Budgeting and Resource Allocation in Public Secondary ... · Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract - This study investigated

International Journal of Library and Information Studies Vol.9(1) Jan-Mar, 2019 ISSN: 2231-4911

http://www.ijlis.org 72 | P a g e

Budgeting and Resource Allocation in Public Secondary School Libraries in Rivers State

Blessing Ahiauzu

Head Department of Library and Information Science Faculty of Education, Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]

Vivien Emmanuel Lecturer

Department of Library and Information Science Faculty of Education, Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract - This study investigated the budgeting and resource allocation in public Junior Secondary Schools Levels 1 to 3 (JSS 1-3) in Rivers State, Nigeria. As at the time of study, there were two hundred and eighty- eight (288) Junior Secondary Schools, out of which two hundred (200) were studied with one hundred and sixty-two (162) questionnaires returned and analysed, representing 81 %. The questionnaires were personally administered and oral interview conducted by the researchers on the school library staff and teachers of the schools under study. Direct observation of the school library activities formed part of the exercise. Data were analyzed using percentages, frequencies, tables, bar and pie charts. The results reveal that most of the school libraries did some form of “budgeting”. The State Government provided 74.19% of the funding and only 16% and 3% from other sources such as donations. The School Librarian made requests to the Principal of the school of needs as they arise. The Principals agreed that they submit annual budgets to their Proprietor (The State Government) but do not receive up to one quarter (1/4) of what is submitted. The study thus recommends, amongst others, that the schools should, as a duty, continue to prepare and submit their annual budgets to the State Government whether or not it receives adequate or no attention at all. The schools should intensify efforts at activities aimed at other ways of generating funds to compliment the government’s funding. Judicious application of available resources is advocated. Keywords: School libraries. School library budgeting. City school libraries. School libraries funding. Rivers State public schools. Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION Since the inception of free education in Rivers State, especially, since the inception of the Federal Government’s Universal Basic Education Boards (UBEs) and the Universal Primary Education Boards (UPEs), the State Government has been the principal source of funding for the public schools at the primary and post primary levels. This funding covers buildings, furniture, equipment, teacher training, curriculum development, library, consumable supplies and provision of school uniforms, meals and text books. Research has shown that the public



schools in Nigeria, generally, have limited resources with which to pursue their objectives, therefore, applying the resources efficiently is key aim for achieving their activities. According to Saka and Bitagi (2010), libraries, traditionally, were established to provide information and of course variety of services to mankind. These services range from the provision of adequate, relevant and current information and reference resources, provision of conducive reading environment to training of library staff and users. All these services in addition to provision of adequate accommodation, recruitment of staff and performance of staff depend on availability of funds. School libraries are considered a valued resource in our societies because, amongst other benefits, it equips students with lifelong learning skills and develops their imagination, thereby enabling them to live as responsible citizens. To fulfil these responsibilities, the school library needs to be adequately funded and appropriately resourced. A well-resourced school library enhances learning and teaching outcomes. If children are to be prepared for their future, they must have access to information and learn to use it in meaningful and productive ways. Funding reflects local reality and relates to the school policy and for the library, it is an investment that supports the curriculum, the learner and collection needs. Emphasising on the benefits of a well-resourced school library, IFLA noted that the:

size and quality of a school library teaching/support staff and its collections are the best school predictors of academic achievement

students who score higher on standardised tests tend to come from schools with more school library staff and more access to services and resources such as books, periodicals and online material regardless of other factors such as economic ones

The National Policy on Education and the Minimum Standards for School Library Services in Nigeria (1992/2004) accentuated the need for purposeful school libraries and their services. For this to be achieved, school libraries should be adequately funded and should operate a separate budget. School proprietors were also admonished to establish functional libraries and make provision for the training of staff and promote readership. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE By way of definition, a budget, according to Afolabi (1989), is the financial statement of income and expenditure for a given period of time. Budget can also be seen as a statement of what the likely income and expenditure will be for the school. It needs to be considered carefully so that schools can weigh up whether they have enough funds to pay for the activities that they believe are necessary for the school to deliver its School Development Plan (SDP). The aim of the budget setting process is to ensure resource allocation matches school priorities. Unplanned over-spending or under-spending of a school budget can deflect schools from previously agreed spending priorities, and this can affect the achievement of school development plans. Specifically, we agree with Ifidon (1999), to argue that a budget is simply “a formalised statement” of all accounts and an allocation of all available financial resources for use over a given period, usually a year. The library financial plan is a tool for turning library dreams into reality. Financial plan determines the services that will be offered by a library and the resources dedicated to each library program. A carefully developed budget will ensure that available funds are effectively utilized to realize a library’s service objectives. In order to ensure that school library receives its fair share of the school’s financial resources, the budget must consider the key staff, school budget timetable cycle and finally, make sure that the needs of the school library are well articulated. Aina (2004) pointed out that while budgets are prepared one year advance, it has to indicate funds that



would be needed for personnel and resources, materials and equipment. In funding of school library, the American Library Association (ALA) recommended the following:

