INFLUENCE OF RECORD KEEPING SYSTEM ON ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MAKURDI EDUCATION ZONE OF BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The study examined the influence of record keeping system on administration of public secondary schools in Makurdi Education Zone of Benue State, Nigeria. Specially, the study investigated the influence of records keeping on financial management, facilities management staff discipline and information dissemination, in public secondary schools. Four (4) research questions and four (4) research hypotheses respectively guided the study. The review of related literature which was done under the conceptual framework indentified the influence of records keeping on financial management, facilities management, staff discipline and information dissemination, in public secondary school in Makurdi Education Zone of Benue State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised one thousand seven hundred and thirteen (1713) teachers from eighty-six (86) grant aided secondary schools in Makurdi Education Zone of Benue State, Nigeria. A sample of three hundred and twelve (312) teachers from thirteen (13) selected public secondary schools was used for the study. A 25-items structured questionnaire constructed by the researcher tilted. "Influence of School Records Keeping System and Administration of Public Secondary Schools Questionnaire (ISRKAPSSQ)" was used for data collection. A reliability estimate of 0.83 was established for the instruments. Descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard Deviation were used to answer the research questions while the Chi-Square (X²) statistical tool was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that records keeping system significantly influenced financial management, school facilities, staff discipline and information dissemination, in administration of public secondary schools in Makurdi Education Zone of Benue State, Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended amongst others, principals should ensure that financial records are kept for effective and efficient administration of public secondary schools, educational administrators should ensure that school facilities records be adequately kept and properly maintained in the school, so as to avoid loss or being stolen. Also, educational managers should ensure that staff discipline records are adequately kept in schools; educational administrators should ensure that information dissemination records are kept and maintained in schools. Conclusion was made and implication of the findings drawn.