the community members and are often neglected by the government unlike their urban counterparts. Abdulkareem (2001), observes that before and shortly after independence in Nigeria, schools were adequately funded while available physical facilities were sufficient for staff and students, but, presently due to numerous challenges in the Nigerian education sector, it becomes paramount for most of the schools (primary and secondary) to have PTA to assist in solving their problems. Therefore, parents and community members can contribute to teachers’ teaching materials by proving them with, attractive housing accommodation, knowledge and materials that are locally sensitive and more familiar to children.

 

2.3.3    The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school funds

School community use of resources is the symbiotic exchange of school or community resources between the school and the community. Such resources include: land, buildings, school halls, town halls, playgrounds, chairs and so on.

In a nutshell, fund is money or credit that is available to firms and individuals. It can take the forms of credit or project when an institution embarks on a project. Ogbonnaya (2000) describes fund as a sum of money saved or made available for a particular purpose. He explained that fund can be called money or financial resources that can take various forms. These forms could be physical cash, credit facilities, discounts received different expenses and distributed profits. Based on this analysis, one would see fund as an aggregation or deposit of resources from which supplies are or may be drawn for carrying on any work, or for maintaining existence.

This provision of money can come from the government, community or individual as well as firms. The establishment provides money in terms of grant or tax to educational system. Ogbonnaya (2003) explains that communities do provide funds for education indirectly by setting up buildings, which are handed over to the government to administer. He equally said that communities provide desks, chairs and other equipment necessary for effective running of the school. In reciprocal their efforts are always appreciated by the schools in such locality and the government.

Community also generates their education funds through launching ceremonies’ levies or during some community festivals. Community provides fund for some of the classroom, buildings and hostels in their locality. Most schools located within rural communities have been beneficiaries of the gestures of the community. Having looked at the complementary roles performed by the school and the community to each other, it is imperative to synthesize that school and community are equal in provision of education. It must be emphasized that communities benefit from the school by using its facilities like the school playground, school hall, chairs, tables and classroom as continuing education centres, will therefore have to be encouraged to reciprocate by making generous donations in cash towards school needs.

Some local communities have contributed money in a common pool to be used in the award of scholarships to brilliant students in their communities. Some have donated books, audio-visual materials and equipment. Some rich individuals in communities provide funds during certain activities. For example, during inter house sports competition, those wealthy individuals invited by the school, contribute generously for the maintenance of games and sport equipments in the school. A well administered community would provide efficient gate way for the principal to solve arising problems, security matters and to ensure staff and student discipline.

The community also optimizes benefits from the school as well as trained students and use of school facilities for the progress of the community. Furthermore, the utilization of the voluntary agencies and non-governmental organizations that participate directly or indirectly in the administration of secondary schools by the principals would help in elevating secondary schools and provide solutions for many problems encountered by the secondary schools in the state (Asiyai, 2008).

Emphasizing the role of communities in secondary school education, Udensi (2003) suggested that the government should not be left alone to finance secondary school education single handedly, rather according to him, both the government and the communities should be involved. Her opinion is that the interest of schools should be protected especially when one considers the cost of running secondary schools which cannot be divorced from the provision of adequate structures. The educational system envisaged by the national policy is very cost intensive and demands adequate funding and adequate specialist personnel. There are science laboratories, technical work-shops, art studios, music and language laboratories to be established. Ogbonnaya (2005) complains that educational institutions lack funds for the procurement and maintenance of equipment and instructional materials, school building and to organize workshops for teachers.

Many educational institutions in Nigeria lack funds to procure necessary institutional materials and equipment. To sum it up Onuh (2007), emphasizes that school should work hard to employ ways in which communities should be fully integrated in the school programmes in other to encourage and support their children, provide them with practical help and show sense of shared identity and common purpose in the school.

