GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES' IMPACTS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT TEACHERS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY

Education is one of the most important instruments for emancipating mankind, and each community invests much in it to guarantee that each generation gains the required skills, information, and attitudes for future survival. However, the level to which education is monitored is heavily anchored on test scores due to its worth, but academic accomplishment also correlates with teachers' job performance (Wanjala, 2012). In recent years, there has been rising worry over Nigeria's deteriorating educational standards, which is based on pupils' consistently poor performance in public tests. A variety of causes have been proposed as being to blame, including pupils' negative attitude toward learning, a lack of infrastructure and teaching aids, leadership challenges, and so on. Ajayi (2017), Meindinyo (2017), Meindinyo (2017), Meindinyo (2017), Meindinyo (2017), Meindinyo (2017), Mein (,2009). Motivation, according to Ayayi, cannot be seen, but its presence can only be inferred. Motivations of workers of all backgrounds, particularly those in the education sector, have been a challenge to managers in general over the years. When the implementation committee for Nigeria's national policy on education proposed that teachers be treated in such a way that they are satisfied with their jobs, it may have acknowledged the teachers' suffering. However, the question of how to motivate teachers so that they are more satisfied with their jobs has continued to occupy the attention of government educational administrators and policymakers, but without much success, because little has been done to actually motivate teachers, and as a result, many people regard teaching as a stepping-stone to better jobs (Wanjala, 2012). Many teachers try to mix teaching with other activities, such as trade, and as a result, they become distracted, and their morale suffers. "The dilemma of what to do to make teachers work hard for the benefit of the school and in their personal interest is a basic one," Nwankwo (1982) wrote in a paper on staff motivation in schools. Effective staff motivation necessitates that, on the one hand, teachers are designed to commit themselves to achieving the educational, school, or student objectives, and, on the other hand, the individual teacher's goals and requirements be addressed. Several authors linked employee motivation to a company's ability to meet its needs. That the more the workers' needs are met inside the company, the more motivated they are to work and so meet the organization's needs. Similarly, Nwagu (1976) stated that educational productivity, which is critical to economic production, is mostly (but not totally) dependent on teacher competency. Wanjala (2012), who conducted research in Vihiga Sub-County on the impact of motivation on teachers' work performance, concluded that teaching was a domain that required sacrifices because most institutions had done little to motivate them, and that this was to blame for their poor academic performance. Rachuonyo South Sub-County Quality Assessment Report (2013) found serious laxity among teachers in preparing professional and necessary teaching documents, such as schemes of work, lesson plans of work, supervision of school activities was equally inadequate, and learners were insufficiently attended to while giving a report on teachers' job performance in public secondary schools in the Sub-County. This research uses Nembe local government teachers as a case study to investigate the impacts of government incentives on local government teachers.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Teachers have an essential role in moulding students' futures for the improvement of future generations; nevertheless, the government should pay greater attention to teachers' wellbeing. Teachers' teachers have been found to be extremely low when compared to those of other professions, making it difficult for them to satisfy their financial obligations (Nwankwo, 1982). Teachers' financial insecurity has an impact on their classroom performance. Teachers are not motivated by the government, which has had an impact on their productivity in the classroom. Teachers' wages are not always paid on schedule, and their bonuses are not always paid. Because of the poor pay associated with teaching, it is no longer a desirable profession. Most individuals consider teaching to be a fallback plan in case other options fail. Even the majority of teachers mix teaching with other commercial activities, preventing them from devoting their complete attention to their students (Ajayi,2009). One of the government's obligations to teachers is to provide a favorable teaching environment. Teachers' efficacy is reduced in an unfriendly teaching atmosphere, which disrupts students' learning. All of these issues have an impact on the research on the impact of government incentives on local government teachers.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The overall goal of this research is to look at the effects of government incentives on local government teachers, using Nembe as a case study. The following are the precise aims of this study:

i. Determine if Nembe Local Government teachers get government incentives.

ii. To determine how frequently Nembe Local Government teachers receive government incentives.

iii. To look at the effect of a pay raise on the performance of teachers in the Nembe Local Government.

iv. To look at the impact of a positive working environment on the performance of teachers in the Nembe Local Government.

v. To determine the influence of teacher promotion on job performance in the Nembe Local Government Area.    

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i. Do  Local Government teachers gets government incentives?

ii.  How frequently do Nembe Local Government teachers receive government incentives?

iii. What are effects of a pay raise on the performance of teachers in the Nembe Local Government?

iv. What is the impact of a positive working environment on the performance of teachers in the Nembe Local Government?

v. What is  the influence of teacher promotion on job performance in the Nembe Local Government Area?   

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 

Teachers in the Nembe Local Government would benefit from the outcomes of this study because they would learn how to enhance their performance in various interactions. Furthermore, teachers at all levels of education, including elementary, secondary, tertiary, and higher education, would benefit significantly from the study's findings by learning best human capital management practices to improve job performance, which would benefit both the individual worker and the organization. Furthermore, the study would be useful to school teachers in gaining insight into methods aimed at improving teacher performance and formulating incentive policies that improve employee performance. The study will also aid the government, particularly the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), in obtaining essential information for improving teacher terms and working circumstances in order to improve their level of job performance.

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this research is limited to examining the impact of government incentives on teachers in local government, with Nembe as a case study.

1.7     LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Lack of time, respondent unwillingness to provide information, and restricted resources were among the significant challenges the researchers faced in conducting this study.

1.8     DEFINITION OF TERMS     

Incentives: Something that inspires or urges someone to accomplish something.

Teacher is someone who instructs or instructs others.

Work environment:The physical geographical location of the workplace, as well as the immediate surrounds of the workplace, such as a construction site or an office building, are all part of the work environment.