The purposes of this study are to describe the past and the present systems of secondary education in the Cross River State of Nigeria; to examine the goals, achievements, and failures of each with special consideration for the period from 1970 to 1981; and to make recommendations for improvement of the secondary educational system in the Cross River State of Nigeria.

The problem of this study was to determine how Nigeria's public education system might be improved through the improvement of the competency of school administrators. The study's four purposes were to identify present administrator levels of competency and present and future competency needs and to suggest training programs to develop present and future competencies needed by Nigerian school administrators. A survey instrument was utilized to assess perceptions of administrators, professors, students, and bureaucrats. A 70 per cent response rate from each of the eight groups studied (totaling 230 persons) was considered acceptable. Analysis of the findings reveals that all groups of respondents perceived all 53 competency areas to be important to highly important for public school administrators to possess at present and in the future. Differences of opinion appeared with respect to present levels of competency, but a fairly high degree of concurrence existed among all eight groups of respondents with regard to 17 areas of lowest present competence among practicing administrators. Respondents suggested very few methods and programs for improving present levels of administrator competency. In those areas in which respondents perceived lower levels of competency among administrators, deficiencies were generally attributed to lack of governmental cooperation. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that on-site performance evaluations be conducted to gain empirical data concerning present administrator competency. A permanent joint practitioner-government-university panel should be formed in each state to determine administrators' competency levels and needs and to design programs to meet those needs. Present university curricula for administrator preparation and training should be carefully reviewed in light of the competencies identified in this study, and in-service training sessions should be held to assist administrators in upgrading competencies. Finally, a mechanism should be established whereby all echelons of Nigeria's public school system can begin working together to promote improvements in education.