 

2.3.4    The impact of school-community relation on effective administration of school curriculum

The success of any attempt to involve the communities in curriculum implementation heavily depends on the attitudes and perceptions of both the teachers and the community members. Education is multifaceted. The dimensions boarder on which decisions must be made (Barnhardt 2006:1) especially on whom to consult, when and how during teaching and learning. To look at the teacher from a holier-than-thou position (Barnhardt 2006:26) as the sole gatekeeper of knowledge and approaches, and with the notion that learning occurs within the walls of an educational premise (Burkill & Eaton 2011:4) is to demean and steal the value communities and other stakeholders are capable of adding to the complex and fluid curriculum implementation.

Community participation has been loosely conceived, defined and implemented. It remains vague especially in educational terms, to mean monetary contribution, the support of the construction of the school, and anything outside the classroom (Chindanya 2011:11; Aref 2010:2; Bull 2011:2; Laurence 2010:188, Swift-Morgan 2006:348; Rose 2003b:3). This establishment and support of schools by communities, according to Rose (2003b:3), has always been evident in many African countries. It is often seen as a response to the failure of the government’s provision.

Communities have played a relatively passive and isolated supporting role, especially in curriculum implementation matters. The school and its teachers were seen as experts (Barnhardt 2006:5; Swift-Morgan 2006:354; Ciaccio 1999:65). Many educational innovations today are anchored on the strong foundation that communities are part of an existing learning landscape (Burkill & Eaton 2011:5; Laurence 2010:188).

The effect of the educational systems in most Third World countries today for most children, Zimbabwe included, tend to mean breaking with their communities rather than the connection and integration into it (De Katele & Cherif 1994:62). These seemingly smallest moments of connection and collaboration with their communities, teachers and their schools should appreciate, can have the biggest impact on a child’s educational life by restoring the stripped sense of community and identity (Mataire 2014:10).

Many initiatives to involve the communities have not transcended the widely-held values of limiting community participation to defined areas outside the classroom. However, the need to get into these classrooms where the transaction between the teacher and the learners take place, cannot be over-emphasised. The proposed study articulates curriculum implementation as an intervention area where communities can make significant contributions for its success.

Furthermore, research (Chindanya 2011; Ngwenya 2010) has underlined parental involvement but the bigger picture is to see the whole community as a multi-layered system capable of   reforming and transforming classroom practice (Ngwenya 2010:1). Strengthening the capacity of communities to participate in curriculum implementation activities would be ways in which the schools can actively enhance the learning opportunities provided to the pupils. It is also a way of energising the community’s responsibilities towards the child’s academic and social development (Bull 2011:3-4).

Involving communities in classroom activities would mean putting to good use human resources locally available (Magazine for Alumni and Friends Connected 2010:26), hence discovering new forms of partnerships that might not have existed before. Agneessens (2006:3) and Wilson et al. (2008:390) assert that it is becoming increasingly difficult for a teacher to possess all the necessary knowledge and competencies in the classroom at all times. The need for increased division of expertise, skills and information cannot be over-emphasised.

Schools do not exist in vacuums, independent of impacts beyond the teaching-learning context (Burkill & Eaton 2011:4), be they political, social, cultural or economic (Lauridsen 2003:11; Miller 1995:5). The involvement of communities in the classrooms needs to be boosted through carefully crafted engagement practices (De Katele & Cherif 1994:62). There is need to exploit interactive aspects of learning which sit alongside traditional didactic methods (Burkill & Eaton 2011:5) which have established classroom monotony with little pedagogical renewal (Ciaccio 1994:65; ADEA 2005:17).

The need for increased emphasis on communities to participate in general school activities, and more specifically in curriculum implementation through pedagogy and classroom support (Swift-Morgan 2006:347), indicates the need for consensus on how, when and what to contribute. There is need to create alliances premised on the realisation that expertise does not solely reside in the school and its teachers (Russell et al. 2012:1; Marsh 2009:205; Mathbor 2008:90) but also in its environs. The building of dialogue with communities, developing partnerships and getting them on board (Burkill & Eaton 2011:7) in curriculum implementation enriches the primary school curriculum.

