ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of
the committee system in the management of Colleges of Education in the Central
Region of Ghana. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A sample
of 220 tutors and 43 students was used for the study. The sample was selected
through purposive, census and proportional stratified sampling. Data was
collected through the use of a researcher-designed questionnaire for both
tutors and students. Data was analysed descriptively using frequencies and
percentages and means and standard deviations. The study revealed that the
committees in the sampled colleges were functional. Specifically, the
committees were willing to seek the progress of the Colleges, engaged in
decision making concerning students, planning and review of academic calendar
and assessment and evaluation of staff and students. In addition, the study
found that most of the committees were perceived as necessary in the management
of the colleges. Finally, the study showed that Committee Systems encountered
several challenges such as the presence of too many bureaucracies resulting in
delays in decision making, authorities not carrying out recommendations of
committees, nature and frequency of meetings, inadequate financial and
administrative support. It was concluded that the Committee Systems in the
Colleges of Education in the Central Region were effective in the performance
of their roles. It was recommended therefore that authorities of Colleges of
Education should implement the recommendations of committees as and when
necessary.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Tertiary educational institutions
provide a platform for students and faculty members to respectfully study for
higher academic qualifications (degrees and diplomas) and engage in research to
advance the frontiers of knowledge. Ogbogu (2011) asserted that tertiary
educational institutions are veritable tools for the realisation of national
development, the development of cultured citizens and the promotion of
research. Ogbogu added that tertiary education serves as progenitor of social
change through the generation and dissemination of knowledge and new ideas. The
World Bank (2002) added that tertiary education provides not only high level
skills necessary for every market but also the training essential for teachers,
doctors, nurses, civil servants, engineers, humanists, entrepreneurs,
scientists and a myriad of personnel. One of the tertiary educational
institutions that provides training of teachers in Ghana is the College of Education
(CoE).
According to Newman (2013),
Colleges of Education (CoEs) play important roles in a nation’s development
effort by preparing their students to teach in basic schools. This implies that
a CoE in Ghana is mandated to build up the professional capacity of teachers
and promote the teaching of the humanities, science and information
communication and technology. The CoEs previously referred to as Teacher
Training Colleges, have passed through various stages of development. Prior to
2008, Teacher Training Colleges were operating as post-secondary institutions,
categorized under Level 4 (post-secondary non-tertiary) of International
Standard Classification.
In 2012, the CoE Act (2012), Act
847 was passed and this has upgraded the Teacher Training Colleges to tertiary
education status, and also changed its name to “College of Education”.
For the CoE in Ghana to carry out
its functions and to adequately fulfil the needs of the society, it needs efficient
and effective management systems which would merge the traditional academic
culture with the demands of a high technology driven knowledge economy. This
means that the goals of CoEs in Ghana can be optimally achieved when the
college administrators (Principals of the colleges) effectively organise the
human resources in the colleges for effective and efficient management
strategies. This view is expressed in a description of management by Pearce and
Robinson (as cited in Hannagan, 2005) as the process of optimising human,
material and financial contributions for the achievement of organisational
goals. Management aims at getting things done by other people. The above
emphasises the fact that managers achieve organisational objectives by
arranging for other people to perform whatever tasks are required, and do not
necessarily carry out these tasks themselves. According to Hannagan, this is
obviously essential in a football team where even a player-manager must have
other people to help the team to win. In industry one-person business can
succeed by specialising in one aspect of the process, but major products and
services are supplied by larger organisations because one-person business
cannot produce enough goods and services to meet consumer demand.
In Ghana, Teacher Training Colleges
(now Colleges of Education) are educational institutions charged with the
responsibility for training and preparing teachers academically and
professionally for instructional work as well as non-instructional
supportive functions at the basic school level. According to Farrant (1985) the
teacher training colleges have the responsibility of inculcating or
re-enforcing discipline in teacher trainees to enable them to do likewise to
their pupils as well as maintaining high level of discipline in the schools
they will be teaching later in their professional career.
The Longman Dictionary of
Contemporary English defines committee as a group of people chosen to represent
a larger group in order to do a particular job and make decision. Nwachukwu
(1988) defines committee as a device for achieving coordination of activities
and sharing information among various departments and divisions of an
organisation. The growing popularity of the needs for collective efforts in
most organisations nowadays has made the argument for the use of committees
more plausible.
Obayan (2002) posited that
committee system is a vital ingredient for effective administration of
educational institutions and maintained that collaborative effort gives
administrators, educators and other stakeholders the opportunity to deal with
complex educational issues as a group. Cotton (2005) equally stressed that a
democratic method of school management that allows employees, particularly
teachers, adequate participation in any decisions that affect them through
committee system, contributes significantly to principals’ administrative
effectiveness. Scholars, right from the medieval periods, were reported to have
practised consultative system of decision making, now referred to as the
committee system (Adebayo, 2004). In those periods, they were allowed to study,
write and consult one another on various issues and thus develop a
participatory form of government in their various institutions of learning. The
extent to which school administration is based on committee system was also pointed out by
Bunza (1999) that virtually all issues, no matter how big or small is
considered by a committee, which either takes final decision or sends its
recommendations to an approving authority. Alabi (2000) submitted as key
advantages of participatory decision making broadened support and acceptance,
easier coordination and communication, culminating in improved decisions.
Ijaiya (2000) also noted that the visible sign of delegation, especially in
Nigerian secondary schools, is the increasing use of committees.
