Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS) 3(5): 748-752
Journal
of Emerging
Trends
in Educational
Research
and2141-6990)
Policy Studies (JETERAPS) 3(5):748-752 (ISSN:2141-6990)
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Journals, 2012
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Analysis of Internal Efficiency in the Utilization of Human
Resources in Selected Secondary Schools of Oyo State,
Nigeria
Pitan, Oluyomi Susan
Department of Educational Management,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
__________________________________________________________________________
In this study, the relationship between human resource utilization and internal efficiency of some secondary
schools in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria was examined. Given that education is
an investment, findings from this research will provide basis for assessing private and public investment on
secondary education in Oyo State, Nigeria, and also provide necessary information to educational administrators
and planners on how to reduce wastage in order to increase the internal efficiency of secondary schools. The
study was carried out using a descriptive survey design, while purposive sampling technique was adopted for
selecting eight (8) out of 22 public secondary schools in the local government area of the state. Data were
analysed using simple percentages and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Results showed that a significant
positive relationship existed between student-teacher ratio (STR) and wastage ratio (r =.7959; p<0.05); however,
there was no significant relationship between teacher quality (in terms of qualification), teachers’ workload and
wastage ratio (r = –0.121; p>0.05 and r = -0.127; p>0.05, respectively). Using the input-output analysis of the
sampled schools, it was established that there was a highly positive relationship between resource utilization and
internal efficiency of the school system (r = 0.8367; p<0.05). The performance of students in public examination
revealed that there were lots of wastages (students’ failure) in the system, making the system inefficient.
Government is therefore enjoined to bridge the gap between the required and available teachers in order to avoid
the over-utilisation of the available ones. Also, the professional competence of the teaching force needs to be
enhanced through seminars, workshops and in-service trainings in order to minimize wastage in the secondary
schools and improve on the level of internal efficiency of the school system.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Keywords: internal efficiency, human resource utilization, secondary school system, student teacher ratio.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
citizens who would be able to contribute to the
The problem of educational wastage at the secondary
development of their society and make the nation
school level of education, which manifests in high
truly self-reliant. But, the reality is that many of these
rate of failure in public examinations, is a great
school leavers have to sit for examinations again and
concern to every stakeholder in education. Wastage,
again for them to have the minimum requirements to
which is an indication of internal inefficiency, is
proceed to the next educational level. With this
recorded when an investment does not yield the
repetition, many of them waste precious years for
desired gain or product, or when investment produces
failing to pass at one sitting.
result that is considered to be lower than the targeted
value (Adesina, 1983). While tracing the history of
Longe and Durosaro (1988) described internal
Nigerian educational development since 1960,
efficiency as the extent of the ability of educational
Adesina (1983) and Durosaro (1985) identified
systems to minimize costs and reduce wastage
wastage as one of the impediments to its growth. The
resulting from repetitions, dropouts and failures. The
authors also identified elements of wastage as
authors stated that an internally efficient educational
dropouts (results of illness, poor academic
system is one which turns out graduates without
performance, dismissals, inadequacies on the part of
wasting any student year. The indicators of internal
parents), repetition (where government had to pay
efficiency are wastage rate and graduation rate. As
twice instead of once) and failure at the end of the
Abdulkareem, Fasasi and Akinnubi (2011) noted, the
course.
question of internal efficiency is ultimately linked to
the issue of resource allocation and utilization.
A system is said to be externally inefficient if the
graduate turned out is not what the society, economy
Resources are very important in the development of
or higher level of education wants. The expectation is
qualitative education. The success or the failure of
that certificated school leavers from secondary
any system of education depends on the quality and
schools would gain admission into higher level of
quantity of resources made available to it and the use
education or become productive workers and good
to which such resources are put (Adeogun, 1989). All
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Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS) 3(5):748-752 (ISSN:2141-6990)
educational resources are vital to the achievement of
national objectives. Human resources, especially the
teaching staff, are to control other resources and
ensure that national goals and objectives are
achieved. No matter how beautiful the programmes
and assets of an institution are, without the teaching
staff, attainment of the institutional goals and
objectives would prove abortive. For instance,
overstaffing or an unhealthy shortage could usher in
negative effects on the school internal efficiency.
1.
2.
3.
The number of times a resource can be used in a
week compared with the number of times it could be
in use is referred to as the ‘use or ‘utilization factor’
and it is expressed as a percentage. High use factors
represent maximum use of resources while low use
factors reflect the opposite. On the other hand,
resource utilization, according to Okunola (1985), is
defined as the quantity of resource provided for use
in secondary schools. From this operational
definition, educational resources are over-utilised
when they are in short supply; this has a negative
effect on teaching-learning situations. When there is
under-staffing for instance, teacher-student ratio is
higher than the standard and teaching–learning
efficiency and effectiveness become greatly reduced.