Engaging communities is not about creating a revolution in the nature of teaching and learning (Laurence 2010:190). It is not a ‘handover’ of the responsibilities of teaching and learning to the communities (Burkill & Eaton 2011:162). When schools engage communities they unlock the richness of the community’s potential.

Furthermore, there are some syllabus topics with which knowledgeable community members can enrich the curriculum implementation process. Some good examples include, Social Studies (the liberation struggle), where some members of the community have first-hand experiences and some are war veterans; Shona issues, like traditional ceremonies; Religious Studies (Christianity and tradition). The list is endless. In the process, the communities can build the teachers’ and pupils’ knowledge base rather than having a ‘tokenistic’ way (Gorinski & Fraser 2006:21) of engaging community members in general school activities.

 

2.3.5    Challenges Facing School-Community Relations

Guillaume (2011) in Africa teachers appears not to accommodate and entice parents to become more involved. Some of these provide fewer instructions for parents, vary meeting times for parents, find less effective communication mechanisms and do less or none home visits. In most cases the family-community are not given chance in doing  the business of schooling, create site-based decision making that involves parents and recreate a school structure that is less bureaucratic, less impersonal and less budget- driven and in general overcoming barriers to parent involvement in the broad context of needed systemic changes (Desforges and Abouchaar, 2010). In this case, the role of parents and community members seem already cut out for them and restricted to provision of resources.

In their study Skidmore, Kisten and Lownsbrough (2012) indicates that teachers tend  to view students, parents and community, through their own cultural prism and may not be ready to understand or address the learning needs and issues of the students and families of the communities in which they teach. Such experiences cannot allow pre-servicing teachers the opportunity and challenge of examining their own cultural views and beliefs and developing openness to new ways of understanding and thinking.

According to Davies (2009) says that helping teachers to become open to working with parents and fostering parent involvement beyond educentric borders means more than just mandating curriculum additions to include a parent involvement component at the pre-service level. Weaving university course work and classroom/community experience together seems most promising for bringing about a visceral understanding of the value of the school-parent-community relationship.

Berger (2007) believes that building and maintaining a genuine partnership with parents is a process of continually seeking to understand assumptions and to share meanings and expectations. Partnerships can only grow when they are based on mutual trust and respect for the other’s values, perspectives and experiences. It is not uncommon, however, for minority parents and families to feel alienated from the school. But Comer (2009) points out that minority parents may lack knowledge about school protocol and may feel inadequate or unwelcome due to differences of income, education or ethnicity compared to school personnel. This difference may result in the perception that the school is indifferent or even cold. In turn, the school then judges parents as uninterested in school involvement.

Additionally, the psychological distance between minority group parents and teachers is compounded when school personnel do not see themselves or  the school as a part of the surrounding community and the families (Gwendolyn, 2014). This kind of assumption further alienates parents and community members who feel less endowed. In such situations, parents and community members are not given an opportunity to participate in school management because of the assumption they will not add much value in decision making.

In his research Epstein (2012) shows that a correlation of increased levels of parent involvement is an increase in student achievement as well as improved student attendance and reduced dropout rates these are desirable outcomes from an “educentric” perspective, however they fall short of fully addressing the National Educational Goal to increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children. Clearly, schools should not be expected to single- handedly undertake this task. Educators and parents together must promote the well- being of students within family and community contexts Iqbal and Hamdan (2012).

Gaitan (2007) agrees that school collaboration with other institutions and agencies provides rich and varied possibilities and realities. Additionally, collaborating with parents and communities, while capitalizing on their resources and strengths, promotes social and emotional growth for children. This simultaneously promotes parent, family and community empowerment and well-being. This is supported by (Sharma, 2013) who argues that successful parent-school collaborations must include opportunities for parents to recognize and value their skills and knowledge, utilize those strengths and resources present among the parents and the community and create multiple opportunities for parents to expand their abilities. This is particularly true for low income parents whose only access to education may be through their children’s school. Collaboratively promoting the well-being of the student and the family develops human and social capital that strengthens families and communities. However, this good will is lacking in schools in Machakos County because such would be argued as time consuming and putting unnecessary demand on the school.

