TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
1.2
Statement of the Problem
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Hypotheses
1.6 Significance of the Study
1.7 Scope of the Study
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Conceptual Framework:
2.1.1 Concept of remuneration
2.1.1.1 Objectives for remuneration
2.1.1.2 Types of remuneration
2.1.1.3. Historical
Development of Remuneration: Salary, Fringe Benefits, Bonuses etc In Nigeria
2.1.1.4. Public Secondary School
2.1.1.5 The
Teachers
2.1.1.6 Characteristics of a Teacher
2.1.1.7 Functions
of a Teacher that call for remuneration
2.1.1.8 Teaching as the major function of a Teacher
2.1.1.9
Factors promoting quality and effective teaching
2.1.2 Concept of
Productivity
2.1.3. Measure of Productivity
2.1.4. Factors that promote Productivity
2.1.5. Remuneration, job satisfaction
and job productivity
2.1.6. The Role of
Remuneration as Motivation Factor in Teachers’ Productivity
2.1.7 Remuneration and productivity
2.1.8 Fringe benefits and
productivity
2.1.9 Working conditions and
productivity
2.1.10 Measures of teachers’ productivity
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.2.1 Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory
(1943)
2.2.2 Fredrick Herzberg’s two factor theory (1959)
2.2.3 Victor Vroom’s Expectancy theory (1964)
2.3
Empirical
Studies
2.4 Summary of related literature reviewed
CHAPTER
3
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Design
for the study
3.2 Area
of the study
3.3 Population
of the study
3.4 Sample
and Sampling Techniques
3.5 Instrument
for Data collection
3.5.1 Validation
of the instrument
3.5.2 Reliability
of the instrument
3.6 Methods
of Data collection
3.7 Method
of Data analysis.
CHAPTER
4
RESULTS
AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1 Results
4.2 Summary
of the major findings
4.3 Discussion
of Findings
CHAPTER
5
DISCUSSION
OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Educational implication
of the study
5.3 Recommendations
5.4 Limitations of the study
5.5 Suggestions for further
study
REFERENCES
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Remuneration is a critical aspect of employment
relations between the employer and the employee. It functions as a zeal that
fires the commitment to higher performance, which is elicited through prompt
and regular payment of salaries. Richadson (2010)
opined that remuneration is the reward or compensation given to the employees
for their work performances. Management scholars such as Heneman, Chwab et al. in Hameed, Ramzan, Kashif, Ali
& Arslan (2014) are of the opinion that remuneration is synonymous to
employee compensation. According to them, compensation is a subject that is
near and dear to employers and employees alike. To employers, it is both a
potentially powerful influence on employees’ behavior and attitudes …, to
employees, it is a reward that is a source of economic and psychological
income. Even the Holy Bible
realizes this when it advises in (1 Timothy, 5:18) that “Thou shall not muzzle
the ox that treadeth out the corn, and the labourer is worthy of his wages”.
Remuneration is also a method of promoting morale,
increasing motivation and fostering team cohesion. Though remuneration can motivate employees to
be more productive but it does not have to necessarily be compensation based
and can come in the form of praise or recognition. This same current issue of remuneration is of same
effect when applied to those in the teaching profession, being teachers who
also fall in this same category as workers and carry out their activities
within the school, as an organization. For decades now, the teachers under the
aegis of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) have been consistent in their
request for better conditions of service and salary structure in post-primary schools
in the country for better productivity and job effectiveness.
Secondary school education is the second stage of
formal education which feeds all kinds of post-secondary education institutions
in Nigeria. For the purpose of this study, secondary education refers to
education received at public secondary schools in Nigeria. Public secondary
schools are schools owned and managed by government with tax- payers’ fund
(Modebelu, 2007).
But, judging from poor and irregular remuneration
packages of teachers in most Nigerian secondary schools, the goals of Secondary
Education are hardly attained. No wonder, Nakpodia in Akande (2014) stated that
in any educational arrangement, the success lies in the commitment and
productivity of the teachers. It is obvious that teachers in public secondary
schools no longer manifest expected desirable competencies and productivity to
the teaching profession (Modebelu, 2009). This trend however, may be attributed
to the ill-treatment been meted on the teachers in regard to inconsistent,
irregular and inadequate remuneration packages given to them.
