Human Resource Management Practices For Quality Education Delivery In Universities

(Ho): Photographs in The Nigerian Observer have no significant impact on the comprehension and retention of news stories among readers.

(Hi): Photographs in The Nigerian Observer have a significant impact on the comprehension and retention of news stories among readers.

What are the impact of photographs on the comprehension and retention of news stories among readers of The Nigerian Observer?.

What are the emotional responses of readers to photographs in The Nigerian Observer and how these responses influence their engagement with the newspaper?.

What are the role of photographs in enhancing the perceived credibility and trustworthiness of news stories in The Nigerian Observer?.

What are the differences in responses to photographs between print and digital formats of The Nigerian Observer, with a focus on reader demographics and preferences?.

Introduction

Background of the Study

University is the highest level of every educational system and it is a major vehicle for economic and social development. According to the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004), the mandate of the university is to teach and develop high level relevant manpower, conduct research for development and provide community service. Moreso, the vital role of the university in national development has been highlighted. According to Onokerhoraya and Nwonye (1995), universities are responsible for equipping individuals with the advanced knowledge and skills needed for positions of responsibility in government, business and other professions. This means that universities are expected to produce high level manpower that can respond positively to the nation"s goals and aspirations.

The achievement of the above laudable goals of a university depends to a large extent on availability of resources and their proper management. Hanson (1995) defined a resource as simply whatever that can be used to perform an educational function and realize an educational goal. To Adedeji (1998), resources are the things invested into the educational system with a view to achieving educational aims and objectives maximally and at a reduced cost.
Based on the above definitions, one can deduce that resources are the vital inputs made into the educational system for the achievement of the specified educational aims and objectives.

The resources needed for the effective operation of universities have been identified by various authorities in educational administration. According to Ndu (1991), Emetarom (1991), Ibiam (2008), and Ogbonnaya (2009), these resources include: human, physical and financial resources and they are widely regarded as factor resources. However, it is pertinent to note that human resources are of interest to this study in relation to their management for quality education delivery in universities.

Human resources have been conceptualized in different ways by different authors. Ndiomu (1992) defined human resources as the human beings working in an organization who are responsible for the supply of physical labour, technical and professional skills vital to effective and efficient planning and implementation of organizational policies, programmes, projects and daily activities of the organization. Herkimer (2008) defined human resources as the people working in an organization and the totality of the knowledge, skills, competencies, talents and other attributes that allow them to contribute to their personal and social well being as well as those of the organization and the wider society. Based on the above definitions, one can conclude that human resources essentially refer to the people working in an organization and who possess different specializations, capabilities and roles required for the effective and efficient realization of the goals of the organization. As used in this study, therefore, human resources refer to the teaching and non- teaching staff of a university and whose responsibility are to supply the physical labour, technical and professional knowledge and skills needed for the delivery of quality education in the university.

Human resources are vital to the delivery of quality education in universities. Therefore, they require proper management. It is in recognition of this fact that Ezeocha (1990), Ukeje, Akabogu and Ndu (1992), and Ogbonnaya (2004) emphasized that there is need for educational institutions including universities to manage their human resources effectively and efficiently for the delivery of quality education leading to the achievement of their overall educational goals. This means that the realization of the goals of educational institutions including universities depends to a large extent on how well their human resources are being managed.

The term "management" has been defined by different people and with each person defining it according to his or her own orientation. For instance, in the view of Cole (2002), management is the organization and mobilization of all the resources of an organization for the achievement of identified objectives. According to Casio (2006), management simply refers to the purposeful employment of resources to achieve specified organizational objectives. From these definitions of management, one can deduce that it is essentially a social process aimed at achieving organizational goals through efficient utilization of available human, physical and financial resources of the organization. Thus, management is operationally defined in this study as the effective organization and utilization of the human resources of universities for the delivery of quality education in the universities.

However, there have been diverse opinions concerning how universities manage their human resources for quality education delivery. Nevertheless, these opinions lack empirical evidence because no study known to the researcher has been carried out to ascertain the human resource management practices for quality education delivery in universities in South East Nigeria. Therefore, it was necessary to empirically determine the human resource management practices for quality education delivery in universities in South East Nigeria hence, the need for the present study.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Based on the research findings highlighted at the background of this study, universities now produce poor quality graduates that do not meet the knowledge and skill requirements for national development. Studies have also shown that universities are characterized by employment of unqualified staff, irregular staff training and development programmes, poor motivation of staff, and irregular staff promotion and performance appraisal.
Furthermore, the National Universities Commission (NUC) which is mandated to co-ordinate the activities of all universities in Nigeria had in its 2002 research report on the state of university education in Nigeria expressed its dissatisfaction with all universities in Nigeria for the poor quality of their graduates. The NUC in its (2012) publication also cautioned universities in Nigeria to look for ways of improving the poor quality education they are now delivering. The inability of universities to produce quality graduates requisite for Nigeria"s socio-economic development has been blamed on how these universities manage the human resources at their disposal. One then wonders how these human resources are managed for quality education delivery in universities. Regrettably, no study known to the researcher has been carried out to determine the ways in which universities manage their human resources for quality education delivery. Consequently, it was the problem of this study to empirically determine the human resource management practices for quality education delivery in universities in South East Nigeria.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study was to investigate the human resource management practices for quality education delivery in universities in South East Nigeria. Specifically, this study sought to:

Ascertain the staff recruitment and selection practices in universities in South East Nigeria.

Determine ways universities in South East Nigeria train and develop their staff.

Find out ways universities in South East Nigeria motivate their staff.

Ascertain the staff discipline and control measures adopted by universities in South East Nigeria.

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study has both theoretical and practical significance. The theoretical significance of this study is based on the systems theory. The systems theory is an integrative theory propounded by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in 1951. It assumes that an organization is a unified and purposeful system composed of inter-related and inter-dependent parts such that an activity in any part of the organization affects the activity of every other parts. For instance, human resource management in a university is an integration of different functions which combine to deliver quality education in the university and any negligence in the performance of any of these functions will grossly affect the delivery of quality education in the university.

Based on the assumptions of the systems theory, the human resource management practices in universities are said to combine to deliver quality education in universities. This theory has, therefore, provided the base for this study to ascertain all the human resource management practices carried out in universities as an integrated approach to quality education delivery in universities hence, its relationship to this study.

1.5 Research Questions

For the purpose of guiding the study, the following research questions were posed:

What are the staff recruitment and selection practices in universities in South East Nigeria?

In what ways do universities in South East Nigeria train and develop their staff?

What are the ways universities in South East Nigeria motivate their staff?

What are the staff discipline and control measures adopted by universities in South East Nigeria?

1.6 Scope of the Study

The geographical scope of this study was de-limited to all the public universities in South East Nigeria. South East Nigeria is made up of five states, namely: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States.

In the area of the content, the study covered the human resource management practices for quality education delivery in universities in South East Nigeria which include: staff recruitment and selection, staff training and development, staff motivation, staff discipline and control, and staff performance appraisal.

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