In his view Tondeur (2013) says a new definition of parent involvement is that one not limited to traditional parent activities in the school building where families are viewed not as deficient, but as sources of strength. The guiding principles help parents; value their own knowledge, share their knowledge with others, learn new skills and talents to benefit themselves and their families and become involved on their own terms in the life of the school. According to USAID (2012) in developed countries parents are encouraged to self-assess their strengths, talents, and set the collaborative school-parent agenda by voicing their needs and wants to guide and shape the nature of their involvement in the schools.

 

2. 4 Empirical Studies

School-community relation is a situation where both the school and the community join efforts together to provide certain essential services for the school or the community, depending on the need. Anthony (2017) investigated the impact of school-community relationship on the management of secondary schools in Southern Senatorial District of Taraba State. Four research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Mean scores and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found out that Parents’ Teachers’ Associations, Old Students’ Associations, school committees and school board of governors have significant impact on the management of secondary schools. The researchers recommended that Parents and teachers should not allow the management of their schools to the hands of the school administrators alone hence their contribution is vital and necessary for the development of the schools.

Idike (2011) carried out a study on strategies for enhancing community participation in funding of secondary schools in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State. The purpose of this study was to find out the constraints that face community participation in funding of secondary schools in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu state. This study used survey research design. The population of the study was 2,444. The sample size for the study was 219 respondents. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled strategies for enhancing community participation in funding of secondary schools (ECPFSSQ). Stratified and random sampling techniques were used to get the sample size. Four research questions and four null hypotheses were used for the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions and to test the two null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance, respectively.

The major findings of the study were that community to a great extent participated in the provision of funds through PTA levies in the secondary schools in Nsuka Education Zone. Based on the findings, it was recommended that communities should make adequate provision for the successful funding of secondary school objectives. This study was limited to a zone in the state. The study focused on principals, and teacher leaving out the community members. Also the population and the sample for the study were small. In view of these limitations, the present study shall attempt to fill the gaps by gathering data from PTA members, members of BOG and school principals on the influence of community participation on the administration of secondary schools in Benue state.

Ijamu (2015) conducted a study on appraisal of community participation in the administration of public secondary schools in Education Zone “C” of Benue State.Four research questions and two null hypotheses were posed and formulated respectively to guide the study. The study used survey research design. The population of the study was 1427 while the sample was 284 respondents. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled “Appraisal of Community Participation Questionnaire (ACPQ)”. The instrument was trial tested and the overall reliability coefficient of 0.91 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions that guided the study, while T-test was used to test the null hypotheses formulated at 0.05 level of significance.

The Results of the study revealed that: the communities participated in funding public secondary schools in Education Zone “C” of Benue State through payment of PTA levies, the communities also participated in the provision of infrastructural facilities in Education Zone “C” of Benue State to a less extent. This study was limited to Zone C Senatorial District of Benue state, which made the population to be very small.Also, the study only focused on teachers of secondary schools, leaving out completely members of PTA, Board of Governors and the school principals who are usually the highest decision-makers on the issues that has to do with the administration of government secondary schools in Nigeria. This implies that the result of the finding cannot be used to determine the extent of community participation in secondary school administration in Benue state. Hence, the present study tried to fill these gaps.

Elechi (2003) conducted a study on the extent of community participation in the administration of secondary school in Ebonyi State. The purpose of the study was to determine how local community through their involvement in secondary school administration assists the state government to achieve their purpose in education. It had five research questions. The research design was descriptive survey. The population of the study was 1,348. The sample size was 120 respondents which consisted of 10 principals, 10 vice-principals, 5 each of the executive members of PTA of each secondary school in Ebonyi L.G.A. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire.

