Vol. 5, Issue 5, Part D (2019)

Abstract
The study was conducted to assess the administrative competence of public and private secondary school principals in Ebonyi Central Education zone of Ebonyi State. Two areas of secondary school administration were covered, they include: Curriculum/Instruction Management and Human Resources Management. The research adopted a survey design which sought the opinions of 240 male and female public and private secondary school teachers on the administrative competence of principals in the zone. Thirty questionnaire items were constructed after a review of the related literature. The data collected were analysed with descriptive statistics involving the use of mean and standard deviation while t-test was used to test the hypotheses formulated to guide the study. Results of analyses reveal no significant difference (p>0.05) in the mean ratings of the male and female teachers on the extent of the administrative competence of public and private secondary school principals in the zone. However the results show some lapses on the part of the principals as many areas of secondary school administration were neglected. As a matter of fact, crucial instructional roles of the principal were grossly neglected. In conclusion, provisions should therefore be made for in-service management training of serving principals to help them improve their managerial skills.