Managing Secondary Education to Tackle the 21st Century Development Challenges

Abstract

Secondary education is the intermediary between the primary education and the tertiary education. Students of secondary schools are predominantly teenagers and as such undergoing the period Psychologists refer to as the period of “storm and stress”. It is also a period of character formation and personality development and as such very delicate in one’s life, to be precise, whatever goes wrong at this important stage of their life may likely have some irretrievable repercussions. In the light of this, the paper discussed the management principles that can be used to effectively manage secondary education, the problems facing the 21^st century development and the strategies to combat these challenges. When the management of secondary education concentrates on the academic as well as behaviour modification which are the barebones of this cohort, the problems inhibiting  secondary school education management is thus tackled and transformed to an elevator in achieving not only academic excellence but also bringing forth students whose character is worthy of emulation and who will enter tertiary institution to shun cultism, examination malpractice, substance abuse, gangsterism, kidnapping, armed robbery and other social vices. It is suggested that ICT driven teaching and learning skills be introduced in secondary school as this stands to stimulate the attainment of secondary educational aim and objectives thereby giving the students sound-footing for tertiary education thus healthy living.