The data collected were analyzed using appropriate statistical tools-mean, percentage and standard deviation. The findings showed that communities play some roles in the pupil personnel administration and financial management. However their involvement was marginal. It also found out that the community did not recognize the principal as the financial head of the school, because they view principals as those who usually embezzle school funds. This study was limited to a single local government area in the state. Also, the study focused on principals, vice-principals, executive members of the PTA, while other members of PTA and Board of Governors were not considered in the study.

Bakwai (2013) assessed school-community relationship among secondary schools in Zamfara State. The population of the study consisted of all the principals, vice principals, teachers and PTA officials of the 89 Senior Secondary Schools in Zamfara State. Among the major findings of the study is that school community relationship is very important in determining the rate at which activities in Secondary Schools in Zamfara State were carried out. The study revealed that both the communities and the schools engaged in maximum cooperation and utilization of facilities such as school field, school halls, town hall, festivals etc. It was recommended that schools should necessarily understand the opinion of communities regarding both broad educational issues and day to day operation of the schools themselves. It was also recommended that vigorous campaign should be launched at both the State and Local government level to sensitize citizens on the need for their participation in the education of their children.

Uzoechina (2016) investigated the status and barriers to good school-community relationship in secondary schools in Anambra State. Guided by two research questions, the sample was 1,818 respondents (80 principals, 1678 teachers and 60 community rulers) selected through stratified random sampling. Data, collected through a 21-item researcher developed questionnaire, was analyzed using mean scores. The findings revealed that the school-community relationships existing in secondary schools in Anambra state was poor. Fraud, principals’/teachers’ attitudes, community apathy and illiteracy among community members were similarly identified by principals, teachers and community rulers as the barriers to good school-community relationship. It was recommended among other things that Principals and teachers should encourage good rapport between them and the community leaders. They should make more efforts to see community involvement in school affairs not as threat but as one way of enhancing its quality.

In another study, Ajayi (2009) examined the relationship between parents’ involvement in school administration and effectiveness of secondary schools in Nigeria. The population consisted of all the teachers, principals and parents of the students in public secondary schools in South-West Nigeria. The Data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentage scores and Pearson product moment correlation. The only hypothesis formulated in the study was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that parents were much involved in the administration of secondary schools in Nigeria. The study also revealed that secondary schools in the area covered were moderately effective.

However, the study showed that there was no significant relationship between parents’ involvement in school administration and effectiveness in schools. It was recommended that the school administrators should sustain the high level of parents’ involvement in school administration in order to maintain cordial relationship between the parents and the school authorities. Since parents’ involvement in school administration was not significantly related to the effectiveness of the schools, the government and other stakeholders should make the teaching learning environment of the schools more conducive in order to improve their effectiveness.

In a similar study, Ugwuanyi (2003) examined strategies for involving the community in secondary school administration in Nsukka education zone of Enugu State. The research design used was descriptive survey. The sample comprised the entire population of the study which is seventy- seven principals in the area. Data were analyzed using mean and t-test statistics. The findings of the study revealed that principals have a positive perception towards community participation in school administration with a grand mean of 3.62 which was above the criterion mean of 2.50. It showed that communities are actively involved in secondary school administration with a grand mean of 3.76 above the mean of 2.50. It also revealed that strategies such as employing nonprofessional staff from the community, decentralization of administrative power to embrace communities, sharing of information and decision making with communities, and involving the P. T. A. in school disciplinary committee can be used to involve communities in active administration of secondary schools.

Idike (2011) carried out a study on strategies for enhancing community participation in funding of secondary schools in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State. The purpose of this study was to find out the constraints that face community participation in funding of secondary schools in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu state. This study used survey research design. The population of the study was 2,444. The sample size for the study was 219 respondents. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled strategies for enhancing community participation in funding of secondary schools (ECPFSSQ). Stratified and random sampling techniques were used to get the sample size. Four research questions and four null hypotheses were used for the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions and to test the two null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance, respectively.

