ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine the administrative challenges that headteachers face which affect academic performance in the day secondary schools in Igoji East Division. This study was guided by the following specific objectives: to investigate if discipline is an administrative challenge affecting the academic performance of day secondary schools in Igoji East Division, to find out the extent to which finance is an administrative challenge that affects the academic performance of day secondary schools in Igoji East Division, to determine if curriculum implementation is an administrative challenge that affects academic performance of day secondary schools in Igoji East Division and to assess if material and other physical facilities is an administrative challenge that affects the academic performance of day secondary schools in Igoji East Division. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The study targeted all the 17 headteachers, 325 teachers and 1700 students in the 17 day secondary schools in Igoji East Division. One Area Education Officer in charge of the division also took part in the study. Ten out of 17 schools were selected to take part in the actual study. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 headteachers from the sampled schools while simple random sampling was used to select 30 teachers. Three hundred students were also randomly selected to take part. This represented 17.65% of the students‟ population. The area Education Officer was also targeted. Data was collected by administering questionnaires to the sampled Headteachers, students and the Area Education Officer. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The obtained data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including percentages and frequency counts. Pie charts, graphs and frequency distributions tables were used to present the data. The study established that the major administrative challenges that influenced students‟ academic performance were: students‟ indiscipline, management of school finances and inadequate teaching/ learning materials and physical facilities. This undermined effectiveness of school administrators in ensuring there is smooth teaching and learning process in schools which eventually translated to poor academic performance among students. The study recommends that: All schools should have effective students‟ centered guidance and counseling programmes as an intervention measure to help schools to deal with indiscipline cases. The government should give more funding to the education sector in order to provide the basic infrastructures like classroom, laboratories and text books; Stakeholders, aluminae and all well wishers should be mobilized to raise funds to supplement the government and parents in the provision of school essential facilities e.g. libraries, classrooms, computer labs, laboratories and other facilities that can enhance practical learning that can give meaning to academic work, among other recommendations.