Under-utilisation of resources is also manifested in
several ways - when laboratories play ground, student
chairs and tables, and other physical and material
resources are not in regular use or when secondary
school teachers have an average of 20 teaching
periods per week as opposed to a norm of 25 and 30
periods.
4.
There was no significant relationship between
student teacher ratio and wastage ratio in
Ibadan North Local Government Secondary
School System
There was no significant relationship between
teachers’ quality and wastage ratio Ibadan
North Local Government Secondary School
System
There was no significant relationship between
teacher workload and wastage ratio in Ibadan
North Local Government Secondary School
System
There was no significant relationship between
resource utilisation and internal efficiency of
Ibadan North Local Government Secondary
School System.
IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
The major importance of this study is that it will offer
basis for assessing how public and private investment
in secondary education are being utilized. The result
will also provide useful information on the extent of
educational wastage in Oyo State Secondary Schools.
This is important because it will assist school
administrators and planners on strategies for reducing
or eliminating wastage; thereby, increasing the
internal efficiency of secondary education.
LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
The information supplied was got after several visits
to the selected schools, while information on
financial resources was not supplied at all. For this
reason, only the human resource information
provided was utilized for the study. Another
limitation was that it was only in eight out of 22
schools visited in Ibadan North Local Government
area of Oyo State, Nigeria that the Principal, Vice
principal or the School Guidance Counselor agreed to
filling the questionnaire.
Ojuawo (1989) showed that a positive significant
relationship exists between variables such as class
size and teacher-pupil ratio and performance in
examinations. Performance in schools is related to
size and qualification of teachers as well as teaching
quality, which is an indication that teachers are a key
input in educational production. Thus, an adequate
supply of skilled teachers should be a prominent
policy concern of any nation.
METHODOLOGY
The study adopted the descriptive survey research.
For the collection of data, “Resource Utilisation and
Secondary Education Efficiency Questionnaire”
(RUSEQ) was developed by the researcher for the
Principals or Vice Principals of the selected
secondary schools. Purposive sampling technique
was adopted for choosing eight (35%) out of the
twenty-two secondary schools in Ibadan North Local
Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The validity
of the instrument was guaranteed by subjecting it to
thorough scrutiny by experts in relevant fields. Data
collected were analysed using simple percentages and
Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Internal
efficiency was measured as the inverse of wastage
ratio.
Wastage ratio = Actual input-output ratio
Ideal input–output ratio
Therefore, internal efficiency =
1
Wastage ratio
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problem which was investigated in this study
was the prevalence of educational wastage (in terms
of students’ performance in public examinations),
which is an indication of internal inefficiency in
secondary school education. It is very important and
deserves attention because of the great challenge it
poses on the relevance of secondary school
education. This paper therefore, focused on human
resource utilisation which was measured in terms of
student teacher ratio, teacher quality and teacher
workload.
The following null hypotheses were tested in the
study:
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Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS) 3(5):748-752 (ISSN:2141-6990)
(43.9%) and then graduates without teaching
qualification (B.Sc./B.A) (8.40%) and HND holders
(2.46%).
Human resource utilization was determined using
student-teacher ratio (STR), teacher workload ratio
(TWR) and teacher quality.
STR = Total number of pupils
Total number of teachers
TWR = Actual periods taught
Approved number of periods
Table 3: Input-Output Analysis of the Sampled
Schools in Terms of Performances of Students in
Senior Secondary School Examinations (SSCE)
Teacher Quality was determined by qualifications of
the existing teaching force in the sampled schools.
RESULTS
The responses from the questionnaire items were
carefully analysed and presented under the following
headings.
 Numerical strength of the teachers in the
sampled schools
 Quality of teachers in the selected schools
 The performance of students in Senior
Secondary School Certificate Examinations
(SSCE)
 Hypotheses testing.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
TOTAL
Number
Available
69
50
79
92
87
59
52
488
Number Needed
95.8
78.13
100
89.32
88.78
50.0
77.6
82.8
Student
Teacher
Ratio
HND
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
TOTAL
Percentages
33
20
30
32
32
34
33
214
43.9
2
1
3
1
1
2
2
12
2.46
B.Sc./
B.A
2
3
19
1
6
10
41
8.40
B.Ed
TOTAL
32
26
27
58
48
13
17
221
45.29
69
50
79
92
87
59
52
488
100
No of
credits
25
35
124
74
132
40
7
437
24.6
N
8
R
0.7959
Wastage Ratio
Sig. r
Comment
0.035
Sig
Sig. = Signification at P < 0.05
A coefficient of 0.7959 was obtained between
student-teacher ratio and wastage ratio. This
coefficient was significant at P<0.05. This means that
there was a significant positive relationship between
the two factors. In other words, as there were more
students to a teacher, there tended to be high wastage
ratio.
