THE SCHOOL RECORDS MANAGEMENT ON TEACHERS’ JOB PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The heads of educational enterprises such as principals of secondary schools, vice chancellors of Universities, Rectors of the polytechnics have the responsibility of seeing to the smooth running of a school. The extent to which the principal succeeds in carrying out this responsibility depends on a number of factors and one of them has to do with the records that he is expected to keep. These records give a lot of information about the school that will enable him or her to take decisions and also assess the progress of the school. Different people such as the headmaster, the class teacher, and the local government education authority keep different records about the school. School records are official documents, books and files containing essential and crucial information on actions and events which are kept and preserved in the school offices for utilization and retrieval of information when needed (Durosaro, 2002). Such records are kept by principals, teachers, counsellors and administrative staff. Some of the major school records include; students’ personal files, staff record book, the log book, visitors book and inventories book, among others. The purpose of record keeping and management is to ensure that accurate and proper records of students achievement and growth, information on school activities and matters that will promote efficiency and effectiveness of the school system are kept, among others.

Statement of the Problem
It is heart-rending when one considers the huge amount of money parents spend in the education of their wards who do not produce commensurate performance in their academics to match the huge investments made on them.
Despite the importance of school records in the achievement of educational objectives, these records were observed not to be adequately managed by principals. This suggests that records management practice in Nigeria has a number of problems which may include insufficient skilled and experienced record management personnel and possibly low priority attention to records management in the scheme of things. This low priority attention to records management often manifest on the area of missing files and records, falsification of records (change of declaration of age), missing school plan and destruction of records to cover up something. Despite the core value of effective record keeping in school system, many secondary schools in Ondo state still leave much to be desired in terms of effective records management. Many principals have complained of falsification of data among staff, and several time, supervisors from state ministry of education and local government education authority have also recorded high falsification of school data by school heads and teachers. It has been observed that principals most often do not provide accurate number of students on enrolment during P.T.A levy account, among others.
Based on the above facts, it is clear that problem exist rewards management and it is of much concern to this researcher hence, the problem of the study posed as a question is: how are school records managed in secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the school records management on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools. Specifically the study will:
1. Determine what school records are presently kept in secondary schools.
2. Determine the strategies for improvement of school records management.
3. Determine the administrative practice factors that characterize record keeping in secondary schools.
4. Find out the extent of the effect of school record management on teacher’s job performance.
5. Find out the problems associated with keeping of school records.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study:
1. What school records are presently kept by teachers in secondary schools in
Ondo State?
2. What is the level of teachers’ effectiveness in keeping of school records?
3. What problems are encountered by teachers in keeping the school records?
4. What strategies are adopted for the improvement of teachers’ competence in keeping of school records?
Research Hypothesis
The following null hypothesis were formulated for this study.
Hoi: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ competence and job performance.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between school record management and teacher’s job performance?
Ho3: There is no significant relationship between principals’ improvement strategies and teachers’ competence in records keeping in secondary schools.
Significance of the Study
Schools are established for the purposes of achieving set goals. In order to achieve these goals, teachers and principals are appointed to manage the affairs of the school. Their functions are not just limited to teaching alone, but ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that there is strict accountability. The study has both theoretical and practical significance. Thus, many management bottleneck/problems facing the Nigerian education system particularly, the secondary education level could be solved through effective management theory and sound record keeping. In Ondo State Secondary, the same theory could be used to solve the management problem and poor record keeping encountered by school administrators including schools principals for effective record keeping in school system. Practically, the study will be relevant to the following group of persons; principals, teachers, students, secondary school management Board and the entire society. The findings of this study will expose school principals with the best management school records. Consequently the findings will help them shun the falsification of school data.
The result of this study will help teachers appreciate their important position in school records management. This will therefore motivate them to cooperate with the principals in documentation of reliable data for professional growth and quality delivery in school. Similarly, the findings will serve as an eye-opener to teachers even principals on the necessary school information needed to record for office use.
The study will also present the importance of effective record keeping in the school management thereby, helping them provide necessary and reliable data/information for accurate school documentation.
From the findings of the study, the secondary school management board will be presented with the views of the principals and teachers on school management necessary for progressive records keeping in secondary school system. In the strength of the above, the board will know the specific management theory and area of record keeping to be focused during staff seminars and workshop on school management and records keeping. In all, society will also benefit from the results of this study, when principals and teachers adopt better management on records keeping, to be ascertained in this work, it is most likely that falsification of data will be minimized, issue of ghost workers and sometimes risk of loss of information among principals and staff will be drastically reduced, and teachers will be more committed to their work thus, yielding improved and productive personnel to the society.
Delimitation of the Study
The geographical scope of this study covered all the secondary schools in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State. Specifically, the study focuses on the records that are presently kept in secondary schools. It was also concerned with determining the administrative practices that characterize the keeping of records in secondary schools, find out the problems associated with keeping of school records and determine the strategies for improvement of the school records keeping in secondary schools.
Definition of Terms
School records: School records are documented statement of facts about persons, events, facilities, proposal and activities in and about the school.
Record Management: Records management is the systematic control of an organizations vital documents and records.
Teachers’ Performance: Teachers’ Performance is regarded as how well teachers are able to dispatch his/her duties to the specified schools.

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