AN EVALUATION OF PRINCIPALS’ PERCEPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FINANCING SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION SYSTEM: IMPLICATION FOR EFFECTIVE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Globally and specifically in Nigeria, the issue of educational financing has always been the concern of 
every stakeholder at all levels of education. Consequently, this study was conducted to evaluate 
principals’ perception of the alternative sources of financing public secondary education in Calabar 
Metropolis of Cross River State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the 
study. Two research questions were formulated to guide this study. The population of the study 
comprised all the principals and vice principals, making a total of seventy-two principals in the study 
area. It was a census study since all the principals in the study area were used as respondents. A 
questionnaire was used as the instrument for this study. All the data collected were analyzed using 
frequency counts and percentages. From the result of the analysis, Parents Teachers Association 
(PTA), tuition fees and alumni association are common alternative sources of financing secondary 
education in the study area. However, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), donation from 
philanthropists among others, were not perceived as the commons alternative sources of financing 
secondary school education in the study area. It was also discovered that, principals perceived 
opportunity for action, cooperation of members of the community like philanthropists and supports of 
the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) as what are needed to improve the alternative sources 
of financing secondary education. Arising from the result, it was recommended that, community 
members, old students association, PTA, NGOs should put more effort and should not relent in 
ensuring that there is improvement in their voluntary responsibility of financing education.