The
major objective for most organizations’ remuneration packages is to attract,
retain, restore and motivate qualified and competent employees (Benardin,
2007). In line with the above views, Mathis and Jackson (2003) stated that an employer that provides more attractive
benefit packages often enjoys an advantage over other employers in hiring and
retaining qualified employees when the competing firms offered similar base
pay. Workers are supposed to be remunerated based on the understanding that the
worker has expended energy in promoting the growth of the organization by
contributing to its service delivery and production of goods. To the employee,
work comes with a reward and every worker looks up to his employer to reward
him for services rendered. If the compensation system is regular and effective,
it will fire the zeal of the worker to give in his best for the organization (Uzoma, 2017). Organizations
expect that employees by the virtue of the remuneration received, should be
highly productive and to aid them in achieving the organizational objectives.
Considering the effect of financial remuneration on employee commitment, the
chances of achieving increase in employee productivity become higher, since the
employee knows and is convinced that his rewards are reasonable in comparison
with his inputs.
The
term remuneration in general means compensation or pay. But the term “pay” is
more commonly used than remuneration or compensation. Remuneration or
compensation comes in various types, viz: Salary, Promotion, Fringe benefits-
Bonus, Compensation, Incentive, Teachers Training and development, Leave, House
or Rent Subsidy, Vehicle Advance and Car Basic Allowance, Deterred Cash incentives,
Deterred Compensation and Performance
Bonus, which also applies to those in the teaching profession as
propagated by different theorists.
A
salary is a pay given to an exempt or salaried individual for work done. A
salary is usually expressed in annual terms, as “He has a salary of N500,
000 annually.” Salaries are paid out either monthly or semi-monthly. These
salaries are paid during vacations, holidays and paid leave of absence but not
unpaid leaves, Murray and Roberts, (2015).
It is understandable that once an employee receives his/her salary as and when
due and in consideration for number of years spent on service, the next
professional need that arises is promotion in anticipation for better
privileges.
Promotion
is an upward mobility of an employee, which changes his/her present position to
one that makes him assume greater responsibility and professional status.
Teachers are regularly promoted as means of recognizing their input and years
of service. Aside from bringing them
more money, promotion has a higher motivating effect and tends to activate
their knowledge, skills and their level of commitment, hence productivity is
ensured, (Akinwunmi, 2000). Off course when one’s desire for
promotion is achieved, the next thing he expects will obviously be on how to
start to enjoy those bonuses associated with such elevated position based on
events under his/her supervision.
Bonuses are what teachers like other public
servants receive at various times and for various reasons. They can come in the
form of performance-related and may be given by the school head at the end of a
major supervisory or accreditation exercise or at the end of a particularly
good academic year for the school to complement the teachers (Civil Service
Rule, 2001). Adelabu (2005) in line with the above view, asserted that cash
bonuses as most effective incentives are given to teachers as to stir up their
zeal, which enhances their productivity. Yes, these bonuses increase
productivity, however, teachers expect in line with the civil services rules,
to be given incentives which could cover for job security, placement, elevated
social status and comes under incentives.
Incentives
can be referred remunerations that serve as stimulants for employees as
motivation for job to be done. They can be used to influence employees’
behavior into n action, not initially intended to. This is different from
rewards, which is also part of remuneration. Incentives can include bonuses,
but this type of compensation can also include increment in salary, recognition
awards and.
Reward
is part of remuneration serving as a “thank you” for work well done or above
and beyond the cause of duty. So, remuneration can function as both an
incentive to ginder one into an action and also as a reward for a job already
done. Teachers are given incentives in the form of bonuses, increment in
salary, recognition awards and service awards by the education authorities as
to ginger them to be more productive so as to achieve the set targets. After
such elevated social status position, the teachers expect such to be enjoyed by
members of his family, in order to have a soft-landing on some family
responsibilities, even in the case of accidental demise.
