CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Every organization is supposed to be devoted to fostering a fair and stimulating work environment in order to empower its people. Staff development is viewed as one of the key bases of accomplishing this promise by the Support Council Education Service (2004). Staff development programs are therefore a process aimed to increase job comprehension, encourage more effective job performance, and set future career advancement goals. It aids employees in understanding their roles. It refers to the possibilities that are accessible to both new and seasoned teachers and teaching assistants (paraprofessionals) (Mike, 2018). These activities are intended to increase the quality of classroom learning while also allowing individuals to advance professionally.

Every civilization necessitates enough human and material resources in order to improve social organization, maintain culture, promote economic progress, and change political systems (Jude, 2019). Education is frequently regarded as a requirement for the growth of skilled labor and the generation of riches, as a definite road to success in life and contribution to mankind. As a result, teachers play a vital role in effectively preparing the young for their positions in society in order to fulfill the stated national objectives. Teachers' impact may be felt in all aspects of society. All other professions and employees in society have, at some point, been under the tutelage of a teacher, and hence whatever they have become is a direct result of what instructors have passed on to them (Okemakinde, Adewuyi &Alabi 2013).

Nighat, Syeda, and Syeda (2012), Education is critical not just for an individual's achievement, but also for the prosperity of the nation. Education is described as the development of pupils' knowledge, skills, and character. Its main goal is to teach an individual how to function in society by growing intelligence, preparing oneself to deal with life's realities, and helping the fulfillment of an individual's self-potential and hidden skills. Education entails the teaching and acquisition of specialized skills, good judgment, well-developed knowledge, and profundity (Syeda, Nighat & Syeda 2012). A successful teacher must possess attributes such as subject matter knowledge, professional training, good physical and mental health, and passion and dedication to his career (Syeda, Nighat & Syeda 2012). Today's teacher is someone who is not just concerned in their students' gained information and abilities, but also in their whole growth.

Given the importance of a teacher's role in the academic achievement and overall development of his students, it is essential that a teacher possesses qualities such as subject knowledge, moral and mental fitness, devotion to the profession, and appropriate skill to perform his duties in order to achieve the desired results. In an educational setting, a teacher must fulfill a variety of duties (Mike, 2018). He is expected to operate as a "authority figure, leader, knower, director, manager, counsellor, and guide" while also acting as a friend, confidante, and father. In this regard, a teacher is more than just a provider of knowledge and lessons in the classroom; he is also a person involved and interested in the wholesome development of students; he is thus expected to have certain qualities and characteristics such as subject proficiency, moral health, physical and mental fitness.

Effective performance on the part of employees is critical to the organization's success. Such performance will, to a considerable degree, be determined by their knowledge abilities and confidence in generating ideas for how to effectively carry out the job's tasks. As a result, there is a need for staff development programs that attempt to improve employees' performance at work and prepare them for additional responsibility. Teachers have a vital role in the curriculum's implementation. The quality of instructors is widely acknowledged to be an important predictor of student achievement. Teaching as a profession necessitates the constant improvement of knowledge and skill through training programs such as in-service, conferences, workshops, seminars, and mentoring staffs.

Staff development, in general, including in-service, conferences, workshops, seminars, and mentorship, is one of the most promising means of enhancing classroom instruction. It is an attempt to help classroom teachers improve their teaching tactics and approaches, handle new instructional resources, and have the requisite information and skills for efficient lesson delivery. In essence, a well-defined program is required to actualize the ideal of self-sufficiency, skill acquisition, and entrepreneurship through education. Staff development programs are often arranged by an institution, a corporate body, an association, or a government agency and endure for a short period of time (Ahmed, 2020).

In-service training programs are activities that are comparable to that but may take a long time to complete. In this situation, personnel who are already in the service attend training or courses to refresh or gain the intellectual and professional abilities required to do their responsibilities more efficiently (Newberry, 1979). As a result, the necessity for in-service training for teachers is critical to the success of education reform. It also acts as a link between aspiring and experienced educators, allowing them to address the new difficulties of directing students toward greater levels of learning and self-development.

