IMPROVING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN ADMINISTRATION OF NEWLY ESTABLISHED SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE EASTERN REGION THROUGH INTENSNE PUBLIC EDUCATION

ABSTRACT The study was"~n actio~ research to help improve community participation in the Administration ofnewly established senior secondary schools in the Eastern Region through intensive public education. The data for the study ";';ere collected from five selected community senior secondary schools with a sample size of I00 at each ofthe data gathering stages ofthe study. There were 20 respondents from each community made up of 7 from the schools and 13 from amopg the citizens in the towns. The duration for the study was one academic term. The data gathering instrument for the study was a questionnaire, which was used to gather data at both the pre-intervention and post-intervention stages. The preintervention data were meant to determine the real nature ofthe problem envisaged as it existed between the school and community members. The data results were '. analysed by using simple percentage ofthe responses. The most outstand.ing finding during the pre-intervention stage was that some ofthe newly established schools in the Eastern Region were experiencing poor community participation and undue i interference by some ofthe community members. On the basis ofthe findings from the pre-intervention data, an intervention was put in place, which included, among others, the sensitization ofthe community members about their roles and responsibilities towards their schools and their wards' education. The post-interventio,n data were collected and analysed to find out the extent to which the intervention had helped to change people's perceptiol1 and attitudes towards improving the situation. '. It was found that when regular public education was organized in the selected communities for opinion leaders ~nd community members, comm~nity participation in the administration ofthe schools improved. Among the recommendations made is that, there is the need to continue educating members of the community on their regular involvement in the schools' administration for the development and proper management of their schools