TEACHER INCENTIVES AND JOB PRODUCTIVITY IN GOVERNMENT FUNDED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

This study investigated teacher incentives and job productivity in government-funded public secondary schools in Nigeria. Despite the critical role that teachers play in shaping the future of students, the issue of inadequate incentives remains a significant challenge. The descriptive design of the survey type was adopted for the study. The population for this study consisted two hundred and fifty (250) respondents while the sample for the study consisted one hundred respondents selected across 10 government funded public secondary schools in Ilesa west local government area of Osun State using simple random sampling techniques. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire titled: 'Teachers Incentives and Job Productivity' (TIAJP). To ensure face and content validity, the instrument was given to expert for thorough scrutiny. Also, a pilot study was conducted to ascertain the reliability of the instrument. The instrument was administered twice within an interval of two weeks to schools outside the study area. The data collected was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistics. A reliability co-efficient of 0.89 was obtained which was high enough to make the instrument reliable. The findings revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between teacher incentives and teacher job productivity in government-funded public secondary schools in Ilesa west local government area of Osun State. (r = 0.724; p< 0.05). The research concluded that teacher incentives were a crucial determinant of job productivity in public secondary schools in Ilesa west. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made. Educational authorities should develop and implement comprehensive incentive packages for teachers to enhance their job productivity. It is essential to address the disparities in incentive distribution among teachers to create a fair and motivating work environment. This can be achieved by establishing clear criteria for incentive allocation based on performance and contributions.