INTEGRATION OF SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION IN MAKURDI METROPOLIS OF BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed the integration of security technologies for effective management of basic education in Makurdi Metropolis of Benue State, Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were formulated and tested. A descriptive survey research design was adopted in this study. The population of the study comprised 3,562 teachers from 118 basic schools (1,923 teachers from 47 public schools and 1,639 teachers from 71 private schools) in Makurdi Metropolis of Benue State. The study’s sample consisted of 178 teachers or 5% (96 public school teachers and 82 private schools’ teachers) from 12 primary schools or 10% (5 public schools and 7 private schools) constituted the sample for the study. The sample size was determined using a multi-stage sampling procedure that included proportionate stratified, purposive and simple random sampling techniques. The integration of Security Technologies for Effective Management Questionnaire (ISTFMQ) was constructed and used to collect data for this study. The collected data were analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation to answer the research questions and the Chi-square (χ2) goodness-of-fit test was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that biometric identification systems have significant positive impact on effective management of basic schools in Makurdi Metropolis. Intruders attempting to sneak in schools were easily identified. This has reduced unauthorized access to schools using such devices. The study further discovered that the video surveillance system had a significant positive impact on the effective management of basic schools, as it not only keeps records of pupils, staff and visitors who come in and out of the school but also monitors the manner of their entry and exit, including specific times and their activities within the school. The study recommended among other things that school administrators should collaborate with government and non-governmental organizations to install video surveillance systems in schools throughout Makurdi Metropolis and beyond to ensure the safety of these schools, given the increasing cases of insecurity.