Fringe
benefit is a collection of various benefits or compensation which are exempt
from taxation, that are given to employees beyond regular salary with monetary
value such as pension, health insurance coverage, life insurance coverage,
accommodation, free transportation, free medical services, leave bonus.
(Akande, 2014).
Compensation is the totality of the financial and
non-financial rewards that the employee gets in return for working for the
organization. That is to say that compensation is a major issue in teachers’
management and the effects on their productivity. Since compensation is seen as
a reward to the teacher for service towards achieving educational goals and
also a source of recognition, it is related directly to the comfort and welfare
of the teacher, and leads to productivity (Aja-Okorie, 2016). Having enjoyed
these benefits associated with being on the higher level, the employee aims for
an upgrade in certificate professionally so as to enjoy more leading to further
studies.
Teachers’
Training and development are propositions of Human Capital Theorists for the
training and development of manpower or human factor of production. Increased
productivity can only be attained when avenues for advancement and training are
opened. Ndu in Akande (2014) asserted that teachers’ development is guaranteed
when they exchange ideas and are encouraged to test the hypotheses they
established. He assures that by this, the teachers will become competent,
encouraged and happy in carrying out their functions and do them productively.
So, for the above to actually take place and in order not to create a vacuum
that might lead to query, the employee applies for leave so as to achieve
another of his/her desire.
Leave is part of remuneration packages to
boost the teacher’s moral, knowledge, skills and productivity. Education laws
and regulations empowers State School Management Boards or other appropriate
educational authorities to grant study leave with or without pay to teachers to
enable them undergo courses so as to enable them to enhance their level of
performance on the job (Modebelu, 2009).
In the course of this leave study, some employees apply for rent subsidy to
have members of their families housed in order to measure up with their already
assumed social status, hence the request for house subsidy.
House
or Rent Subsidy is the outcome of the Udeoji Public Service Review Commission
in 1974, which recommended that free quarters be given to teachers and they will pay rent to government at the
same rate as their counterparts in the civil and public service of the
federation. By this, teachers are entitled to government loans to build their
own houses (Modebelu, 2007). Such a move does not only keep the teachers, as
employees happy but also committed, hence productivity is achieved. Employees, teachers not excepted look up to
enjoy not just the house subsidy, but the full benefit available to their
counterparts in other professions, hence the expect car allowances for
convenient purposes.
Vehicle
Advance and car Basic Allowance is a
situation where Teachers who have attained certain level professionally are
made to enjoy vehicle advance and car allowance like their counterparts in
other professions. This become imperative after the NUT decried a situation
where civil servants on salary grade level 07 were granted vehicle advance
while principals on grade level 12 and above were not entitled to similar
fringe benefits. That such could demoralize teachers and cause low classroom
productivity, while other way round to ginger a teacher to high level
commitment and achieved maximum productivity. (Federal Republic of Nigeria, FRN
2001)
Deterred
Cash Incentives refer to situation where
some secondary schools which have surplus money usually invest in buying of
stocks and shares as an avenue for generating of funds, Modebelu, Eya and
Obunadike (2016). So, deterred cash incentives come in the form of stock
options, where teachers of the schools are given the opportunity to buy some of
these stocks at reduced and attractive prices, which their appreciation and
dividends provide the payoffs. In theory, these generosities go a long way to
stir up the teachers’ zeal and ginger them to willingly perform productively.
Deferred
Compensation is another type of
remuneration where an employee's earnings are set aside for him/her to be
redeemed at a later date. As one of the public service professions, teachers’
earnings or privileges such as retirement plan are kept which serves as better
influencing factor to them to be more productivity, having in mind of what
awaits them.
Performance
Bonus is a form of additional compensation paid to an employee for achieving
specific goals or predetermined targets. A performance bonus is compensation beyond normal wages
and is typically awarded after a performance
appraisal and
analysis of projects completed by the employee over a specific period of time
(Murray, 2016).
