RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL RECORD MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study examined relationship between school record management and administrative efficiency in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a correlational survey research design. The study was carried out in Anambra State, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised 269 principals from the 269 state public secondary schools in Anambra State. Since the population was manageable, the entire population was used for the study; hence, no sampling was done. Two instruments were used for data collection, namely School Record Management Questionnaire (SRMQ) and Administrative Efficiency Questionnaire (AEQ). The SRMQ contained 20 items arranged in two clusters, namely record creation and record storage, while the AEQ contained 20 items on administrative efficiency. The instruments were validated by three experts in the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The reliability of the instruments was established using Cronbach Alpha, which yielded coefficients of 0.87 and 0.89 for clusters one and two respectively, with an overall reliability coefficient of 0.88 for SRMQ, while AEQ yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.85. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings of the study revealed that there is a high positive significant relationship between record creation and administrative efficiency in public secondary schools in Anambra State. The study also revealed that there is a high positive significant relationship between record storage and administrative efficiency in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Based on the findings, it was concluded that school record management is significantly related to administrative efficiency in public secondary schools in Anambra State. It was recommended that the Anambra State Ministry of Education and the Post Primary Schools Service Commission should strengthen record creation practices in public secondary schools through the provision of standardized record books, clear record-creation guidelines and regular training for principals and clerical staff. It was also recommended that the government and school authorities should improve record storage practices by providing adequate storage facilities, establishing proper filing procedures and introducing simple digital backup systems to ensure safe preservation and easy retrieval of school records.