Investigation Into Primary School Teachers Attitude To Work

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study:
The ultimate realization of education depends on the teacher as he will ultimately be responsible for translating policy into action and principle into practice in his interactions with students. Teachers have critical role to play in education reform. For meaningful and effective actualization of education therefore, good instructional strategies are required, work and devotedness to duty.
In virtually all works of life today, be it in the business, public service or the profession, morality and conscious have been neglected. Greed, selfishness and deceit, have become the order of the day. Nothing goes by the proper or excepted channels of behavior to work to achieve their means of livelihood.
People’s attitude to work and even to one another has becomes so enetic and poised only towards the mass acquisition of materials health the issue of job satisfaction or services to humanity has become to many purely secondary and not to be reckoned with. This development of lack of real interest, business and dedication to work in the average Nigerians of today is treatable. Therefore, the teacher’s attitude towards work had been a major concern. According to Bello and Awalu (2008), Nigeria schools have failed in their role in developing functional skill in the students. The increase in the rate of unemployment among school graduates is a clear indication of the nature of the product of our teachers. It is the general opinion that no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers.
In other words, the teacher’s quality is an index of the educational development of any nation, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, at the convocation ceremony of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka on March 7, (1982) said, among other things that; “the attitude of Nigerians to work is the worst in the world, if only every Nigerian is prepared to do an honest day’s work, Nigerian world achieve wonders”.
Pathetically, this national sickness trends to make an in-road into the teaching profession – a noble profession, since after the civil war, the average man in the street laments pathetically over the apparent fallen of standard of Education in our society.
Public opinion lames the situation on the attitudes of teachers’ toward work. This ugly situation seems to the researcher, indeferable in the present circumstance of ever increasing number of trained and qualified teachers in our schools.
President Shehu Shagari said that; “Reflecting on the quality of Education given to our children, one is tempted to believe that teacher attitude to work needs critical re-appraisal. Against this background, the researcher wishes to investigate the attitude of the teachers to work in primary schools in Enugu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

1.2 Statement of Problems:
Our country cannot be truly great unless teachers are selfless, dedicated, sections and consistent in daily discharge of their duties. Primary school is the first step in the educational upbringing of the child, the teacher’s attitude to duty should be very significant.
Teachers who come to school late and fail to attend morning assembly and functions, are indirectly telling the pupils not to grow discipline, punctuality and orderliness to the duty. Worst still, they constitute a challenge to the authority and have lost the right attitude to work. Would the teachers who leaves in place of work for another part time engagement be regarded as competent and dedicated personality who knows his responsibility to the country in general?.

1.3 Purpose of Study:
The purpose of this works is to investigate the attitude of primary school teachers towards work in Enugu-South Local Government Area.
Specifically, the study seeks:
To find out whether teachers in Enugu –South are punctual to their work.
To find out whether they attend school regularly
To find out whether teachers in Enugu South are competent in their area of study.
Whether they engage in other private activities to the detriment of their class work.
To find out whether the teachers show interest in the individuals effort in the class.

1.4 Significance of the Study:
It is hoped that this study will create an awareness to the teacher’s in primary school in Enugu South L.G.A Government and the society at large.
The awareness of the situation will undoubtedly stimulate through and ideas that could bring about desired change. Teachers with negative attitude will reflect in their role and probably change,
The awareness to the government will result in the complete reappraisal of rules and regulations made to govern the teaching profession, with a view of modifying, straightening and relaxing areas of tension for teachers. It is also hoped that if a conducive atmosphere is created for all teachers, and they co-operate in themselves, the case of primary school teacher shall have been adequately taken care of.

1.5 The Scope of Study:
This study was limited only to primary school teachers in Enugu –South Local Government Area. It is centered mostly on invesgating the teachers attitude to work in Primary Schools of Enugu-South Local Government Area .

1.6 Researcher Question:
The study will attempt to answer the following question.
To what extent do teachers in Enugu South attend school punctually?
To what extent do teachers in Enugu South attend school regularly?
To what extent do teachers in Enugu-South are competent in their area of study
To what extent do teachers in Enugu South engage in other private activities to the detriment of the class work?
To what extent do teacher in Enugu South show interest in their individual class effort in the class?