From
the views above by various scholars, it may be deduced that there are different
types of remunerations, which will serve as areas of focus for the study.
This
same current issue of remuneration is of same effect when applied to those in
the teaching profession, being teachers who also fall in this same category as
workers and carry out their activities within the school organization. In a
way, the school is to teachers what the bank is to the accountants, hence
serves as a good platform for the teachers to use so as to discharge their
classroom and other academic related duties effectively and efficiently. The school
is an avenue where teachers perform their primary responsibility and there
comes the need for understanding of its concept in this study with particular
reference to secondary schools where this work is situated.
Public
secondary schools are schools owned and managed by government with tax- payers’
fund (Modebelu, 2007). The term “Public Secondary school” is used to refer to
all educational institutions having the following characteristics: Teachers to
give instructions, funded with tax payers money, an assigned administrator,
based on one or more buildings, enrolled or prospectively enrolled students
between the ages of 11 and 12 and 17+ years, with six years duration. Public
Secondary schools are under the Ministry of Education, which is a part of Public
Service, and those under it are meant to enjoy the same benefits alike with
those in Civil Service. The Civil Service is a government organization with
paid employees, who receive their salaries either from the Federal or State
government. These employees are recruited by the Civil service commission,
which is a colonial heritage (colonial societal system organization). They are
employed and divided into departments, sessions and parastatals, which houses
the Ministry of Education where teachers are found as public servants.
Teachers
are group of individuals trained specifically to impact knowledge and skills to
youths and adults to enable them develop healthy attitudes and live in harmony
with all other Nigerians (Modebelu, 2007). The teachers are those involved in
the activity of showing, directing, imparting knowledge or practice giving
instruction in a school, (Idoko, 2007). They are professionally trained and
qualified persons with the appropriate qualifications who impart on the
students the right type of knowledge, skills and values so as to become
responsible citizens and useful to the society. And the education system is a
public service provided through teachers to every willing child who is a
citizen of Nigeria by each State’s government. Every worker in the government
sector is entitled to some package of remuneration either as basic salaries or
allowance or both as enshrine in Federal Republic of Nigeria, FRN (2014). Both
civil servants and public officers are supposed to enjoy some benefits outside
the basic salaries, such as housing allowances, transportation allowance, leave
allowance, children education allowances, medical allowances, pension and
retirement benefits, life-long education allowances and some are paid domestic
servant allowance, driver allowance, utility bill allowance etc. This is
because the civil service as a colonial institution needs teachers to teach the
people at the different levels of educational system, so as to keep the policy
running. Hence, the teachers by the nature of their work and like other public
servants and professionals need to be well remunerated. And that payment if
regular, gingers them to higher performance, because productivity is measured
by the level of output, in regards with students’ performance in examination.
How
can the teachers be expected to happily discharge their classroom functions
productively when they do not enjoy some of these benefits being enjoyed by
their counterparts in other professions. Since it has been said that productive
workers are happy workers and happy workers are those whose remunerations are
paid up-to date, (Uzoma, 2017). So, since the teachers are part of employees of
the state and their remuneration does not differ from what obtains in other
public service, they deserve and are supposed to be adequately remunerated and
whereby this payment is not regular, it is likely to lead to demoralization and
when a worker is demoralized or not happy, productivity must surely fall, hence
the high rate of low performance of students in our various secondary schools.
So, teachers are recruited under the State or Federal Ministry of Education,
then, are moved to primary schools, some to secondary schools, and others to
the higher institutions of learning (Interview with the Head, Statistics Dep.
SEMB on July 9, 2017) Our focus in this study is teachers in the Public
Secondary Schools in Abia State, whom their salaries, let alone their due
remuneration packages are not regular if paid at all, but are being mandated to
still perform their classroom responsibility.