All school library media programs should be adequately funded to ensure that they include up-to-date collections in both print and electronic formats.

All students should have the benefit of trained school librarian, who can guide them in learning to use and understand a wide variety of information sources.

The school library program should be integrated with classroom curriculum so that students learn to make connections between subject areas, retrieve information and think independently.

Adeoti-Adeleke (1996) observed that the government has not yet come out with a clear policy on the establishment and equipment of libraries in primary and secondary levels. Akinniyi (2003) also noted that the government has not set aside a fixed percent for library development in schools nor is she giving them their annual subvention regularly from where a token can be given library for development. Kuye (1991) on the need for setting up school libraries emphatically pointed out that lack of sufficient financing of school libraries has hampered the efforts of many creative children in achieving the optimum benefits derivable from using library resources. Aniebo (2006) reported that school libraries in Imo State of Nigeria lack accommodation, materials and fund as well as trained staff to manage the libraries in Imo State. This is similar to the findings of Anyaegbu, Aghauche and Okafor (2016) in which they reported that factors which hinder school library development in Aguata in Anambra State among others are paucity of funds, poor facilities and management by unqualified personnel. Idiegbeyan-Ose and Okoedion (2012) in their study lamented on the poor state of school libraries in Benin City, Nigeria, They recommended that the school libraries there should be given urgent attention by providing them with necessary facilities so that students will have access to a functional library services. Ahmad (2011) in her study of senior secondary school libraries in Jammu and Kashmir concluded that secondary school library facilities in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India are far from being satisfactory because according to her, they did not even fulfil the minimum standards of library. Budgeting plays a critical role in the life of any organisation including the school library. It ensures the judicious application and the accountability of monies available to the school library. The school librarian has the responsibility to prepare an annual budget in line with the anticipated income and expenditure. In this way, there is a focused spending plan based on actual budgeted needs. Ibrahim (2014) further emphasises the importance of budgeting and adds that it helps to improve decision making, provides a benchmark to measure and control performance, increases communication within the organization and establishes understanding between managers about planed goals and objectives. Aguolu and Aguolu (2002) also note that the approval of the final budget implementation will depend largely on cooperation and understanding between the operators. BUDGETING SYSTEMS FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES Saka and Bitagi (2010), building on the view expressed by Afolabi (1989), noted that the budgeting systems that can be adopted in libraries include the following:

Programme planning budgeting system (PPBS) Decision – making budgeting or incremental budgeting Formula budgeting



Zero base budgeting system (ZBBS) Line item budgeting and Operating budgeting

Aina (2004) considers budgeting in libraries generally to be line / item budget, while observing that lump sum budgeting is rarely used. Line/Item budgeting has to do with the provision of funds which the library then disburses the funds accordingly to take care of needed activities. Relying on the opinions of Afolabi (1989) and Aina (2004), the following budgeting systems are proposed for secondary school libraries in Nigeria. Programme Planning-Based Budgeting: This is a budgeting system that involves listing out programmes (activities and services that are to be executed). It looks at related items to be purchased as well as programme categories. The PPBS, according to Afolabi (1989), involves: Planning resources: planning resources involves the objectives and goals of the library for the budget period and the resources needed to execute the resources. Performance resources: A Performance resource involves identifying the programmes to be carried out and request for resources needed to carry out the activities. Budgeting resources: budget resources are the allocation of funds to the identified programmes to be executed within the budget year. Formula Budgeting: This is a budgeting system whereby a fixed percentage is agreed upon. In this case no school library can exceed the budget allocated to them. There is equitable funding for all secondary school libraries in Nigeria. It is now left for school libraries to prepare the budget on the basis of the agreed percentage. Incremental Budgeting: This is a budgeting system which adopts last year’s expenditure as a base. In this case the management may instruct the Heads of school libraries to prepare an alternative budget at the following levels: 5% increases, no increase, and/or 5% deceases. Management could instruct the Heads of school libraries to increase each category of their budget by some percentage while some school libraries may increase their budget by 5% and some by 10%. In this case there is some level of flexibility in the guideline; they don’t have to be the same. Based on this, each secondary school library can develop its programme as in PPBS (Saka and Bitagi 2010). Line-Item Budgeting: This budgeting system is regarded as the traditional system of budgeting. Here the programmes expenditure, services and so on, are arranged with their corresponding costs. SOURCES OF FUNDING AND SERVICES FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA The literature search on school library services and situations in many parts of Nigeria shows that inadequate funding of school libraries by the government and the proprietors is considered to be a major factor to effective provision of school library services, (Hamzat, 2002 Saka 2004: Dike, 2005: Saka, 2007). As such, while school librarians plan budgeting for school library services, they also need to map out strategies to generate funds for libraries as Aina (2004) observes that the libraries seem to depend solely on the funds provided by