The conference also promotes the growth and development of instructors. It is a structured gathering of individuals with a common interest, often held over many days at the school and cluster levels, with the goal of evaluating and commenting on practice on a regular basis. The conference includes a variety of educational personalities with a plethora of ideas. Robinson (1996), in examining the form and usage of conferences, which the researcher embraced as one of the aspects under training, acknowledged its strength for transmitting a message to a broad audience, while seeking chance to hear and remark on recognized authorities' points of view. Teachers have assessed a wide range of ideas through conference, which has resulted in improved performance.

Attendance in workshops is another sign of employee growth. A workshop is a gathering of individuals who learn or work on a creative endeavor or subject. It is intended to improve teachers' expertise and encourage the exchange of ideas. Workshops can be conducted in school clusters, and skilled teachers or university lecturers can be recruited to act as trainers and mentors in these clusters. Such formal arrangements for staff development must be supplemented by informal practices such as team teaching and the sharing of experiences and educational materials among instructors, all of which contribute significantly to self-improvement. This strategy has the benefit of enabling healthy conversations regarding various reform initiatives and innovations, as well as encouraging cooperation, peer mentoring, inquiry, collegial study groups, thoughtful discussion, and action.

The educator's knowledge, ideas, abilities, and attitude must be developed in an integrated and methodical manner. Seminars for teachers are an essential component in improving educational quality. A seminar is a group gathering led by an expert on a certain topic or field. Seminars often last a few days and include cooperative discussion, numerous presenters, and opportunity to share viewpoints and concerns concerning the topic. Attending a seminar may help you improve your communication skills, receive expert information, network with others, and rejuvenate your enthusiasm and confidence.

Novice instructors are confronted with more complicated tasks. Quality mentorship is an important aspect in why new teachers stay in the field and gain competence. Mentoring is an excellent approach of assisting novice teachers to advance in their careers. It is a personal development partnership in which a more experienced individual assists to guide a less experienced one (protégé). Mentoring is a procedure that involves informal contact, generally face-to-face, for the informal transmission of knowledge regarded by the receiver as significant to job, career, or professional growth. As a result, using effective teaching practices improves teacher quality. Mentoring is important in the adoption of best practices because it asks thoughtful questions, models successful instruction, and provides curricular materials (Ahmed, 2020).

Staff development has been recognized as an effective means of strengthening teachers' knowledge and abilities in order for instructors to teach more effectively. It is a critical component of the educational process that deals with the art of learning abilities in the teaching profession. They are necessary exercises that improve topic comprehension, teaching methods, and classroom management. According to Health (1989), the primary goals of staff development include improving professional competence, which will have an impact on personal growth and awareness, increasing job satisfaction and developing potential for future work, and improving individuals' and institutions' abilities to achieve their goals and objectives. Teachers will be able to function ideally, if not maximally, thanks to the skills and competences acquired as a result of judicious staff development programs. Their performance will not only enable them to deliver effective and proficient service, but will also open doors for technical improvement and the implementation of many policies aimed at humanely attaining our nation's most anticipated destination.

Staff development is influenced by the interactions of five main individuals or stakeholders. The ministry of education is in charge of teacher education, as are universities, schools, the community, and the instructors themselves. The ministry of education is in charge of establishing policies and providing budgetary assistance for teacher professional development. Universities and teacher education colleges are in charge of offering training, undertaking policy-oriented research, and providing appropriate literature and tools to help teachers in the classroom (Mike, 2018). On a daily basis, school administration is expected to give assistance to teachers through consultation, supervision, monitoring, and assessment of teaching and learning activities. The community is responsible for supporting teacher professional development by providing the required budgetary resources through the school committee. It is the teacher's responsibility to be proactive in exploring chances for professional development.

