PRINCIPALS’ SAFETY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated principals’ safety management practices for effective administration of public senior secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. Three objectives, three research questions and three corresponding null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study consisted of 302 Principals and 6557 teachers totaling 6859 in 302 public senior secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. The sample for this study was 686 respondents: comprising of 604 teachers’ and 82 Principals. The respondents were stratified into principals and teachers of selected schools. The 686 respondents selected represented 10° o of the total population of teachers’ and principals (6859) of public senior secondary schools of Rivers State. The instrument that was used for data collection was a self-constructed questionnaire titled ‘Principals’ Safety Management Practices for Effective Administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria Questionnaire’ (PSMPEAQ). The reliability of the instrument was established using the Cronbach's alpha internal consistency method. The average reliability index obtained for sections A, B, and C, answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings from this study showed that to a high extent principals’ use of risk assessment and mitigation as a management practice enhance effective administration of public senior secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. It concluded that safety practices emerge as essential components, fostering a culture of awareness and preparedness among both staff and students, thereby creating a secure atmosphere for teaching and learning. The study recommends among others that state government should carry out professional development programs for principals in Rivers State, Nigeria to strengthen their capacity in conducting comprehensive risk assessments and effective risk mitigation strategies.