Managerial Strategies for Combating Corruption in Public Secondary School Administration in Anambra State, Nigeria

This study investigated managerial strategies for combating corruption in school administration in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. Three specific purposes, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised all the 266 principals in 266 public secondary schools in Anambra State. The sample size of the study was all the 266 principals in public secondary schools in Anambra State; hence census technique was utilized. Structured rating scale “Strategies for Combating Corruption in School Administration Rating Scale (MSCCSARS)” was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts in faculty of education, two from Educational Management and Policy and one lecturer from Measurement and Evaluation Unit of Department of Educational Foundations, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Internal consistency co-efficient of 0.864, 0.814, and 0.919 were obtained using Cronbach’s Alpha statistical method. The researchers administered copies of the instrument to the respondents with the help of six research assistants, out of the 266 copies of the instruments administered, 260 copies (97.74%) were retrieved duly completed, and used for data analysis. The mean score rated at 2.50 and standard deviation was used to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed secondary school principals in Anambra State apply transparency promoting tools and accountability promoting tools strategies as well as integrate values on education in the school curriculum for combating corruption in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. Therefore, the study concluded that combating corruption in school administration requires multi-pronged approaches that include transparent financial management, ethical leadership, community involvement and use of technology. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that the state government should develop and enforce policies that mandate transparency in school administration and establish framework for accountability.