IMPLEMENTATION OF STUDENT PERSONNEL SERVICES IN FEDERAL AND STATE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

The primary aim of this research was to investigate the implementation of student
personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south –eastern
Nigeria. Student personnel services are regarded very important as they aid in the
all round development of the students, thus, enabling them to achieve their
objectives and those of their institutions. Student personnel services embrace all
those services to students that supplement regular instruction. As part and parcel of
school administration, it is seen as a critical function to the effective operation of
any school. This informed the present study on implementation of student
personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria.
The purpose was to ascertain the extent of implementation of these student services
in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria. Four research
questions and four null hypotheses were formulated for the study. A 51 – items
questionnaire was developed and administered to 770 respondents, comprising of
330 staff and students of federal and 440 staff and students of state colleges of
education. A non-proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to
sample 10 senior staff of student affairs department and 100 final year students
from each of the seven federal and state colleges of education in the geopolitical
zone. Mean score was used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics
was employed in testing the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The
study revealed that the student personnel services studied was available, but
inadequate and are of poor quality. Constraints to the effective implementation
include: poor funding of education sector, poor maintenance culture, inadequate
attention to communication between students and management, careless use of
facilities by students, mismanagement of funds by college authorities, poorly
executed projects, among others. There are measures to be adopted for
improvement, they include: the government giving special grants to colleges for
hostels, involving the private sector in the provision of student personnel services,
school authority completing all abandoned projects, students admission being
guided by existing student personnel services, financial assistance to students,
supervision of students affairs personnel more effectively etc. Based on the
findings, the educational implications were drawn and the following
recommendations, among others, were made. School authority should organize
seminars, orientations and talks on how to manage the student personnel services.
Funds should be judiciously used by the college administration. Private sector
should be encouraged to assist in the provision of these services. The education
sector should be adequately funded and admission exercises should be guided by
the available student personnel service.
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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The teaching and research functions of higher educational institutions play a
very important role in national development, especially in the development of
high-level manpower. However, in most cases, the societal expectations in terms of
goals are hardly met and part of the explanation is linked to the absence of
adequate and conducive environment for effective learning. To achieve this
objective, adequate provision of certain services to students should be fostered for
effective teaching and learning process. Among these are the student-personnel
services. Student personnel services in this context, refers to all the non-academic
services rendered to the students at the schools setting outside the formal
classroom instruction, for the purpose of healthy, physical, emotional, social and
moral development as part of their preparation for a responsible and productive
adult life. These services are complementary to the academic programme in
making a holistic and balanced education of the students. While the task of
intellectual and skill development can be accomplished through curriculum
planning and implementation, the task of developing responsible attitudes and
morals can only be achieved through the provision and administration of student
personnel services.

Although student personnel services has received very little attention in
professional literature and social administration, Duffy in Ejionume (2010)