Qualified
teachers are employed to render educational services in the classrooms under
the supervision of an experienced and competent supervisor. All teachers who
teach in public government schools in Abia State, are on the payroll of the
government, hence they should be remunerated. It is an intellectual activity
designed for transmission of knowledge from the more experienced individuals to
the less experienced ones (Nnachi, 2008). It is, however, the teacher that effects
teaching. Teaching is an exercise and is carried out by human beings. It does
not occur on its own, as it is the teacher that makes it possible for it to
take place. The teacher as one who
imparts knowledge, instructs, guides, trains and changes the behavior of a
pupil or student by being a good example is expected to possess such
characteristics such as ability to communicate, Good sense of humour, Knowledge
of the subject matter, Time Management, Equity
and fairness, Dedication, good temperament, thorough and have an eye for
details in the preparation for his lesson materials, must learn to keep his
temper in check, a good leader and more so, he must see his students and
colleagues as friends (Nnachi, 2010). By so doing, knowledge may be shared on
solution to a classroom problem, which can lead to productivity.
Productivity
on the other hand is a relationship between output and inputs. It arises when
an increase in output occurs with a less than proportionate increase in inputs
or when the same output is produced with a fewer inputs. Nwachukwu (2007)
defined productivity as the measure of how well resources are brought together
in organizations and utilized for accomplishing a set of results. (Steve, 2005) viewed
productivity as the efficient use of resources, labour, capital, land,
materials, energy, information, in the production of various goods and
services. Productivity is reaching the highest of performance with the least
expenditure of resources. It is often seen as total output over total
input.
Productivity
is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence,
intelligent planning and focused effort (Meyer, 2015). Thus, educational
productivity is the ratio between the contributions made by education to
general development and the cost of education. Productivity in education is
intangible and invisible and can only be deduced from turnover, and the rate at
which educational objectives are achieved. It is a continuous process, taking
into consideration, the input, process and output phases of education. Fagbamiye (2000) asserted that a teacher can only
be productive if he is in the right frame of mind, free from distraction and
appropriately motivated through salary and positive condition of service. (Aluwang, 2009) also complemented the above view that good salary
and professional growth in the form of promotion are part of the remuneration
factors influencing teachers’ productivity in the classroom. In his view on
teachers’ productivity, Colman (2003) opined that remuneration is a driving
force or forces responsible for initiation, persistence, direction and vigour
of goal-directed behavior by teachers for productivity in the education sector.
It refers to a force and can also be described as element of productivity on or
within an organism to cause, initiate or direct behavior of teachers for
productivity, Hockenbury and Hockenbury (2000).
These elements of
productivity are as follows; Organization,
Change, Accountability, Recognition, Resources. So remuneration is central in all forms of
employees’ behavior. Thus, to be remunerated becomes synonymous with to be
moved into a particular action (Nnachi, 2003). Teachers’ productivity can be
measured by the expected gains of education evident in the knowledge and
behavioural changes in the students. For instance, if teachers are preparing
students to write First School Leaving Certificate Examination and the outcome
in the level of pass is far below expectation, productivity is said to be low,
because the students have not been properly taught and prepared. If it is on the
average, it can be partly blamed on the teachers and partly on the students.
But if the level of failure is high, then it may be concluded that the
teachers’ productivity is low. Then when you have interacted with the students
and ask question about the curriculum which they ought to know and they cannot
say anything about, then the teachers have not taught. So, does a teacher go to
class to teach when he ought to? Does he have knowledge of the subject matter,
because anybody can go to the classroom to say anything? Does he prepare
his/her lesson note? If yes, with the use of annual appraisal as measurement
index, we may therefore say such teachers are productive. These and more can
only be achieved when these teachers are committed and dedicated to the profession
of teaching.
There is a bulk of serious
minded and competent individuals going into the teaching profession in droves today,
despite the dearth of adequate motivation orchestrated by the poor remuneration
of teachers. As a profession with highly educated and committed professionals,
there is need for them to be remunerated to avoid losing them to other lucrative
professions. Despite the low remuneration being given to the teachers, they
still have to wait almost till eternity for their salaries to be paid or to
receive it in arrears. Against educational ethics and in their bid to
make-up their un-fascinating
remuneration, some of these teachers get themselves involved in trading, even
during school hours. As there has been obvious case of teachers selling food
items, writing materials and engage in other businesses to make ends meet. Also
teachers’ remuneration is not all that good as expected when compared with their
level of commitment and remunerations of their counterparts in other
professions such as Engineering, Medicine, banking, laws among others, indeed
there is much gap in their earnings. Besides these outlined problems;
governments’ negligence to and position concerning the job performance of the
secondary school teachers is another issue militating against teachers’
classroom productivity.
