e-sRC

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Training and retraining of staff has been seen as a way to improve performance of
employees in the organization (Shelly, 2007). The following were extract from his work
about the relevance of training to staff performance in the organization; Training is
necessitated by some major factors which include technological changes and or new
ways to doing things. Work pattern changes as a result of introduction of new ways to
do things in the organization which can be internal or external form of training. The
importance of staff training to staff performance cannot be overemphasized. Training
provides a prime opportunity to expand the knowledge base of all employees, training
programme allows you to be able to strengthen those skills that each employee needs to
improve upon in the organization. Training and development programme also allows
employee to get a succession training, this has to do with the employees who are expected
to take over from their superiors in the organization.
Training has been seen as a way to improve employees performance in the organization.
There are time in the organization when the performance of employees may dwindle and
go low as against the expectation of the organization, this deficiency can be corrected by
constant training and retraining programme in the organization. A well structured
training and development programme ensures that employees have consistent experience
and background knowledge to deal with changing pattern of work in the organization.
To maintain consistency in performance, all staff need to be made aware of and trained
on changing demand and pattern of work in the organization.
Training and retraining programme brings about employees satisfaction in organization.
The value that comes back to the employees when trained is personal satisfaction and job
satisfaction. Employees who feel appreciative and challenged through a training
programme tend to be more satisfied doing their job.
Training of academic staff in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria is usually geared towards
facilitating academic staff development. To tackle the issues of training, the internal and
external form of training is used as a mechanism. The internal forms of training predates
the university itself, the internal training covers all the form of training that academic
staff undergo within the organization. The internal mechanism for training of academic
staff in Ahmadu Bello university Zaria includes; interdepartmental seminar, workshops
on new research techniques, conferences, seminar presentations and enrolment for higher
degree programme within the university.
External training on the other hand is a situation where academic staff are given the
opportunity to carry out further studies outside the institution and even outside the
country. It comes in form of an official release or study leave accorded to staff to go for
further training outside the organization. External training mechanism like the internal
training involves conferences outside the institution, seminars, workshop, sabbatical,
visitations and participation in both local and international journals.
Academic staff do have three basic function they tend to serve the society and this include
to teach, research production and community services. And to effectively carry out these
functions academic staff needed to be engaged in constant training and retraining. This is
because intellectuals who have the proper and adequate training can offer a high quality
learning experience to their students and build a high reputation for the institution
involved.
Salesho and Naile(2014) submitted that to focus on their obligation of teaching and
learning, research and community engagement effectively, Universities need adequate
academic staff suitably qualified and motivated to work effectively. Accordingly,
Rou(1992) advocates that the eminence of a University cannot surpass that of its
academic staff, this is in line with the interpretation advanced by Horwitz(1991), who
opines that the essence of any institution is to attract and retain first class academic staff.
Ssekanwa (1999) noted that in countless cases, it has become a challenge to retain a
well-developed and motivated academic staff force that is suitably qualified to work
effectively, this is because this efforts frequently requires enormous financial resources
because the market rate of academic staff, and the cost of their development are usually
high.
Training is usually used to facilitate career development, Ai Yeow et al., 2012). In the
same vein, , Jane et al.( 2012) noted that training represents an important investment by
colleges or Institutes that are interested in developing their employees so that they can
make their maximum contribution over the long term. Besides, it will help to strengthen
the quality of education in the country. Most higher education institutions have an
implicit or explicit mission to offer a high quality learning experience to all their students.
Consequently, their training is crucial in determining the quality of this interface. In
addition, research is important both in revitalizing staff interest in their subject and in
keeping their enthusiasm alive, and in building a research and publishing profile for the
institution. Exceptionally well trained academic staff can, with appropriate support, build
a national and international reputation for the institution in the research, publishing and
professional areas..By offering training and development opportunities the academic
staff will feel that the university is investing in him or her and that they are opportunities
for growth within the organization and hence gives meaning to the current job, Jane et
al.(2012).
Tettey (2006) observes that professional development is the engine that keeps the
Universities true to their mandate as centers of ideas and innovation. Without effort in
this direction intellectual capital can stagnate and the relevance of Universities to society
may diminish. Faculty members thrive on intellectual and collegial stimulation from their
peers when they attend professional activities, national and international research
meetings,Jane et al. ( 2012). Thus, development activities for academic staff continues to
be an important aspect associated with their professional work lives.
The role of the Universities in the delivery and development of the work force required
for the social, economic, and technological innovation of any organization cannot be
over- emphasize (Ng‟ethe,Iravo and Namusange,2012 p.205) the unique nature of
Universities allow academics to be the repository of the most specialized and skilled
intellectuals, thus the demand and competition for highly qualified academics have
increased, Salesho and Naile,(2014)
Bushe (2012,P.279), noted that growth in global mobility and shifting demographics
profiles means employing and retaining talented and knowledgeable lecturers and
researchers is an ever –increasing challenge. This calls for a high degree of competency
and proven scholarship from the University academic employees in particular; hence,
university serve as a storehouse of knowledge for cultivating workers need of the nation
and meeting the needs of community for a good and caring society.
