Assessing the Level of Insecurity in Rural Secondary Schools of Zamfara State

Abstract

 In Nigeria, insecurity has become a persistent challenge confronting the management of public secondary schools, particularly in rural communities where security threats continue to disrupt educational activities. This study assessed the level of insecurity in rural public secondary schools in Gusau Education Zone, Zamfara State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised school administrators and teachers in governmentowned rural public secondary schools, while a sample of 123 respondents, consisting of 10 secondary school principals and 113 teachers, was selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Assessing Insecurity in Secondary Schools (AISS), adapted from Ojukwu (2017), with a reported Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.88. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used to analye the data. The findings revealed that the overall level of insecurity in rural public secondary schools was at moderate extent (M = 3.33, SD = 1.27), indicating that insecurity remains a significant challenge to effective school administration. Based on findings, the study recommends that educational authorities should strengthen school security management system through consistent collaboration between school and relevant security agencies in the provision of improved security planning, adequate provision of security personnel and infrastructure, regular security risk assessments, and enhanced inclusion of school-based host communities to ensure safe and conducive learning environments which will further improve the effectiveness of school administration.