EDUCATION LAW AND ITS IMPLICATIONS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

The study examined education law and its implications in the administration of public secondary schools in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Three objectives, three research questions and two hypothesis guided the study using a descriptive survey design. The population ofthe study comprised 515 secondary school principals in Bayelsa State. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 290 respondents, which comprised of male 190 and female 100 respectivelyfor the study. Data were collectedwith instrument titled “Education Law and Administration of Secondary Schools Questionnaire (ELASSQ)” which was structured on a 4-point Likert scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD).Two experts in measurement and evaluation and Educational Management validated the instrument.Test-retest was used to ascertain the reliability coefficient at 0.85. Data collected were statistically analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.The study revealed a high level of awareness of education law among male and female principals in the administration of secondary schools. The study also revealed challenges faced by principals in the implementation of education law in the administration of secondary schools in Bayelsa State. The study revealed a significant difference on the mean rating of male and female principals on the level of awareness of education laws and a significant difference on the mean rating on challenges principals faced implementing education laws in public secondary schools in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was therefore, recommended that government should intensify regular workshops, seminars, and encourage continuous professional development programs among principals on the importance of education laws for effective school administration.In addition, the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the educational agencies should ensure that education law is taught as a compulsory course in all teacher education programs, amongst others for the smooth administration of public secondary schools in Bayelsa State.