Perceived Impact of Accreditation on the Management of Universities in North Central Nigeria.

Abstract

The higher education sector in North Central Nigeria is experiencing a notable shift, focusing more on accreditation as a crucial tool to evaluate university quality. Accreditation ensures that institutions meet set standards, aiming to enhance the region’s higher education system. However, there’s an urgent need to understand how accreditation affects university management, specifically in terms of staffing sufficiency and environmental cleanliness in public universities. The study investigated the perceived impact of accreditation on the management of universities in North Central Nigeria, utilizing two research questions and two hypotheses as a guide. A survey research design was employed for this study. Out of the population of 14,347 academic and senior non-academic staff members from Federal and State Universities in the North Central States of Nigeria, a sample of 388 staff members was selected. The sample selection was determined using the Taro Yamane formula for sample size determination and involved a multi-stage sampling procedure. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Accreditation and Management of Public Universities Questionnaire” (AMOPUQ). To ascertain the instrument’s reliability, a trial-test was conducted in the South-East Geo-political Zone. The collected data were analyzed using the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient to determine the internal consistency. An overall internal consistency reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained. The structured questionnaire developed by the researcher underwent scrutiny by two experts in Educational Administration and Planning, one from Agricultural Education and one from Measurement and Evaluation, both from the College of Agricultural and Science Education, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi. Additionally, an expert from Education Management at Benue State University provided input. They assisted in vetting the instrument, ensuring content clarity, accuracy, and relevance to elicit the required information. Descriptive statistics, such as mean and standard deviation, were used to answer the research questions. Furthermore, the hypotheses were tested using Chi-square (χ2) test of independence statistics at the 0.05 alpha level of significance with SPSS version twenty. The study found that accreditation has a significant impact on the adequacy of teaching and non-teaching staff and environmental sanitation in public universities in North Central Nigeria. Among the recommendations made, accreditation bodies should establish mandatory staffing standards as part of the accreditation process. This would necessitate organizations seeking accreditation to meet specific staffing requirements, ensuring their commitment to adequate staffing levels. The implementation steps would include defining clear staffing standards, incorporating them into accreditation criteria, conducting regular audits, providing support and resources, monitoring and improving staffing levels, and collaborating with stakeholders.