Though the use of committees is not
new in schools, what is however novel is their increasing popularity. Within
the school system, committees in existence vary in their types, status and
procedures of their constitutions. Adebayo (2004) maintained that a committee
may either be a line or staff committee depending on its authority. If the
authority involves decisions affecting subordinates responsible to it, it is a
line committee. If the authority’s relationship to a superior is however
advisory, it is a staff committee. Researchers on administrative effectiveness
are often faced with problems of deciding which organisational aspects and what
criteria should be used. Available literature shows that administrative
effectiveness could be measured in terms of the relationship between the
organisation and the external environment (Heck, Johnsrud, & Rosser, 2000).
Effectiveness of school administrators is however dependent on personal
qualities, interaction with subordinates and the situation as well as their
ability to inspire all members of the school community to work together toward
the goal of excellent education of all students (Brouten, 2005).
The need for effective human
resource management strategies that incorporate Committee System in the
administration of secondary school cannot be over emphasized. School management
is focused on efficient management of human and material resources. The
management of school organisation requires the adoption of Committee System
because of the bureaucracy, collegial and political models that are applicable
(Dauda, 2000). The tasks of school principals are enormous and the need to
involve teachers and other administrative staff in the management process to
ensure optimal production, efficiency, satisfaction, adaptiveness and development
cannot be over-emphasized.
Many teachers crave for
participation in the running of the school. They do not only want to be
involved in decision making at staff meetings, but also want to take active
role in the effective administration of the school, which could possibly be
satisfied through the use of school communities. It should be noted that the
internal processes within the school organisations are very essential for the
determination of effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the school system. These
internal processes include the school climate, staff involvement in decision
making, leadership behaviour and communication process. The setting up of
committee is a strong force in these internal processes that could bring about
school effectiveness. There is also the growing assumption that committee works
in schools and colleges affect negatively the academic work of teachers. Thus,
instead of the involvement in the running of the school being a morale booster
to the teacher and affecting his teaching tasks positively, it is now a
situation in which the primary duties of teaching the students are relegated
for ad hoc committee duties. Thus, there is the problem of effective
utilisation of the committee system in the schools. This assumption has
prompted the quest to examine the use of committee system and its impact on
principals’ administrative effectiveness.
Organisations, whether they are
companies, educational institutions, hospitals or football teams, will all have
objectives. They will all have a purpose for being in existence and for
continuing their work. In the educational setting, the objectives may be
expressed in terms of educational achievements. Managers are the people
responsible for helping organisations to achieve their objectives and for
creating and implementing their plans. According to Hannagan (2005), managers
are responsible for “the process of planning, organising, leading and
controlling the efforts of organisation members and of using all organisational
resources to achieve stated organisational goals” (p. 5). At first glance a
manager’s role is to organise, supervise and control people so that there is
productive outcome to work.
The concept of management in
education deals with the co-ordination and utilisation of resources both human
and material for the accomplishment of educational objectives. In Ijomah’s
(2001) view, management of tertiary education institutions such as the CoE will
definitely require participation through the committee system. This implies
that for the sake of meaningful decision and achievement of special and
technical tasks at the CoE, certain committees need to be created. These
committees create opportunities for the CoE to maximise the potentials of the
students, the educational aims, and the efficient running of colleges.
Ayodele and Ekundayo (2005)
describe a committee as a device for achieving co-ordination of activities and
sharing information among various departments and divisions of an
organisation. The CoE, as a tertiary educational system, requires
well-resourced committee systems for effective administration in order to
achieve their numerous objectives. This view is also expressed by Obayan (2002)
and Dauda (2000). Cotton (2005) added that committee system is a democratic
method of school management. The use of the committee system in the management
of tertiary education is of great importance and requires that the right persons
be used. This system was entrenched in the act establishing CoEs in Ghana as
indicated in the CoE Act of 2012 (Act 847). This Act disperses responsibilities
to reflect the democratic nature of colleges’ decisions which must reflect the
opinion of a cross section of the staff and students if such decisions are to
be acceptable to all concerned. This explains why many institutions in the
country have established many committees to assist management in arriving at
useful and meaningful decisions that could facilitate the proper management and
growth of the tertiary education system.
Arriving at useful and meaningful
decisions that could facilitate the proper management and growth of CoEs
requires the choice and use of the right persons in the various committees. The
choice of the right persons should depend on their skill, ability and positions
in the organisation. Also, the selection of the right person(s) allows for the
greater participation of more competent staff and students. This is desirable,
valuable and of paramount importance for the smooth running of the system, as
it makes the process of democratisation very easy and gives room for
consultation, joint decision-making and for the concept of dispersed
responsibility. This system leads to a decentralised administration thus
encouraging individual and collective participation.
In the view of Dauda (2000), the
management of college organisation requires the adoption of committee system
because of the bureaucracy, collegial, and political models that are
applicable. The tasks of college principals are therefore enormous and the need
to involve teachers and other administrative staff in the management process to
ensure optimal production, efficiency, satisfaction and development cannot be
over-emphasised. Obayan (2002) opined that the committee system is a vital
ingredient to achieving effective tertiary education administration. Similarly,
Cotton (2005) asserted that the committee system is a democratic method of
college management that must be utilised no matter the cost.
However, the activities of the
committee system in the CoEs affect the academic work of teachers at the
colleges. Thus, instead of the involvement in the running of the college being
a morale booster to the teacher and affecting his/her teaching tasks
positively, it is now a situation in which the primary duties of teaching the
students are relegated to the background in order to engage in ad hoc or
standing committee duties. Thus, there is a problem of effective utilisation of
the committee system in the colleges. This assumption has prompted the quest to
examine the nature of the committee system of management adopted by the CoEs in
Ghana in terms of its effectiveness and how it is being utilised to achieve set
institutional goals. The need to critically examine the committee system with
the view to diagnosing the challenges confronting it in order to take the
appropriate actions to address them becomes apparent.
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