Government accused the
teachers of negligence, laziness, purposeful lethargy and lack of dedication
and zeal to work without concern about their needs. They further argued that
teachers’ level of productivity and effectiveness do not warrant the constant request
for salary increment, incentives and better working conditions. In reaction,
the teachers argue that the existing salary structure, benefits and working
conditions do not satisfy their basic needs in as much as other sectors of the
economy have bigger salary structure, better motivation and enhanced working
conditions. The secondary school teachers’ argument is in line with Adams’
(1963) equity theory of motivation. The theory calls for a fair balance to be
struck between employees input in respect to their productivity, commitment,
hard work and level of skill and employees’ outputs regarding to salary,
benefits and intangibles such as recognition). The theory is built on the
belief that if employees feel that their inputs outweigh the educational benefits,
then they become unmotivated in relation to their job and employer.
These teachers are
expected to be selflessly productive as the Ministry of Education is always
curious and demands a very high measure of loyalty, patriotism, commitment, and
dedication from them, Ubom and Joshua (2004). This is in other for them to live
up to the well documented statement that no education system can rise above its
teachers (FRN, 2013) and no nation can experience remarkable development
without quality teachers. Hence, these
teachers have to be well motivated by being well remuneration in order to
willingly and qualitatively dish out the educational values and skills for the
benefits of the society.
The roles and contexts of
education’s motivational method and tools cannot be overemphasized because high
motivation of teachers enhances productivity which is naturally in the interest
of all educational system (Igwe, 2000). Successive Nigerian governments have
nothing really practically tangible in the aspect of influencing workers to
action (Nwosu, 2011). Rather we behold a situation where workers, especially
teachers are owed salaries for months, they are hardly promoted, even if
promoted, it takes eternity for the implementation to take place as being
witnessed particularly in Abia State Public Secondary Schools. In Abia State
educational system, there are no incentives to ginger the teachers to work; as
the scenario seems to be worst in the State as teachers both at all levels of
education are been own over eight (8) months’ salary with no promotions on
sight for those deserving it and are denied promotion. A critical observation
and analysis of the situation of teachers in Abia State reveals a conspiracy of
denigration of teachers and their profession by the government, which has
dampened their spirit, yet a lot is still expected from them in the exercising
their classroom duties, with threat of sack, should they be found absent in
place of work. The governments seem insensitive about the well-being of
teachers and fail to recognize the fact that the teachers constitute the most
single important fabric upon which lies the success of the whole educational
edifice (Adesina, 2009).
The Abia State government
promising of good education should translate from political statement to
visible actions by emulating other state governments in prioritizing teachers’
welfare, as a major step in revamping the sector in the state. Poor
remuneration and poor working conditions of service have had negative effects
on the state’s educational system as most of our qualified teachers take
teaching job as stepping stone to greater height, and as soon as their choice
job comes, they abandon the teaching job, which off-course impact negatively on
the system and impede on the realization of Nigerian educational objectives at
the state level, (Dike, 2007). Teaching isn’t a charity work as the government
and people want to make it look, it is a professional job that deserves
remunerations and any form of delay in these payments tells hardly on the
practitioners who are sole bread-winners of their families. In as much as there
isn’t any justification for delay and irregular payment of teachers, male or
female. We may argue that the impact on the male counterparts is grievous; this
is because those female teachers, who are not single parent receive their
remuneration so as to supplement what their husbands provide. Indeed we cannot
make light of the effect it has on them but the effect cannot be compared to
the effect on the male teachers whose families solely depend on them, especially
when their wives have no paying jobs to complement their efforts. These with
other factors are the reasons teachers indirectly transfer their aggression to
the students that are kept under their care, by not performing their responsibilities
towards them. This could be viewed as the reasons an average Nigerian parents
prefer the private schools to public schools irrespective of their exorbitant
fees and not minding the qualities of teachers in such public schools.
