INFLUENCE OF CORRUPTION ON SCHOOL PLANT CONSTRUCTION IN KEBBI STATE OWNED TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT: Poor quality of school plant construction has become a national malaise and a focus for educational managers. The phenomenon cuts across all levels of educational institutions in Nigeria. The chief culprit in this ugly trend is largely corruption, which has spread its tentacles particularly in the construction of school buildings and other structures in tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria. The study focused on how corruption has influenced school plant construction in Kebbi State owned tertiary educational institutions. Five out of nine state owned tertiary educational institutions were deliberately selected, while 200 teaching staff and 200 non-teaching staff were chosen using purposive and stratified random sampling techniques. A validated questionnaire with reliability index of 0.82was used to elicit the data needed for the study. In all, three hypotheses were generated and tested using Chi-square at 0.5 alpha level. The study revealed that corruption influenced the planning of school plant construction; the extent of adherence to building construction code as well as management of finances meant for school plant construction. It was therefore recommend among others that stiff penalty be imposed on corrupt individuals who destroy the quality of school plant construct, endanger the lives of staff and students as well as hinder the realization of educational objectives. In addition there should be strict supervision to ensure adherence to construction code as well as accountability in management of construction finances.
Keywords: Corruption; School Plant, Construction, School Location, Educational Specification, Education
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