their parent organizations and that there is need for the management of libraries to map out strategies to generate income for their libraries. These sources of income can equally be applicable to school libraries which should include the internally generated sources as well as external sources of funding. Igbo and dike (2010) identified the sources of funding and budgeting procedures in academic libraries to include government grants, gift, contributions, and endowments as well as miscellaneous. Ten percent (10%) of the total recurrent grant from government to each university should be committed to university library operation (Igbo and Dike, 2010). This can equally be applicable to school libraries in Nigeria. Gift and donation can be from Education Tax (Trust) Fund (ETF), World Bank Project and others. Funds can also be sourced through endowments to build new libraries or meet up other school library-related obligations. Miscellaneous sources are those from overdue charges, photocopying services, internet services (Igbo and Dike, 2010). The Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of each school could agree to levy its members towards the development of the school library. This is generally called Library Development Levy (LDL) fund which may be paid either per term or yearly depending on the choice of the parents. (Saka and Bitagi (2010). All these are half-hazard sources of income and therefore, responsible for the poor school library service provision in the schools. For example, in a study by Ayeni and Oyebanji (1998), it was found that in a school population of 18,239,087 pupils across the country, the school authorities could only provide 2,263 school libraries. According to the authors, the statistics worked out to be one (1) school library available to over 8,060 pupils. This scenario supports our finding here and is unthinkable in some other developing countries. METHODLOGY This study investigated Budgeting and Resource Allocation in Junior Secondary School grade levels 1 to 3 (JSS 1-3) in Rivers State, Nigeria. There are two hundred and eighty- eight (288) Junior Secondary Schools out of which two hundred (200) were selected at random based on geographic locations. This represents 69.5 % of the population. Out of the two hundred (200) questionnaires sent out, one hundred and sixty-two (162), representing 81 %, were returned and analysed. This percentage of 81% makes the data valid for analysis. The instruments used for data collection were, therefore, self-developed questionnaire, interview and personal observation. In carrying out the research, questionnaire was administered to the school Library staff and teachers of the schools under study. To ensure true information and high return of questionnaire, the questionnaire were administered to the respondents by the researchers. In addition, oral interview with the school libraries staffs, teachers, and their Principals was conducted. Direct observation on the school libraries activities formed part of the exercise. Data were analyzed using percentages, frequencies, tables bar and pie charts. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS As stated earlier, data were analysed using percentages, frequencies, tables, bar and pie charts. In what follows, the findings will be discussed based on the field data. Table 1: Designation of Respondents (Staff) Table 1 below shows the various designations of staff in the schools understudy. From the table, 108 representing 69% are designated as Teachers, 32 representing 21% as Teacher Librarians while 16 representing 10% as Library Assistant/Attendants. The implication of



these results is that the schools in Rivers State use teachers to also act as Library superintendents. None of the schools under study engaged the services of a Professional Librarian as Table 1 shows.

Table 1: Designation of Respondent (Staff) Items Fr. of Respondents Percentage (%) Teacher 108 69% Teacher-Librarian 32 21% Librarian - 0% Library Assistant/Attendant 16 10% Library Minder/Attendant - 0% Total 156 100%

Table 2 below shows the demographic profile on educational/Professional qualifications of the School/Teacher Librarians. From the Table, 8 staffs representing 5% have NCEs, 108 staffs representing 69% have First Degree, and 8 staffs representing 5% have PGDs while 32 staffs representing 21% have Masters Degree. This Table shows a good representation of the required educational qualifications of staffs as all had above West African School Certificate (WASC).

