<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Despite the numerous advantages of the online mode of instruction in terms of flexible learning methods, convenience, broader coverage and its ability to ensure that no child was ignored educationally during the COVID-19 lockdown, teachers found it difficult to cope with such an approach. A survey was conducted on teachers' interests, competencies, and awareness of the online mode of instruction and its possible problems. The snowball sampling technique was used to identify 377 teachers at all levels of education in Nigeria during the lockdown. Amongst the outcomes of the study, it was revealed that teachers were fully competent in online teaching, thus encouraging them to continue using the approach after the COVID-19 pandemic. Support from private organisations, especially in the provision of subsidised technology devices and organisation of skills development programmes for teachers at all levels of education, will enhance their competency and performance in the ‘new normal’ generation. </span></p></div></div></div>

A university’s ability to remain competitive in a knowledge-driven world depends on the development of its teaching staff. The government and the private sector have invested in staff development in Nigerian and Pakistani universities. This article compares their staff development policies and practices as well as teachers’ job performance. An expo-facto comparative research design was adopted. We found significant differences between universities’ staff development policies and practices as well as lecturers’ job performance in the two countries (F (3, 657) = 41.879, ρ =.000). The article recommends effective implementation of staff development policies (funding, selection, performance appraisal, and promotion) to enhance staff’s skills and competencies and improve Nigerian universities’ position in global rankings. Key words: Staff development, policies, practices, teachers, performance

In human capital management, the most imperative thing is to think about the human capital that is skillful, innovative, proactive, and profitable for comparative advantage. Any professional development programme (PDP) (Training for Higher Education, Conferences, and Workshops) embarked on by any institution should increase the output and development of both the staff and the university. This study, therefore, sought to investigate lecturers' rate and location of participation in professional development. The rate of participation was investigated using a descriptive survey design. The study participants were all lecturers in Nigerian Federal Universities. The 280 participants were chosen using a stratified sample procedure. The instrument's face, construct, and content validity was done with the internal consistency via Cronbach Alpha indicated 0.70. The research questions were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, graph, mean rating, and rank ordering). Thus, the finding indicated that the Nigerian universities’ lecturers have a high participation rate in PDP. Cross-border training that will enhance university lecturers' productivity should be encouraged more in Nigeria via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Soft skills are regarded as combination of social, emotional, communication and personal skills which promote workplace effectiveness regardless of qualifications or knowledge acquired. This paper linked soft skills to business education teachers’ job effectiveness. Three research questions guided the study. The study population includes all the secondary school principals, Vice-principals, Heads of Department and students that offer business education-related subjects in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria. Random sampling and stratified techniques were used to select 316 participants. We used adapted structured questionnaires tagged “Teachers’ Soft Skills Questionnaire (TSSQ)” and Business Education Teachers’ Job Effectiveness Questionnaire (BETJEQ). We used descriptive statistics to answer the research questions and Pearson Products Moment Correlation (PPMC) to test hypotheses. We found the level of business education teachers’ soft skills and their job effectiveness to be high at 70.6% & 64.6 %. Also, the result revealed a strong, positive linkage between the two variables, r = 0.866, n = 316, p < .000. By implication, Soft Skills will promote teachers’ job effectively positively. That is, the higher the soft skills in the teachers, the better their effectiveness. Therefore, we recommended for practice based on the findings that special training in form of workshop should be organised for Business education teachers on regular basis by government in collaboration with professional bodies to promote up-to-date soft skills that are transferable and promote teaching effectiveness. Resumen Las habilidades interpersonales se consideran una combinación de habilidades sociales, emocionales, comunicativas y personales que promueven la eficacia en el lugar de trabajo independientemente de las calificaciones o los conocimientos adquiridos. Este trabajo vinculó las habilidades sociales con la eficacia laboral de los profesores de educación empresarial. Tres preguntas de investigación guiaron el estudio. La población de estudio incluye a todos los directores de escuelas secundarias, subdirectores, jefes de departamento y estudiantes que ofrecen materias relacionadas con la educación empresarial en Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria. Se utilizaron técnicas de muestreo aleatorio y estratificado para seleccionar 316 participantes. Utilizamos cuestionarios estructurados adaptados etiquetados como Cuestionario de habilidades interpersonales para profesores (TSSQ) y Cuestionario de eficacia laboral para profesores de educación empresarial (BETJEQ). Usamos estadística descriptiva para responder a las preguntas de investigación y la correlación de Pearson (PPMC) para probar hipótesis. Descubrimos que el nivel de habilidades sociales de los profesores de educación empresarial y su efectividad en el trabajo es alto, 70,6% y 64,6%. Además, el resultado reveló un vínculo fuerte y positivo entre las dos variables, r = 0.866, n = 316, p <.000. Como implicaciones, las habilidades interpersonales promoverán el trabajo de los docentes de manera efectiva y positiva. Es decir, cuanto mayores sean las habilidades interpersonales en los docentes, mejor será su efectividad. Por lo tanto, recomendamos para la práctica que los gobiernos organicen una capacitación especial en forma de taller para los maestros de educación empresarial de manera regular, en colaboración con organismos profesionales, para promover habilidades interpersonales actualizadas que sean transferibles y promover la eficacia de la enseñanza.

Colleges of education can achieve their stated goals with careful and well-defined organisational culture, climate and employees’ evaluation system. The study examined the correlation between organisational factors and job performance of non-teaching staff of colleges of education. Relationship between each of the organisational factors (climate, culture and performance appraisal) and performance of non-teaching staff were examined. Non-experimental design of correlation type was adopted. Stratified and convenience sampling techniques were employed to select 234 non-teaching staff of colleges of education. Adapted Organisational Factors Questionnaire (OFQ) and Job Performance Questionnaire (JPQ) with 0.891 and 0.801 were used for data collection. The result showed that organisational factors are positively and significantly correlate to job performance (r- value = 0.873, p=0.000). The implication of this is that organisational culture, climate and performance evaluation have a positive correlation with non-teaching staff’s job performance. The study therefore recommended that colleges’ administrators should consider improving organisational factors in order to increase staff’s performance for global competiveness. Moreover, administrators are to create a sustainable working climate that will promote productivity of non-teaching staff via effective communication and participatory approach.