FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE OF SCHOOL HEADS AND DELIVERY OF BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAMMES IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between financial discipline of school heads and delivery of business education programme in Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State. The objectives of the study were to examine the relationship between dimensions of financial discipline of school heads (expenditure control, budget management and accountability) and measures of delivery of business education programme in terms of instructional delivery, students’ engagement and preparation of self-employable youths in Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State. The study was anchored on Portfolio Theory as its theoretical foundation. The study adopted correlational research design. The population of the study consisted of one hundred and four (104) business educators of the four tertiary institutions offering business education operating in Rivers State. The above information was extracted from the Heads, Departments of Business Education of the Institutions. The sample size of the study was one hundred and four (104) respondents of four tertiary institutions operating in Rivers State. The above sample size was obtained using the census sampling technique which involves using the entire population. The census method was adopted since the population is not large. Structured questionnaire was used as the main instrument for the collection of primary data. To establish the validity of the instrument, copies of the questionnaire were submitted to the supervisor and two other experts in Measurement and Evaluation. Their comments were used to validate the final copy of the instrument that was administered. Thus, Cronbach Alpha was used to ascertain the reliability of the instrument. In line with the sample size, a total of one hundred and four (104) copies of the validated questionnaires were distributed to the targeted audience. The researcher was able to retrieve 93 copies representing 89% and was used for analysis. The Spearman Rank Order (Rho) with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 23.0 was used for the analysis. It was found that dimensions of financial discipline of school heads correlates with measures of business education programme delivery in Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State. It was concluded that effective financial management through expenditure control, budget management and accountability ensure that resources are utilized efficiently, directly impacting the quality of education and the overall learning environment. Consequently, the study recommends that school heads in tertiary institutions should utilize advanced financial management software such as expenses tracking application to monitor and report their spending in the process of providing study contents. This tool can provide real-time insights into spending patterns and help identify areas for cost savings.