ADMINISTRATIVE COMPETENCIES OF PRINCIPALS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE

The study investigated the competency needs of principals for effective school administration at public secondary school level. Three (3) research questions and three (3) corresponding hypotheses were used. A-30 item validated questionnaire was used for data collection with a sample of 100 principals selected from 100 public secondary schools. Descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard Deviation were used for data analysis. Results revealed that the instructional leadership skills needed by principals for effective competency in school’s administration include principal’s co-operation with teachers, effective supervision of lesson plans, teaching and learning activities, evaluating curriculum plan and implementation. The major personnel management skills needed by principals for effective school administration were motivation of staff and encouraging staff professional development, communicating among others. The study also found that the financial management skills needed by principals were joint preparation of budget with the management staff sourcing for funds and keeping accurate financial information. It was recommended that Principals should define objectives with teachers as teachers would be committed in their jobs to ensure that the objectives are achieved as they participate in deciding the objectives. Keywords: Administrative, competency, principal, public secondary school