Study Of The Influence Of Principal/Teachers Relationship On Teachers’ Effectiveness In Secondary School

INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study:
The issue of poor academic performance of students in Nigeria, has been of much concern to all and sundry
The problem is so much that it has led to the widely acclaimed fallen standard in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State and Nigeria at large.
The quality of education depends on the teacher as reflected in the performance of their duties. Over time pupils’ academic performance in both internal and eternal examinations had been used to determine excellence in teachers and teaching (Ajao 2001).
In the secondary school system in Nigeria, teaching learning process requires a lot of human resource input both on the part of the government and the students.
Basically, human and material resources are needed, in good number and quality for successful school work.
The teaching experience, dedication and qualification of principals and teachers are of much importance since they can significantly influence the academic achievements of students in the schools.
School with its bureaucratic is an educational establishment where students are exposed to experience well programmed f for the benefit of the learners and the communities in which they find themselves.
Okere et al (1985) states that “the central purpose of administration in general is the coordination of human and material resources towards the attainment of some pre-determined objectives”. In school administration therefore, the primary aim is to improve teaching and learning. All the activities of the principal must be directed towards this end, and in order to achieve this aim, he must work with the various groups of people, the school, the community, the government, the ministry, the school board and closet of these are the teachers. In addition to administrative duties the principal must see to the progress of students, discipline of students, and assignment of teachers to appropriate classes, placement of students in their classes and motivation of the staff under him.
As a leader, the principal initiates structures within the school for orchestrating the contribution of teacher, guidance, counselors and other student personnel to allow each student to increase his feelings of satisfactions, belongingness, identification and achievement in present and protected situations. By looking at the tone and educational climate of a school, one is in act viewing the essence of a leader’s values and beliefs about how people learn. The actions of the principal are noticed and interpreted as what is important
Goldman (1998) states “Good kindergarten practice is good leadership practice. It’s about acknowledging that each person has different gifts, strengths, and concerns and then finding a way to utilize them. It’s about giving teachers a sense of understanding, empathy, partnership and belonging “. Furthermore, he concludes that sensitivity to the role of leader means both examining practice and examining the values that determine practice.
For a school principal to be successful, he needs to really examine himself and be aware of the odious task before him. No matter the administrative and management skill of the principals, effective school administration depends entirely on their cooperation with teachers.
Teachers have been shown to have an important influence on students’ academic achievement (It’s effectiveness) and they also play a crucial role in educational attainment because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating policy into action and principal based on practice during interaction with the student, (Afe, 2001). Both teaching and learning depend on teachers; no wonder an effective teachers has been conceptualized as one who produces desired results in the course of his/her duty as a teacher (Uchefuna 2001)
In the same way, teachers depend on the principals. The principal has a specialized and particular responsibility distinct from any other member of his staff for the success of the institutions. Therefore to carry out this responsibility successfully it is essential that he be the final authority in the school. He should however display, utilize or assert his status authority on few occasions and with as little ostentation as possible. He should realize the need, to resort to status – authority is a reflection on his leadership ability. He should exert influence through his human relation as represented by his friendliness and zeal by his sincere acceptance of the members of his staff as full partners in the enterprise, by the fairness of his decisions by the depth of his general knowledge and the expertness of his professional skills.
For the tone of any school to be standard, there should be cordial relationship between the teachers, the principals, the students and the entire members of the communities. Before, the emphasis was on respects, discipline and cooperation among teachers, students and the entire members of the communities. Nowadays, the principals and teachers deal with unfamiliar problems of tension. The social revolution which has over taken our communities to varying degrees has affected the school curriculum, school organization, discipline, students’ behaviors, community relation and the very nature of the teaching-learning process itself.
Okon and Anderson (1982) states the “The behavior of our secondary school students has in recent years, become an issue of national concern and it constitutes a cause for alarm from many quarters. The federal Military Government described it in the terminology of indiscipline, laxity, materialism, and lack of compassion. Morality and decency are values which most people agree should be upheld in schools, but today they are lacking. Researchers have come out with the view that schools will be more effective only if their purposes are clearly defined and are understood by all concerned as this will prevent member from working with different objectives.
For effective productivity the principal should share responsibility reasonably among his teachers according to their specializations and abilities. The principals must try to coordinate the various part of the school so that proper relationship will exist and the total effort of all will help accomplish the aim of the school.
If the principal decides to do all alone because of lack of confidence or he feels threatened by his teachers, he ends up unsuccessful, hated and over worked. Ukeje (1982) in supporting this, states that the principal should “develop an internal staff organization with clear lines of authority and responsibilities”.
The school is a social system and a formal organization and like every formal organization, elements of administration must be used in running the organization. Some of these elements are clear statements of aims and objectives, hierarchy of authority, unity of command, delegation of authority, division of labor, and effective communication and coordination of various tasks such as staff development and student’s achievement.
In the school system, these responsibilities of coordinating the activities, normally falls on the principal at the secondary school. The principal is saddled with responsibility of managing human resources in the school and he is appointed as a result of qualification and seniority to oversee the proper running of the school in terms of staff and students welfare and discipline; hence, the growth and development of secondary schools in Nigeria depend largely on the principalship (Peretomede 1992).
Edem (1987) in summarizing the need for good communication states that:
“A school is an open social system, one of the attributes of which is its capacity to exchange information with others, plus the ability of its units, down to the level of individual staff and pupils, to exchange input and output”.
Communication is the vital organ of passing necessary information and receiving feed back. The principal communicates with his teachers on a daily basis on various school activities. Official circulars and messages from the ministry of Education or the school Board, reach the teachers through the principals. A good administrator must pass on needed information in good time to enable all concerned to digest the information properly before making up their mind on the response. It helps to avoid the rush, stampede, confusion and possible frustration and embarrassment.
In decision making principals should see that they don’t practice one man decision system. They should exert influence though their human relation as represented by their friendliness and zeal, by their sincere acceptance of the members of their staff as full partners in the school, by their fairness of their decision by the depth of their general knowledge and the expertness of their professional skills.
According to Ukeje (1992); “from time to time the school administrator should remind himself of certain basic principles underlying all policies and practices in personnel management, of certain implications for the conduct of human affairs. Three considerations stand out readily in the minds of the writers: A high regard for the individual, there should be faith attached to group judgment and decision … The school administrator should work with staff and lay man and let mandates grow out of group decisions in which he shares…”
Some times there may appear to be conflict between what seems best for the teachers and the principal. When this happens, a solution that hurts neither of them should be served, for the survival of many. Influence of principal/teachers relationship did not attend any training on educational administration, which in turn affects student’s achievement.
The researcher also suggests that, to control the excesses influence of principal and teacher effectiveness on students achievement both the teacher and principals should maintain order and harmony and to ensure unity of purpose in the secondary schools. Both principals and teachers should also be exposed to the study of legal aspect of educational administration.
This will enhance mutual understanding and awareness of their rights and obligation. It will help to avoid most professional hazards: like quarrelling, scandalizing and fighting that are existing in our secondary schools which affect students’ achievement.

