PERCEIVED CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING TEACHING STAFF WELFARE POLICIES IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, CROSS RIVER STATE: MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Abstract

Welfare service serves as a lubricate for optimum performance of employees in an organization. However, public secondary, especially in Calabar metropolis, faced uncertainties about whether staff welfare provisions were adequate and effectively contributing to effective teaching among teachers.   The study investigated perceived challenges in implementing teaching staff welfare policies in public secondary schools in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State: Mitigation Strategies. Two research questions were addressed. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design.  The population of this study comprised all 750 teachers in 18 public secondary schools in Calabar Metropolis. The study employed a proportionate stratified random sampling technique to ensure fair representation of teachers across the 18 public secondary schools in Calabar Metropolis. From the total population of 750 teachers, a 50% sample size was adopted, yielding 375 respondents.  The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled “Perceived Challenges in the Implementation of Staff Welfare Policies Questionnaire (PCISWPQ).” The questionnaire consisted of three sections. Section “A” address the respondent’s demographic information (such as gender, rank, and years of service. Section “B” contain Items relating to the perceived challenges in the implementation of welfare policies (6 items). Section “C” contain items on the effect on teaching staff effectiveness (6 items). All items in Sections B and C were designed on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (1) to Strongly Disagree (4). The questionnaire was subjected to face and content validation by three experts: two in Educational Administration and Planning, and one in Measurement and Evaluation at the University of Calabar. The reliability was established using the Cronbach Alpha method, which yielded a coefficient of 0.82. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations to answer the research questions.  The findings revealed that teachers generally perceive the implementation of welfare policies as inadequate, with key challenges including delays in salary payment, insufficient health welfare support, irregular retraining opportunities, lack of housing incentives, and delayed or inconsistent promotion processes. These issues, indicate systemic weaknesses in welfare administration that cut across schools in the metropolis. The implication of these findings is that persistent welfare-related challenges undermine teachers’ morale, reduce job satisfaction, and negatively affect their professional effectiveness, thereby threatening the attainment of educational goals.  It was recommended that the Cross River State Government should prioritize the prompt and regular payment of teachers’ salaries to reduce their financial stress, enhance motivation, and ensure greater commitment to duty