Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to identify and evaluate the 1eadership activities of principals in staff personnel administration. The study was carried out in the five local Governments Areas that make up Nsukku Educ:ation Zone. The sample of the study included 456 teachers and 3 principals drawn from 39 out of 78 Secondary Schools in Nsukka Education Zone. The main instrument of the study was questionaire. Two sets of questionnaires were used, One set was a two-part questionnaire designed to obtain responses from Principals and the other set was designed -to obtain responses from teachers. Valid returns from teachers and principals were analyzed and the results of the analyses were reported. Four research quest ions and two nu1I hypotheses were formulated: The statistical analysis of the data was based on means. t - test statistic was used to test the two null hypotheses. The following findings were made: 1.Principals perform very poorly in’ supervision, Encouragement and recommendation of staff for' in-service training programme and staff guidance. 2. Supervision received the least attention from the principals among the ten factors of effective staff personnel administration under which principals were evaluated. 3. Pri.ncipa1s perform well in activities, aimed at winning staff ' support, staff selection communication, orientation, staff discipline, delegation of duties to staff and they possess the personality traits required for effective staff personnel administration. 4. Tests of hypotheses showed that there was no significant difference between experienced and 1ess-experienced principals in their performances in staff personnel administration. The same was true between male and female principals . 5. The claim by principals that they were adequately trained and educated did not reflect in their performance, in some aspects of staff personnel administration. Based on the findings of the study, and the implications, specific recommendations were made. I t is recommended among others things that principals be made to undertake an I n service programme which will be specially designed to teach factors of effective staff personnel administration
