FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BWARI AREA COUNCIL, ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between financial management practices and the operational effectiveness of public secondary schools in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. Two dimensions of financial management practice, budget planning and financial control, were investigated in relation to school operational effectiveness, guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses. A correlational survey research design was adopted because it permits the description and quantification of relationships between naturally occurring variables without manipulation of the study environment. The population comprised all teachers in public secondary schools in Bwari Area Council, from which a sample was drawn using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique to ensure fair representation of teachers across schools, gender and years of teaching experience. Data were collected using a self-structured instrument, the Financial Management Practices and Operational Effectiveness Questionnaire (FMPOEQ), which was subjected to face and content validation by experts in educational management and measurement and evaluation, and trial-tested to establish an internal consistency reliability index using Cronbach's alpha. The instrument was administered directly to respondents by the researcher, with the support of trained research assistants. Data collected were analysed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) to answer the research questions and test the null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a strong, positive and statistically significant relationship between budget planning and the operational effectiveness of public secondary schools, as well as between financial control and operational effectiveness. Consequently, both null hypotheses were rejected. The study concludes that deliberate budget planning and rigorous financial control are critical determinants of how effectively public secondary schools deploy scarce resources towards the achievement of their educational goals. It is recommended that school administrators be trained in participatory budgeting and internal control procedures, and that education authorities strengthen the monitoring and supervision of school finances within the Area Council.