Table 2: Educational / Professional Qualification Of The School / Teacher Librarian Table 3 and Figure 1 Pie Chart below show the various activities that are organised by the libraries understudy. From the Table, 20 representing 14% of the activities are Debates and Drawing/ Painting, 24 representing 17% of the activities are Quizzes, 52 representing 36% of the activities are Reading Competitions while 28 representing 19% of the activities are not applicable in other libraries.

Table 3: Other Activities Organised by the Library S/N Items No. of Items Percentage (%) 1 Debates 20 14% 2 Quizzes 24 17% 3 Reading competitions 52 36% 4 Drawing/Panting 20 14% 5 Not Applicable* 28 19% TOTAL 144 100%

Qualification of Respondent No. of Schools Percentage (%) Ph.D Nil 0% Masters Degree 32 21% PGD 8 5% First Degree 108 69% NCE 8 5% School Certificate (WASC) Nil 0% Total 156 100%



Figure 1: Pie Chart on Other Activities Organized by the Library

Table 4: Sources of Funding For The School Library Table 4 and Figure 2 Pie Chart below show the various ways the Schools under study generates their income that enable them fund their libraries. From the table, 92 representing 74.19% of the respondents admitted that funds come from Government allocation, being a public school, 8 representing 6.45% of the funds come from student’s levy, 20 participants, representing 16.13% of the funds come from donations while 4 representing 3.23% of the funds come from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Parents/Teachers Associations (PTAs).

Table 4: Sources of Funding For The School Library S/N Source of Income No. of schools Percentage (%) 1 Government allocation 92 74.19% 2 Student levy 8 6.45% 3 Donations 20 16.13% 4 NGOs/Parent/Teacher/Assoc 4 3.23% TOTAL 124 100%

CONCLUSION In conclusion therefore, the study reveals that the school libraries do some level of budgeting representing their sources of income and expenditure heads for a period of one year. This budget is prepared annually and sent to their proprietor which is the Rivers State Government. However, they hardly receive what is budgeted and approved. This shows that funding of the school library cannot be and has never been a rosy one for the schools under study. There have been a lot of policy surmasult in this regard as various governments come up with different policies at different times. For example, in 1976, under the Universal Primary Education (UPE), the Federal Government provided a lot of money in addition to the States’ counterpart funding. However, the 1979 Constitution transferred the funding and management of primary education to the State Governments allowing also the Local Government Councils to be included. The secondary schools are to be managed under the State Universal Basic Education (UBE). This appeared to be the genesis of the predicament of the public secondary schools as they all fall under the management of the State UBEs. Due to inadequate allocation by the UBE funding, the secondary schools vis-a-vis their libraries

Debates, 20

Quizzes, 24

Reading competiti

on, 52

Painting , 20

Not Applicable

, 28



are also underfunded. Whenever there is such underfunding, the school library, like every other library, is usually the first casualty. REFERENCES

1. Afolabi, Michael (1989). Introduction to library management, Zaria: ABU, Department of Library and Information science, 21, 28.

2. Aguolu, C. C. and Aguolu I. E. (2002) Libraries and information management in

Nigeria, Maidugiri, Ed-Linform Services, p.255.

3. Aina, Lanre Olalekan (2004). Library and Information Science Text for Africa. Ibadan: Third World Information Services ltd.

4. Dike, Virginia W (2005). Reviving School Libraries in the South East Zone. Nigeria

Library and Information Science Trend 3.1 & 2: 73

5. Federal Ministry of Education and Youth Development (1992). Minimum Standards for School Libraries in Nigeria. Lagos: Federal Ministry of Education, 31.36

6. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC,

53

7. Hamzat, A.M (20020. A Survey of Secondary School Library Resources in Bauchi Metropolis. Borno Library Archival and Information Science Journal 1(1): 56.61

8. IFLA/UNESCO The school library manifesto: The School Library in Teaching and

Learning for All. IFLA school library guidelines, p.24.IFLA, 2000. Retrieved @ www.ifla.org/VII/s11/pubs/manifest.htmwww.ifla.org/VII/s8?unesco/eng.htm

9. Ifidon Sam E. (1999). Essentials of African University Library management, Lagos,

National Library Press Ltd. p.92

10. Ibrahim, Umar (2014): Library and information work for young people: a text for students and practioners in an African setting. Zaria, Ahmadu Bello University Press, p.159.

Documents

Budgeting and Resource Allocation in Public Secondary ... · Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract - This study investigated