Poor Remuneration and Teachers' Effectiveness in Nigeria: A Case Study of Public Secondary Schools in Cross River State

Teachers constitute one of the most important human resources in the education system because the quality of classroom instruction, assessment, learner support and curriculum implementation depends substantially on their competence and commitment. However, inadequate remuneration remains a persistent concern in Nigeria and may affect teachers’ morale, commitment and effectiveness. This study examined the relationship between remuneration and teachers’ effectiveness in public secondary schools in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational survey framework and used a dataset representing 360 teachers drawn proportionately from public secondary schools across the three educational zones of Cross River State. The instrument measured four dimensions of remuneration: salary adequacy, promptness of salary payment, allowances and fringe benefits, and promotion-related financial benefits. Teachers’ effectiveness was assessed in terms of lesson preparation, classroom delivery, assessment practices, classroom management, attendance and commitment to assigned duties. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, independent-samples t-test and multiple linear regression. The results indicated generally low remuneration conditions, with an overall remuneration mean of 2.13 on a five-point scale. Salary adequacy (r = .465), promptness of salary payment (r = .502), allowances and fringe benefits (r = .465), and promotion-related benefits (r = .422) were positively and significantly associated with teachers’ effectiveness. Multiple regression showed that the four remuneration dimensions jointly explained 42.0% of the variance in teachers’ effectiveness, F (4, 355) = 64.29, p < .001. Promptness of salary payment emerged as the strongest individual predictor (β ≈ .254), followed by salary adequacy, allowances/fringe benefits and promotion-related benefits. The comparison further showed that teachers classified as having low remuneration recorded significantly lower effectiveness scores than those with moderate remuneration, t (105.85) = -9.47, p < .001. The study concludes that poor remuneration can undermine teachers’ effectiveness by weakening financial security, morale and occupational commitment. It recommends prompt payment of salaries, periodic salary review, implementation of earned promotions, improved allowances, health and welfare packages, and institutional mechanisms for monitoring teachers’ remuneration.