ABSTRACT
The primary aim of this research was to investigate the implementation of student
personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south –eastern
Nigeria. Student personnel services are regarded very important as they aid in the
all round development of the students, thus, enabling them to achieve their
objectives and those of their institutions. Student personnel services embrace all
those services to students that supplement regular instruction. As part and parcel of
school administration, it is seen as a critical function to the effective operation of
any school. This informed the present study on implementation of student
personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria.
The purpose was to ascertain the extent of implementation of these student services
in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria. Four research
questions and four null hypotheses were formulated for the study. A 51 – items
questionnaire was developed and administered to 770 respondents, comprising of
330 staff and students of federal and 440 staff and students of state colleges of
education. A non-proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to
sample 10 senior staff of student affairs department and 100 final year students
from each of the seven federal and state colleges of education in the geopolitical
zone. Mean score was used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics
was employed in testing the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The
study revealed that the student personnel services studied was available, but
inadequate and are of poor quality. Constraints to the effective implementation
include: poor funding of education sector, poor maintenance culture, inadequate
attention to communication between students and management, careless use of
facilities by students, mismanagement of funds by college authorities, poorly
executed projects, among others. There are measures to be adopted for
improvement, they include: the government giving special grants to colleges for
hostels, involving the private sector in the provision of student personnel services,
school authority completing all abandoned projects, students admission being
guided by existing student personnel services, financial assistance to students,
supervision of students affairs personnel more effectively etc. Based on the
findings, the educational implications were drawn and the following
recommendations, among others, were made. School authority should organize
seminars, orientations and talks on how to manage the student personnel services.
Funds should be judiciously used by the college administration. Private sector
should be encouraged to assist in the provision of these services. The education
sector should be adequately funded and admission exercises should be guided by
the available student personnel service.