In the view of the foregoing training and development of the academic staff is of vital
importance to Ahmadu Bello University which is a tertiary institution that has to do with
human resources elements and consequently the skills for the utilization of materials
resources for the achievement of organizational goals and set objectives.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The importance of lecturers‟ training in tertiary institutions cannot be over emphasized.
In spite of its apparent merit, there are still many employers particularly in the education
industry who do not commit sufficient funds to the development of their employees.
They consider staff development as a waste of meagre resources because of the high
cost involved although most employees appear to have positive feeling about the
usefulness of training and development and would want to engage in themPeretomode
and Chukwuma,(2013)
There are different lecturers with different academic status. And the principal criterion
for promoting lecturers from one level to the other is the lecturer‟s productivity defined in
terms of research output or publications in referred national and international journals
and text books. Some of these lecturers have participated in self-sponsored development
activities and few others have benefited from their institution‟s sponsored staff
development programs.
Internal training held for academic staff across the departments under review for this
study shows that there is deficiency in the supposed number of staff that ought to be
trained and actually trained. Across faculty of administration where Public
administration and Local Government and Development studies is inclusive only a total
of 316 staff got internal training where Public Administration and Local government
Development Studies carries 62 numbers of the slot.
Furthermore, pharmaceutical sciences and sciences where Biological sciences was
inclusive have got a total of 895 staff trained, unfortunately, this both department have
got a total of 53 staff trained over the years under review which is a whole lot of
negligible number compared to the 895 trained across.
Additionally, economic and sociology department in the social science faculty which
have recorded trainings of internal staff across departments is 227 only a handful of 29
has been trained internally between those period of time.
More worrisome is the situation which shows that 266 academic staff have been trained
externally across the faculties and departments of the institution.
Considering that this work focuses on six different departments across faculties in
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria namely Public Administration, Local Government and
Development Studies, Biological Science, Pharmaceutical Science, Economics and
Sociology, the study was able to find out that against the available numbers of academics
staff in these departments, those who have receive or receiving one form of internal and
external training are of negligible number compared to those who have not received,
enrolled nor giving the permission to proceed for training. This is evidenced using
below description;
Public administration for example boast of 35 Academic staff which cut across
Professorial cadre, Associate Professors, senior lecturers, Assistant Lecturers and
graduate assistant, of all these categories excluding the professors and Associate
professors who may not be needing continuous training, only a handful of 9 academic
staff are currently undergoing one form of internal and external training which is not
healthy for academic development;
Department of Local Government boasts of 27 academic staff of which only one of them
is undergoing a M.Sc programme, 10 are into a P.hD programme while the rest are of
professorial and associate professor cadre. This goes to show that the department has
not been deficient in terms of internal training. The external training although has not
been really impressive as majority of the employees are undergoing the higher degree
programme in the department of same faculty instead of touching knowledge from other
institutions across.
Biological Science in the same vein boasts of 46 academic staff equally cutting across
Professorial cadre, Associate Professors, senior lecturers, Assistant Lecturers and
graduate assistant, information available to the researcher revealed that only 11 of the
eligible 34 staff for one form of internal and external training are currently receiving such
trainings. This too shows that the difference is not healthy for academic performance
and development.
Pharmaceutical science boasts of 63 academic staff cutting across Professorial cadre,
Associate Professors, senior lecturers, Assistant Lecturers and graduate assistant,
information available to the researcher revealed that only a handful of 19 academic staff
are receiving one form of internal and external training, considering the disparity, it is
save to conclude that this too is not healthy for optimal academic performance.
Economic department too have been caught up with this problem of high disparity in the
numbers of trained as against the untrained academic staff. Information available to the
researcher shows that the department boasts of 59 academic staff cutting across
Professorial cadre, Associate Professors, senior lecturers, Assistant Lecturers and
graduate assistant, information available to the researcher revealed that only a total of 13
numbers are currently undergoing one form of internal and external training a situation
equally considered not healthy for academic success.
Sociology department is no exception in this vacuum in the number of trained and
untrained academic staff. This department currently have 59 academic staff cutting
across Professorial cadre, Associate Professors, senior lecturers, Assistant Lecturers and
graduate assistant, information available to the researcher revealed that only a total
number of 16 are currently undergoing one form of internal and external training.
However, in spite of the mechanism(internal and external training) put in place for
training and development in ABU, there seem to be poor work performance, and general
inability for academic staff to raise their standard of education. (Staff Training unit).
1.3 Research Questions
i. What is the relationship between training and development and acquisition of
additional certificate?
ii. What is the relationship between training and teaching quality in ABU Zaria?
iii. What is the relationship between training and quality of research in ABU
Zaria?