Innovative Community School Partnerships for Affordable Inclusive Education in Public Secondary Schools in Port Harcourt LGA, Rivers State

Abstract

The study examined innovative community school partnerships for affordable inclusive education in secondary schools in Port Harcourt LGA, Rivers State. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 692 (male teachers 276 and female teachers 416) teachers drawn from 16 public senior secondary schools, while a sample size of 253 respondents (47 male, 207 female) was selected for the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled “Innovative Community School Partnerships for Affordable Inclusive Education in Secondary Schools Questionnaire" The instrument was structured on a four-point rating scale of Very High Extent (VHE)=4 points, High Extent (HE)=3 Points, Moderate Extent (ME)=2 points, and Low Extent (LE)=1piont. The instrument was validated by experts in educational management and measurement and evaluation in the Faculty of Education. The reliability of the instrument gave a Cronbach’s Alpha, yielding coefficients of 0.82 and 0.85, respectively. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions, while z-test statistics were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that digital integration of partnerships and Inclusive-tech accessibility enhance affordable inclusive education in secondary schools in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area to a high extent. The results also showed a significant difference in the mean ratings of male and female teachers regarding the effectiveness of digital integration of partnerships and inclusive-tech accessibility in inclusive skills acquisition. Based on the findings and conclusions, the study recommended that digital integration of partnerships and inclusive-tech accessibility should collaborate in teamwork, encourage participatory governance, and create an enabling environment that fosters creativity and innovation among teachers in order to enhance instructional effectiveness and overall school performance.