A research was carried out on
teachers’ remuneration and performance of schools under Universal Primary
Education System in Uganda by Babiriye (2011). Findings showed the determinants
of earnings in public and private schools teachers. The study also revealed that
high wage and regular pay have positive effects on productivity and
performance. Etor, Etudor and Alpamumore
(2007) equally carried out a research on the relationship between teaching
staff remuneration and their performance in Akwa Ibom State secondary schools.
The findings revealed a positive relationship between teaching staff
remuneration and their job performance. Although, studies have been carried out
on the relationship between teacher remuneration and teacher productivity in
other states in Nigeria, to the best of researcher’s knowledge, little or no
study involving this work has been carried out in Abia State. It is against
this background that the researcher has carried out the study on the influence
of teacher remuneration on teachers’ productivity in public schools in Abia
State.
1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Remuneration has been and will
continue to be a subject of concern to teachers since it is a core aspect of
workers’ compensation package which is strongly tied to job productivity. As
the strongholds of a nation’s educational and developmental system, the
teachers in the developed countries are highly placed in the society and
adequately remunerated.
Ideally, the system should be or
involve prompt payment of their salary, promotion, developmental and in-service
training, bonuses and adequate compensation, etc. to ginger them into high
productivity in the discharge of their classroom responsibilities. Teachers in
Abia State public secondary schools are not satisfied with their job as a
result of the non-prompt payment of their remuneration by the state government.
There have been reports that these teachers are faced with poor remuneration
challenges such as poor or irregular
payment of salaries, and non-payment of fringe benefits, poor working
conditions, and lack of professional and in-service training, lack of due
bonuses, promotion, compensation, rent subsidy issues, (Pulse, 2018). These,
coupled with introduction of unfavourable changes in the educational policies
seem to be at the detriment of secondary schools teachers who toil to give the
best to the students, which may have brought about job dissatisfaction and
consequent low productivity of these teachers in Abia State.
These and many other teachers’
remuneration issues proceeded the need for the study. At present, there is yet
no known empirical study that has evaluated these speculations and
observations. The purpose of this study is therefore, to empirically evaluate
the situation to determine the true state of teachers’ remuneration in Abia
State public secondary schools as determinant of their productivity-the problem
is whether remuneration actually influences teachers’ productivity in public
secondary schools in Abia State? And to also sample the views of male and
female teachers on the situation.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The study examined the influence
of teachers’ remuneration on teachers’ productivity in public Secondary schools
in Abia State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to:
i.
find out the extent payment of salary influences the productivity of
public secondary school teachers
ii.
find out the extent promotion influences the productivity of public
secondary school teachers
iii.
examine the extent fringe benefits influences the productivity of
public secondary school teachers
iv.
find out the extent bonuses influences the productivity of teachers
in public secondary schools
v.
examine the extent teachers’ in-service training influences the
productivity of teachers in public secondary schools
vi.
find out the extent house subsidy influences the productivity of
public secondary schools teachers
vii.
find out the extent approval of leave influences the productivity of
public secondary schools teachers
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions
guided the study:
i.
To what extent does payment of salary influences teachers’
productivity in public secondary school?
ii.
What extent does promotion influences teachers’ productivity in
public secondary schools?
iii.
To what extent do fringe benefits influence teachers’ productivity
in public secondary schools?
iv.
What extent do performance bonuses influence teachers’ productivity
in public secondary schools?
v.
To what extent does teachers’ training influences teachers’
productivity in public secondary schools?
vi.
What extent does house or rent subsidy influences teachers’ productivity
in public secondary school?
vii.
To what extent does approval of leave for teachers influences the
productivity of public secondary schools teachers?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
The following null hypotheses were
formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance to guide the study;
i.
There is no significant difference on responses of teachers on the extent
payment of teachers’ salary influences their productivity in public secondary
schools.
ii.
