Managing School Business for Self Sufficiency and Poverty Reduction in Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Managing school business for self-sufficiency and poverty reduction in secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria, was the title of the work. The thrust of the study was the management of school business to achieve two major goals (a) the generation of revenues for the schools to be significantly self-sufficient (b) equipping students with relevant practical skills for the world of work to ensure poverty reduction. The design of the study was the descriptive survey. The population was all the 267 public secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. A sample of 40 schools was drawn through stratified random sampling technique, based on the location of the schools (urban and rural). 120 teachers responded to the instrument. The instruments for the study were questionnaire and structured interview. The reliability of the instrument was determined through the use of Pearson Product Moment Correlation, with a reliability index of 0.82. four research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study showed. Among other things that most of the schools have business plans, lease out their facilities for revenue and are also engaged in agricultural, arts and crafts activities, though on a limited scale. The study therefore recommended among other things that there should be specific policies guiding school business, strategic and operational plans to guide school business and vocational education.