IMPLEMENTATION OF STUDENT PERSONNEL SERVICES IN FEDERAL AND STATE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

The primary aim of this research was to investigate the implementation of student personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south –eastern Nigeria. Student personnel services are regarded very important as they aid in the all round development of the students, thus, enabling them to achieve their objectives and those of their institutions. Student personnel services embrace all those services to students that supplement regular instruction. As part and parcel of school administration, it is seen as a critical function to the effective operation of any school. This informed the present study on implementation of student personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria. The purpose was to ascertain the extent of implementation of these student services in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria. Four research questions and four null hypotheses were formulated for the study. A 51 – items questionnaire was developed and administered to 770 respondents, comprising of 330 staff and students of federal and 440 staff and students of state colleges of education. A non-proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 10 senior staff of student affairs department and 100 final year students from each of the seven federal and state colleges of education in the geopolitical zone. Mean score was used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics was employed in testing the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that the student personnel services studied was available, but inadequate and are of poor quality. Constraints to the effective implementation include: poor funding of education sector, poor maintenance culture, inadequate attention to communication between students and management, careless use of facilities by students, mismanagement of funds by college authorities, poorly executed projects, among others. There are measures to be adopted for improvement, they include: the government giving special grants to colleges for hostels, involving the private sector in the provision of student personnel services, school authority completing all abandoned projects, students admission being guided by existing student personnel services, financial assistance to students, supervision of students affairs personnel more effectively etc. Based on the findings, the educational implications were drawn and the following recommendations, among others, were made. School authority should organize seminars, orientations and talks on how to manage the student personnel services. Funds should be judiciously used by the college administration. Private sector should be encouraged to assist in the provision of these services. The education sector should be adequately funded and admission exercises should be guided by the available student personnel service.