THE CLERGY AND SCHOOL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT: CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD

Abstract

The hand over back of Mission owned schools by some State Governments to their original owners is a welcome development. But it has a high degree of expectation from the concerned Churches in terms of efficient and effective management task. It has some challenging areas especially as personnel and pupils of the schools handed back had developed traditions and life-styles different from those of the original founders. Added to that is the issue of dilapidated infrastructure that greeted the schools during their days on the hands of the State Governments. However, we must applaud Mr. Peter Obi, former Executive Governor of Anambra State for taking the bold step without minding whose ox is goad. He pioneered the hand back initiative in practical way. He also lived up to the promise of financing almost total renovation of the infrastructure and of providing some other necessary educational facilities so that the financial burden to the Missions would be lessened. This paper discusses the challenges facing the Christian Missions in achieving efficient and effective running of the schools which were handed back to them and their new
ones. Church leaders must accept the reality of the fact that little or no amount of quality school education can be free in Nigeria at least in these early decades of 21st century and must fix a certain amount of school fees and enough staff need to be employed for efficient running of the school among others were the solution proffered.