Teachers' Absenteeism and Artificial Intelligence-Powered Solutions for Effective Administration of Public Secondary Schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Abstract The study examined teachers' absenteeism and artificial intelligence-powered solutions for effective administration of public secondary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis. Three research questions and a corresponding hypothesis guided the study. The study used a descriptive research design, employing surveys to gather data on the topic of teachers' absenteeism and its impact on the effective administration of public secondary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis. The population for this study comprised 32 administrators (principals) from public secondary schools in the metropolis, and a census sampling technique was adopted, meaning the entire population was used as the sample size. A researcher-designed instrument, ‘Teachers' Absenteeism and Artificial Intelligence-Powered Solutions for Effective Administration Questionnaire (TAAIPSEAQ)’, was utilised to collect data. The instrument was validated, and its reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, which yielded a coefficient of 0.75. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions, while the Independent t-test was employed to test hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0. This study reveals that teacher absenteeism in public secondary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis manifests in various forms, including unauthorised and authorised absences, absences from duty posts, and presence absence. These forms of absenteeism significantly disrupt school administration and hinder academic progress. Notably, the integration of AI-powered solutions like attendance tracking, student information management, grading and assessment, resource allocation and communication and parent engagement was found to have a significant positive impact on reducing teacher absenteeism and improving school administration. Therefore, the study recommends that school administrators leverage AI-powered attendance tracking and management systems to enhance teacher accountability, motivation, and job satisfaction, ultimately fostering a more efficient and productive learning environment.