Table 2: Quality of Teachers in Terms of Number of
Teachers by Qualifications in the Sampled Secondary
Schools
NCE
369
153
153
163
327
204
203
205
1777
100
Less
than 5
credits
218
97
18
70
101
119
196
178
997
56.1
Table 4: Relationship Between Student Teacher
Ratio and Wastage Ratio of Oyo State Secondary
School System
From Table 1 above, the number of teachers supplied
(488) were below the number needed (601). 82.8
percent of the required teachers were supplied. This
means there was a shortage of 17.2 percent.
S/N
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Total
Percentage
5 credits
and
above
126
21
11
19
94
45
7
20
343
19.3
Hypothesis 1: There was no significant relationship
between student teacher ratio and wastage ratio in
Ibadan North Local Government Secondary School
System.
Percentages
72
64
79
103
98
118
67
601
No of
candidates
From Table 3, 19.3% of the total students had 5
credits and above; 56.1% had less than 5 credits and
24.6 had no credit at all.
Table 1: Stock of Teachers in the Sampled Secondary
Schools
S/N
S/N
Hypothesis 2: There was no significant relationship
between teachers’ quality and wastage ratio in Ibadan
North Local Government Secondary School System.
Table 5: Relationship Between Teachers’ Quality
and Wastage Ratio of Oyo State Secondary School
System
Teachers’ Quality
From the analysis of the qualifications of teachers in
the sampled schools on Table 2, graduate teachers
with teaching qualification (B.Ed.) had the highest
population of 45.29%, followed by those with NCE
Wastage Ratio
N R
Sig. r
8 -0.1212
-0.775
ns. = not signification at P < 0.05
750
Comme
nt
Ns
Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS) 3(5):748-752 (ISSN:2141-6990)
A correlation coefficient of –0.1212 was obtained
between teachers’ quality and wastage ratio. This
correlation coefficient was not significant at P < 0.05.
Therefore, the null hypothesis which stated that there
was no significant relationship between the two
variables was accepted.
reduce the quality of their job performance and
consequently the quality of students turned out from
such secondary schools. In order to improve on the
extent of internal efficiency of these schools and
reduce the wastage rate which manifests in terms of
poor performance of students in public examinations,
a compromise between the needed and the available
teachers has to be reached.
Hypothesis 3: There was no significant relationship
between teacher workload and wastage ratio in
Ibadan North Local Government Secondary School
System
The lack of relationship between qualification of
teachers and wastage rate indicates that increase in
teacher quality did not significantly influence
wastage rate. This suggests that there are other likely
extraneous factors that make up for teacher quality
which were not taken into consideration in this
analysis. Examples of such factors are teaching
experience, exposure to seminars and workshops,
motivation in terms enhanced salaries, allowances,
regular promotion, etc. One of the main sources of
improving the working conditions of teachers lies in
enhanced salaries. Many local and state governments
are quick to point at the size of teachers’ salaries in
their total expenditure. Yet, they remain underpaid
when compared to other professions even within the
same environment. As a result, many teachers
indulge in moonlighting, which affects their
commitment and quality of teaching (Adedeji and
Olaniyan, 2011).
Table 6: Relationship Between Teachers Workload
and Wastage Ratio of Oyo State Secondary School
System
N
Wastage
Teacher workload
R
Sig. r
Comment
0.765
Ns
Ratio
8
-0.1265
The table above shows that the negative relationship
between teacher workload and wastage ratio in
Ibadan North Local Government Secondary School
System was not significant.
Hypothesis 4: There was no significant relationship
between resource utilisation and internal efficiency of
Ibadan North Local Government Secondary School
System.
Similarly, the lack of significant relationship between
teacher workload and wastage ratio indicates that
certain aspects of teachers’ activities were not
considered in the definition of the teacher workload,
and therefore needs to be revisited. There should be
an inclusion of all the work that the teachers do
(which include time spent on note preparation,
advising/counseling of students, being a member of
one committee or the other and marking of
assignments, tests and examinations) to ensure
efficient and effective teaching (Ngware and
Nafukho, 2002). It is after this inclusion that a
significant relationship between teacher workload
and wastage ratio would likely occur, since the
current measures of teacher workload which are
based on number of periods per week do not
accurately reflect the amount of work being done.
Table 7: Relationship Between Resource Utilisation
and Internal Efficiency of Oyo State Secondary
School System
Resource Utilisation
Internal efficiency
N
R
Sig. r
Comment
8
0.8367
0.026
Sig
Sig. = Signification at P < 0.05
The result revealed that there was a correlation
coefficient of 0.8367 between resource utilisation and
internal efficiency, and the relationship between the
two factors was significant and positive. This means
that as resources are well-utilised, the internal
efficiency is expected to be high.