There is no significant
difference between the mean scores of male and female teachers on the extent
promotion influences teachers’ productivity in public secondary schools.
iii.
Mean scores of male and female teachers do not significantly differ
on the extent of fringe benefits on teachers’ productivity in public secondary
schools.
iv.
The mean scores of male and female teachers do not significantly
differ on the extent performance bonuses influence teachers’ productivity in public
secondary schools in Abia State.
v.
There is no significant
difference in the mean score of male and female teachers on the extent teachers
training influences teachers’ productivity in public secondary schools.
vi.
There is no significant difference in the mean scores of male and
female teachers on the extent house or rent subsidy influence teachers’
productivity in public secondary schools.
vii.
The mean score responses
of male and female teachers of the extent approval of leave for teachers does
not have a significant influence on the productivity of teachers in public secondary
schools.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY
The findings of this
study would to great measure be of benefit to a number of stakeholders in
Secondary Education which include: The State Ministry of Education, State Education
Management Board (SEMB), Principals, Teachers, Government, Researchers and
Students.
The findings may help the
ministry of education in been abreast with the knowledge on how to have proper
budget system and how to apportion the budget to meet up with educational
demands in terms of teachers professional development, seminar, workshops,
conferences, fringe benefits, allowances, bonuses and other notional
incentives.
The findings in no small
measure would help SEMB to make policy statements that would help to improve on
teachers’ remuneration compliance. By this, the board can through the
recommendation make decision on the day-to-day happenings within the school
environment concerning teachers’ functionality.
The findings would
therefore help the principals to solicit for better working conditions for
teachers to enhance their productivity and also show that teachers’
remuneration and other associated benefits such as provision of health schemes,
pension schemes, wages, transport and overtime allowances, good working
conditions and regular payment of salaries are significant factors for their
productivity. Most of the times, when there is rebellion by teachers against
the school authorities over query for absenteeism, lateness etc. there seemed
to be conflict of interest. The finding from the study thus provides adequate
knowledge to the school administrators to be properly guided on basic cause for
such reactions and on how best to handle the situation with teachers.
There have
been consistent claims by Nigerian
Union of Teachers (NUT) over their request for better conditions of service and
salary structure in post-primary schools in the country for better productivity
and job effectiveness and counter-claims by the government who argues that the
level of educational output witnessed in our public secondary schools are not
anything compared to the educational inputs (educational cost). It is expected that by this academic exercise, a
body of knowledge will emerge that will help secondary school teachers in Abia
State to combat poor students’ performance, as it is a major problem in
Nigeria’s educational system today.
However, with this finding, government would be able
to identify the impact of remuneration on the
productivity of public secondary school teachers and encourage the teachers in
their teaching performance.
The students through
knowledge acquired from the finding will be able to know the psychologically
state of their teachers and pre-empt what could possibly be the reason and
therefore not wrongly judge their action hastily.
Teachers are always
expected to perform without anyone concerned about their state of mind per
time, welfare, personal needs etc. But the finding would create adequate
awareness for community at large on relevant place of teachers’ remuneration to
their productivity and be able to appreciate the work they do rather than point
accusing fingers at them when students’ academic performance falls below
expectation.
It would also fill a gap
in knowledge which has existed as a result of no empirical study in this very
important aspect of our educational system. The report would also help future researchers
who may be interested to carry out studies in the future about the state of
public secondary schools in Abia State, nay Nigeria.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study was carried out
in Abia State. The scope of the study is delimited to Teacher
Remuneration and Teachers’ Productivity in Public Secondary Schools in Abia
State with Teachers’ remuneration as the independent
and sub-variables such as as basic
wages, bonuses, compensations, fringe benefits, transportation allowance, free
health services, job security and good working condition, which formed the
objective of the study. The dependent variable was teachers’ productivity in
Public Secondary Schools. The study also covered all the 3, 440 male and female
teachers, who served as respondents in the 241 Public Secondary Schools of the
three Education Zones in Abia State.
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