Assessment of Records Management Practices in Public Secondary Schools in Gwagwalada Area Council Federal Capital Territory Abuja

Abstract

This study investigated records management practices in public secondary schools in Gwagwalada Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Survey design was adopted and data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire administered on the principals of public secondary schools in Gwagwalada Area Council, Federal Capital Territory Abuja. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages were used for data analysis. A total of thirty-five (35) secondary schools were surveyed across the Area Council and all responded. Findings of the study revealed that all the secondary schools studied generated and received various types of records which included academic, administrative, financial records, etc; majority (37.1%) of the schools organized their records either by subject maƩer or serially; majority (37.1%) of the secondary schools used storage facilities like cupboards, cabinets and drawers to preserve their records; records like admission register, financial records, log book, store ledger, counterfoils of certificates, staff personal files, etc were kept on closed access by the principals; it was also discovered that majority (85.7%) of the principals used shredding or incineration to dispose of their unwanted records; challenges such as inadequate storage facilities, absence of record keeping policy, improper security of records and lack of support by management and staff of the need for well-controlled records were discovered militating against the effective records management in the secondary schools studied. Based on the findings, recommendations such as establishment of records rooms or centres, provision of adequate and good records storage facilities and provision of records retention/disposition schedule by the Gwagwalada Area Council, Abuja among others were suggested