Using the input-output analysis of the sampled
schools, a positive significant relationship was found
to exist between human resource utilization and
internal efficiency (r = 0.8367; p < 0.05) of the school
system. This suggests that as more human resources
are available and are adequately utilized, the more the
secondary schools’ system becomes efficient. In fact,
a change in resource level of 100% is likely to
increase the level of students’ performance by as
much as 86% (Adedeji, 1997). Regrettably, the
performance of students in the public examination
examined revealed that there were lots of wastages
(students’ failure) in the system. The input-output
DISCUSSION
This study demonstrated that a significant positive
relationship existed between STR and wastage ratio.
This means that as there are more students to a
teacher, the wastage ratio increases. The secondary
school system becomes more inefficient as STR
increases. In the sampled schools, STR was found to
be 55:1 which was above the norm. This could be as
a result of the gap (17.2%) between the demand for
and the supply of teachers. This gap is likely to result
in over-utilization of the available teachers and could
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Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS) 3(5):748-752 (ISSN:2141-6990)
analysis showed that only 19.3% of the candidates
who sat for the examination were successful
completers (those with five credits and above) for the
session evaluated. About 56.1% would have to sit for
the examination again to have their minimum
requirements while 24.6% had no credit at all. Since
the percentage of the successful completers was
found to be very low and wastage rate high, it can be
concluded that the system is inefficient.
REFERENCES
Abdulkareem, A.Y., Fasasi, Y.A., & Akinnubi, O.P.
(2011). Human Resource Utilisation and Internal
Efficiency in State Owned Universities in Nigeria.
International Journal of Academic Research in
Business and Social Sciences. 1(1),
Adedeji, S.O. (1997). Resource adequacy and
academic performance in Osun state vocational
secondary schools. African Journal of Educational
Management 5 (1, 2): 35 – 41.
CONCLUSION
In this study, it has been established that as the
available human resources were well utilized, there
was an increase in the level of internal efficiency of
the school system. This shows that human resource
utilization is an important indicator of internal
efficiency, and in any system therefore, the available
human resources must be well channeled and utilized.
To further determine the extent of utilization of
teachers, a more detailed analysis of teacher quality
and workload is necessary. The quality of teachers is
not only a function of qualification but there are other
factors which need to be considered when defining
teacher quality; such factors are experience, seminars,
workshops, improved working conditions etc. All
these, in addition with appropriate financial rewards,
will add to the quality of teachers and subsequently
increase their performance. In addition, to make the
analysis of teacher workload realistic and to
accurately determine the utilization of the teaching
force in our schools, different measures that reflect
the additional work which teachers do would be
necessary.
Adedeji, S.O., & Olaniyan, O. (2011). Improving the
conditions of teachers and teaching in rural schools
across African countries. Fundamentals of Teacher
Education Development. UNESCO-IICBA. 87pp.
Adeogun, A.A. (1999). Resource provision and
utilization: a case study of technical colleges in Lagos
state. African Journal of Educational Management
7(1): 41 – 48
Adesina, S. (1983). Education for Development; The
Challenges of the 1980s”. In Adesina S. (Ed).
Nigerian Education Trends Issues. Ife: University of
Ife.
Durosaro, D.O. (1985). Resource allocation and
internal efficiency of secondary education in Bendel
state, Nigeria. PhD Thesis, University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Nigeria.
Longe, R.S., Durosaro, D.O. (1988). Analysis of
Internal Efficiency of Secondary Education in
Nigeria: A case study of Bendel State. African
Journal of Educational Management. 2(10, 107 144.
Jan Oct, 1988.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings of this study, the following
measures are recommended:
 The state government should bridge the gap
between the required and available human
resources (teachers) in order to avoid the overutilisation of the available ones.
 The professional competence of the teaching
force could be enhanced through seminars,
workshops,
in-service
trainings
and
conferences. It is not enough to be a qualified
teacher. While on the job, there should be
constant training to update their knowledge.
 Teachers should be highly motivated (e.g.
through better conditions of service etc.) so
that they can put a conscientious effort into
their teaching which will go a long way at
reducing wastage in our schools.
 There should be proper monitoring of the
available resources in the schools through
regular inspections by the inspectorate division
of the State Ministry of Education.
Ngware, M.W., & Nafukho, F.M. (2002. The Quality
and Utilization of Technical Education Trainers in
Kenya. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education 39
(2).
Ojuawo, A.O. (1989). Effects of Differential
Distribution of Resources on Schools Performance in
WASC Examination in Oyo State Secondary School
(1984-1987). Ph.D Thesis. University of Ibadan,
Ibadan.
Okunola, P.O. (1985). Resource utilization and
projection in secondary education in Oyo state. PhD
Thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
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