Effective Communication: A Tool for Improvement of Secondary School Management

Communication remains a unique instrument that integrates management functions in an organization. This explains why communication is inevitable and indispensable in the school system for effective management. This paper examined how communication aids managers of secondary schools in carrying out their duties effectively. Meaning and avenues of communication as well as communication flow were discussed. Road blocks to communication and active listening as a means of promoting a closer, more meaningful relationship between the staff and students towards school improvement were considered. It was concluded that communication is an important ingredient and vital instrument in any given organization and a good school principal should bear in mind that the success of the school is determined by his effective management of the school. It was also recommended, among others, that the channel of communication needs to be modern, effective and as personal as possible if management of large organizations such as the school is to maintain close ties with teachers and encourage maximum performance. Keywords: Effective Communication, Improvement of Secondary School, Managemen

Management Information System and Senior Staff Job Performance in Polytechnics, Kwara State, Nigeria

This study sought to find the relationship between the use of Management Information System and senior staff job performance in Polytechnics in  Kwara State, Nigeria. Three hundred and twenty respondents were selected using random sampling technique from the two Polytechnics in Kwara State. The sample was made up of 200 academic staff and 120 senior non-academic staff from the institutions. Researcher-designed instruments, tagged: “Management Information System Questionnaire” (MISQ) and “Job Performance Appraisal Questionnaire” (JPAQ) were used to elicit information from the respondents. The data collected were analysed using frequency counts and percentage to answer the research questions raised, while Pearson product-moment correlation co-efficient was used to test the hypotheses formulated at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that Senior Staff in the Polytechnics in Kwara State made effective use of both traditional and electronic-based management information system. There was significant relationship between the use of MIS and Senior Staff Job Performance in the institutions. On this note, it was recommended, among others, that the Federal Government through the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in Nigeria should establish MIS units for the Polytechnics as done in the Nigerian Universities; Government should encourage modern Information Technology (IT) in Technical and Vocational Education Curriculum so that teachers of the discipline can be well groomed with the techniques and strategies of using MIS in polytechnics administration. Needed MIS facilities should be provided while the available ones should be adequately maintained for staff use. Keywords: Management Information System, Senior Staff, Job Performance, Polytechnics