The major findings of the study were that community to a great extent participated in the provision of funds through PTA levies in the secondary schools in Nsuka Education Zone. Based on the findings, it was recommended that communities should make adequate provision for the successful funding of secondary school objectives. This study was limited to a zone in the state. The study focused on principals, and teacher leaving out the community members. Also the population and the sample for the study were small. In view of these limitations, the present study shall attempt to fill the gaps by gathering data from PTA members, members of BOG and school principals on the impact of community participation on the administration of secondary schools in Oyo East LGA of Oyo state.

Ijamu (2015) conducted a study on appraisal of community participation in the administration of public secondary schools in Education Zone “C” of Benue State. Four research questions and two null hypotheses were posed and formulated respectively to guide the study. The study used survey research design. The population of the study was 1427 while the sample was 284 respondents. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled “Appraisal of Community Participation Questionnaire (ACPQ)”. The instrument was trial tested and the overall reliability coefficient of 0.91 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions that guided the study, while T-test was used to test the null hypotheses formulated at 0.05 level of significance.

The Results of the study revealed that: the communities participated in funding public secondary schools in Education Zone “C” of Benue State through payment of PTA levies, the communities also participated in the provision of infrastructural facilities in Education Zone “C” of Benue State to a less extent. This study was limited to Zone C Senatorial District of Benue state, which made the population to be very small.Also, the study only focused on teachers of secondary schools, leaving out completely members of PTA, Board of Governors and the school principals who are usually the highest decision-makers on the issues that has to do with the administration of government secondary schools in Nigeria.

Elechi (2003) conducted a study on the extent of community participation in the administration of secondary school in Ebonyi State. The purpose of the study was to determine how local community through their involvement in secondary school administration assists the state government to achieve their purpose in education. It had five research questions. The research design was descriptive survey. The population of the study was 1,348. The sample size was 120 respondents which consisted of 10 principals, 10 vice-principals, 5 each of the executive members of PTA of each secondary school in Ebonyi L.G.A. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using appropriate statistical tools-mean, percentage and standard deviation.

The findings showed that communities play some roles in the pupil personnel administration and financial management. However their involvement was marginal. It also found out that the community did not recognize the principal as the financial head of the school, because they view principals as those who usually embezzle school funds. This study was limited to a single local government area in the state. Also, the study focused on principals, vice-principals, executive members of the PTA, while other members of PTA and Board of Governors were not considered in the study. In view of these limitations, the present study attempted to fill the gap by gathering data from PTA members, members of BOG and principals on the impact of community participation on the administration of secondary schools in Oyo East LGA of Oyo state.

Udensi (2003) carried out a study on the extent of community involvement in administration of secondary schools in Lagos State. The main purpose of the study was to establish the extent to which communities in the local education districts in Lagos state were involved in the administration of secondary school. The population of the study was 7,000 consisting 350 teachers and 350 educated parents. Five research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. A survey design was used to seek for and register the opinions of secondary school teachers and educated parents. Simple random technique was employed to select 600 secondary school teachers in each of the five LED of the state. The instrument used was a questionnaire, arranged in five clusters made up of six questions each.

The questions comprised 30 items structured in clusters A, B, C, and D. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Mean was used to answer the research questions while t-test statistics was used to test the two null hypotheses. The major findings of the study were: the Local Education Districts of Lagos state secondary school teachers and educated parents agreed overwhelmingly that communities to a great extent were involved in the provision of funds for renovation of dilapidated buildings, through payment of PTA levies, refurbishing of school buildings.

The communities showed no interest in funding of workshops for serving teachers, or offer suggestion on the improvement of the teaching materials, conflict among teachers and setting an ad hoc committee for examination-malpractices. This study was limited to a local education district of the state and thus focused on teachers and educated parents alone and did not consider some other influential members or group that make up the community who usually participate in the administration of secondary schools, such as PTA, non-educated parents who are also members of PTA, the Board of Governors and the school principals. Also, the statistical tools used to analyze the data gathered were inferential statistics and t-test respectively. These are the gaps that the present study intends to fill by gathering data from the members of the PTA, BOGs and principals on the impact of community participation on the administration of secondary schools in Oyo East LGA of Oyo state.