Statement of the Problem:
It is on record that misunderstanding, suspicion, rivalry and conflict exit in our secondary schools.
This is attributable to many factors. It is in the light of this that this research work is designed to investigate and identify some of the problems that influence cordial relationship between the principals and teachers effectiveness in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area.
The researchers will investigate the leadership styles of the principals, special knowledge and skills acquired as administrators and the teachers’ knowledge of their rights and obligations in the teaching profession.
Purpose of the Study:
The purpose of this is to investigate and identify the actors that influence the relationship between the principals and teachers in secondary schools in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area and to make suitable recommendations arising from the study on ways it influences teachers’ effectiveness.
It is also to discover the strength of relationship between principals and teachers in secondary schools.

Significance of the Study:
This study is of importance to principals and teachers who often complain of indiscipline and moral decadence among students and members of the communities where they teach. The standard and tone of any school depends much on the cordial relationship between the principal and the teachers.
This study will serve as a means of finding out the influence of principal/teacher relationship on teachers’ effectiveness in secondary schools in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area. It will alert principals and teachers that ugly situations such as quarrels, suspicion, rivalry and conflict in schools are not good to be observed by the students as this may affect teachers’ effectiveness in classroom and the students imitate these habits, and learning and teaching will be adversely affected.

Research Questions:
For the purpose of this investigation, the following research questions are used:
(1) Does principal/teachers relationship have significant influence in teachers’ classroom effectiveness?
(2) To what extent can division of labor (principal sharing responsibilities with his teachers) in our secondary schools improve teachers’ effectiveness and also have significant impact in students’ performance both in and outside classroom?
(3) To what extent does principal/teachers relationship influence the students’ achievement in secondary school in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area?
(4) How does lack of interest in the welfare of teachers by some principals affect the relationship between principal and teachers?