Poor Remuneration and Its Effect on Job Performance of Private Secondary School Teachers in Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria

This study examined poor remuneration and its effect on the job performance of private secondary school teachers in Akungba-Akoko, Akoko South-East Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The persistent complaint among private school operators that teacher salaries in the sub-sector remain low, irregular, and in many cases suspended during school vacation periods, provided the practical motivation for the inquiry, while the shortage of location specific empirical evidence provided the academic motivation. A descriptive survey design that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches was adopted. The population comprised the estimated 200 teachers drawn from about 20 private secondary schools operating within the town, and the Taro Yamane formula was used to determine a sample of 133 teachers who were surveyed with a structured questionnaire, while 10 teachers and school administrators were purposively selected for in depth interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and mean scores for the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation and simple linear regression, computed with SPSS, were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Qualitative data from the interviews were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that remuneration among the sampled teachers was generally low and inconsistent, with average monthly pay clustering between ten thousand and thirty thousand naira, a figure considerably below the national minimum wage, and that some teachers received no salary at all during long vacation periods. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between remuneration and job performance (r = .45, p < .05), and remuneration was found to significantly predict job performance, accounting for about 21 percent of the variance in performance scores. Thematic analysis of the interviews produced recurring narratives around financial strain, moonlighting, low morale, and diminished classroom commitment. The study concludes that the welfare of private secondary school teachers in the study area requires urgent policy attention and recommends minimum wage alignment, regulatory oversight of private school pay practices, and structured incentive schemes.

Keywords: remuneration, job performance, private secondary school teachers, teacher motivation, minimum wage, Ondo State.