Principals’ Budgeting Style as a Correlate to Education Goal Attainment in Public Secondary Schools in Rivers State

The study examines the relationship between principals’ budgeting style as a correlate to education goal attainment in public secondary schools in Rivers State. Two (2) research questions and two (2) hypotheses were answered and tested in the study, respectively. The correlational research design was utilized. The population of the study consisted of all three hundred and eleven (311) principals of public senior secondary schools in Rivers State, out of which one hundred and eighty (190) principals representing 67% of the population were used as respondents. Two sets of structured questionnaires, titled Principals’ Budgeting Style Assessment Scale and Education Goal Attainment Assessment Scale, were used to obtain data from the field. The reliability coefficients of the two sets of instruments (principals’ budgeting style, 0.89, and education goal attainment, 0.94, respectively) were determined using Cronbach's Alpha Statistics. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and the same correlation statistics were used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses, respectively. The findings of this comprehensive study showed a significant relationship between principals’ budgeting style and education goal attainment in public secondary schools in Rivers State. It concluded that access to staff development programs, which are essential for the professional growth and continuous improvement of educators, is largely dependent on the presence of thorough and transparent budgeting. it was recommended that Significant focus should be directed towards staff development programs through efficient budget planning. Existing instructional resources should be utilized effectively, and teachers should find ways to improvise to support government initiatives.