Delegation Of Responsibilities As A Time-Management Strategy In The Administration Of Public Senior Secondary Schools In Kogi State, Nigeria
Keywords:
delegation; time management; school administration; principals; secondary schools; Kogi State; NigeriaAbstract
Delegation is an important administrative strategy through which school principals distribute responsibilities, authority and resources to competent staff while retaining accountability for organizational outcomes. This study examined the application of delegation of responsibilities as a time-management strategy in the administration of public senior secondary schools in Kogi State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and involved 333 respondents comprising 46 principals, 256 teachers and 31 Ministry of Education officials. Data were collected using the Application of Time Management Strategies to the Administration of Public Senior Secondary Schools Questionnaire (ATMSAPSSSQ). The delegation dimension consisted of ten items addressing timely delegation, communication, assignment according to staff ability, authority and resources, accountability, task completion limits and follow-up. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe responses, while one-way analysis of variance was used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed generally positive perceptions of principals’ delegation practices. For example, 100% of principals and Ministry of Education officials and 97.7% of teachers agreed that principals delegated authority and responsibility at the appropriate time. The reported ANOVA statistic for delegation was F(2, 330) = 3.507. Recalculation of the corresponding probability gives p = .031, indicating a statistically significant difference among the three respondent groups. The study concludes that delegation is an important time-management practice, but effective delegation requires clear communication, competent assignment, adequate authority and resources, defined completion periods and accountability. The study recommends systematic training for principals on strategic delegation and follow-up mechanisms.
References
Akomolafe, C. O., & Oluwatimehin, B. F. (2013). Principals’ time management in secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 4(1), 13–16.
Ezeokenwa, A. C., Oparaji, I., & Ikedimma, I. F. (2025). Time management and task delegation as predictors of principals’ administrative effectiveness in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. UNIZIK Journal of Educational Management and Policy, 7(1), 49–64.
Grissom, J. A., Loeb, S., & Master, B. (2013). Effective instructional time use for school leaders: Longitudinal evidence from observations of principals. Educational Researcher, 42(8), 433–444. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X13510020
Olaifa, A. S., Sani, L. H., Olaifa, E. O., & Adeoye, M. A. (2024). Principals’ delegation of functions and teachers’ job performance amidst Covid-19 pandemic in public senior secondary schools. Jurnal Pedagogi dan Pembelajaran, 7(1), 70–77. https://doi.org/10.23887/jp2.v7i1.70213
Wright, J. (2002, June 22). Time management: The pickle jar theory. A List Apart.
