Influence of Cultism on Administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools in North Central Nigeria

The study investigated influence of Cultism on Administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools in North Central Nigeria. Specifically, the study was guided by two objectives, and one research question was raised and answered by the study.  One hypothesis was formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study covered the six states and Federal Capital Territory which make up North Central Nigeria. Population of the study was 6,792 administrative staff of Public Senior Secondary Schools which included Principals, Vice Principals and Dean of Studies. A sample of 378 respondents was drawn from the above population using Taro Yamane (1969) sample size determination formula. Mixed sampling technique was adapted and sampling was carried out in multi stages which included: purposive sampling, stratified proportionate random sampling and convenient sampling. A self-structured instrument titled “Cultism and Administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools Questionnaire” (CAPSSSQ) was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by experts in Educational Administration and Planning, and Measurement and Evaluation in J.S.Tarka University and Benue State University Makurdi, and further tested for internal consistency through a process of reliability using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.87. Descriptive statistics; Mean and Standard Deviation; were used to answer the research questions and Chi-square (X2) goodness of fit was utilized to test the hypotheses. Findings of the study revealed that Cultism negative significant influence on Administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools in North Central Nigeria. From the findings, it was concluded that Cultism influences safety, stability and effectiveness of the learning environment and poses a challenge to effective administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools in North Central Nigeria. It was therefore recommended that government should review existing policies in order to remove bottle necks in administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools in the study area to enable school administrators to put in place pro-active measures in managing schools in crises situations.