The goal of staff development programs is to keep the staff up to date on the latest developments in the field, or to ensure the promotion of professional growth, to help improve pedagogical skills, to keep teachers abreast of new knowledge, to meet specific needs, such as curriculum development and orientation, to assist in leadership responsibility, to assist in improving mutual respect among teachers, and to recognize the need for modern teaching methods. It is the most effective tool accessible to middle and upper-level executives in the country. It is heartening to see that the federal and state governments of Nigeria are aware of the enormous advantages that can be derived from staff development programs.

In Nigeria, for example, there are organizations such as: 1. The Centre for Management Development (CMD)

2. The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) (NIM)

3. Kuru, Jos, National Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies (NISPS)

4. Nigeria Administrative Staff Collage (ASCON)

As a result, every staff development program should be able to encourage and improve employee role perception, as well as build a right attitude toward the public. The necessity for effective staff development programs for teachers in Nigeria has been evident during the previous two decades. Teachers' standard of life is anticipated to increase as they get access to profitable activities, which will eventually lead to an improvement in their livelihoods. Thus, the job of education is not only to transmit information and skills that enable recipients to operate as economic and social change agents in society, but also to teach values, attitudes, and ambitions that are crucial for national development (Jude, 2019).

The obvious relationship between education and staff development programs is hence the strengthening of labor skills, which enhances prospects for well-paying productive jobs. As a result, residents of any nation may be able to fully utilize their good potentials. Udofia and Ikpe (2012) observed in their study on staff personnel management in schools that the Nigerian teacher is vilified by the exact society that the teacher works to develop. The majority of official announcements addressing the well-being of teachers had been empty promises. Teachers have suffered much in terms of their wellbeing, and they have also been abused by the authorities that are directly responsible for their care. Most teachers in the school system are dissatisfied with their circumstances, and as a result, the majority of them are dissatisfied with their work. The existing staff personnel management practices appear to indicate that the majority of teachers are dissatisfied with their jobs, which causes them to withdraw physically from teaching or remain in the classroom, posing a serious threat to school effectiveness because they may use adjustment mechanisms such as displacement, absenteeism, truancy, or apathy in their attitude toward work.

Many studies, such as those of Ajayi (1991) and Arikewuyo (2006), have revealed that secondary school teachers in Nigeria are not only unsatisfied with their teaching profession, but also have a lousy job with little status and no public acknowledgment. Teacher dissatisfaction is one of the most serious dangers to secondary education in Nigeria. Tensions in the Nigerian educational system are caused, in part, by teachers' discontent with their jobs. In the following lines, Nwadiana (2008) describes the working environment of Nigerian teachers:

Teachers have been dejected and appear to be rejected over the years. Salaries are low and are not paid on a regular basis. Teachers have gone on strike on several occasions as a result of the aforementioned incident. Teachers subsist on handouts. Other members of the public mock them, saying that their reward awaits them in paradise. Teachers in Nigeria are destined to a life of abject poverty (p.9).

The 2008 national teachers' strike was recorded in all 36 states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja. It does so over a number of grievances, including the lack of in-service training programs for teachers, a poor salary structure and allowances, a lack of a functional welfare scheme, including staff pensions, poor working conditions, a lack of teaching and learning resources, a lack of a conducive teaching environment, and insufficient incentives (News Watch News Magazine, 2008). A staff development program has a substantial influence on the success of educational reforms and the learning of pupils. The more opportunities teachers have to be both subjects and objects of educational reform, the more effective both the change and the teachers' work will be. To ensure the efficacy of this process, staff development programs must be designed, sponsored, financed, and researched in a methodical manner.

As a result, this study is critical in addressing key issues such as staff development programs in the Nigerian context, in order to determine how effective they are, how they have affected teacher service delivery, and the positive impact this can have on the academic performance of secondary school teachers in Yola Metropolis.

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