CHAPTER 6

DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

Yetunde Ijaiya
Introdcution
The school, by its nature, is a complex organization such that delegation of authority is
unavoidable, it is therefore imperative for all school managers and administrators at whatever level,
primary, secondary or tertiary, to understand the concept of delegation, its importance and how
to use it effectively.
This chapter therefore sets out to explain the concept of delegation, its place in school
management, the possible barriers to effective delegation and ways of ensuring productive
delegation.
Mullins (1993) defines delegation of authority as 'the authorization to undertake
activities that would otherwise be carried out by someone in a more senior position' (p. 520).
Cole (1996) describes it as a process whereby a manager or a senior officer cedes or entrusts
some of his authority to subordinates or team mates to perform certain tasks or duties on his behalf.
They however warned that the manager or the senior officer remains accountable for those tasks
or duties to his own superior officers.
The above definitions show that delegation exists at both organization and individual or
personal level. At the organization level, it has to do with location of decision making and it is
reflected in the organizational chart, that is, it provides the structure of the organization. It is
also influenced by the size of the organization. In other words, the larger the organization, the more
the need to delegate responsibilities or tasks " to various levels throughout the organization"
(Mullins 1993, p. 520). At the personal level, delegation involves the passing of one's authority and
responsibility to fellow workers to act on one's behalf usually because one is unavoidably
absent or busy with something else.
Delegation is essentially a two-way power-sharing process. The manager delegating
passes on his responsibility and authority

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but is still accountable while the one receiving them by implication undertakes to carry them out
and be ready for any blame for his mistakes. However, sufficient authority must be given to hold
him accountable (Nwachukwu, 1988; Cole, 1996; Muilins, 1993).
In practice, delegation can be found to operate within two ends of a continuum at one
end is a loose control but wide freedom while at the other end is a tight control with little freedom.
The level of control can fluctuate between the two ends depending on the individuals involved
and the situation (Nwachukwu, 1988).
How much delegation goes on in an organization can be influenced by its size and
complexity as well as man's capacity to .do only so much within a given period of time.
Associated with delegation are key terms such as authority, responsibility and
accountability (Mullins, 1993).
1.
Authority- is defined as the right given to.some officers (managers) by virtue of their
position in an organization to act or direct others in certain ways.
2.
Responsibility - refers to a measure of the official or recognised expectations that a senior
officer has of the subordinates or team mates to act or take certain decision for which the
subordinate would accept blame for his mistakes, that is, he is accountable.
3.
Accountability - it is the ultimate responsibility. It lies with the manager who still retains
over-all responsibility for whatever is delegated.
The Place of Delegation in Schools.
There is always a lot to be done towards achieving an all round development or the
socialization of the youth that neither the headmaster, nor the principal, nor the vice-chancellor as
the chief executive at school level, who is the accounting and reporting officer, can undertake alone.
Apart from the intellectual development of the learners, he has to see to their social, moral
and physical development, attend to parents and other visitors as well as demands from his own
superior officers from the Ministry of Education (M.O,E.)

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and the Teaching Service Commission (T.S.C.), hence, the need to delegate some tasks and
duties to subordinates. These subordinates, heads of departments, the vice-principals, deans and
so on run the faculties and departments on behalf of their principals or vice-chancellors. The
organizational structures of schools are the result of delegation (see Figure 1).
Furthermore, organizations including schools are not supposed to be static. Owners
expect growth and development. Schools, certainly experience changes in staffing, student
enrolment, curriculum development, societal demands on schools and so on which raise their
complexity and mount more pressures on the school heads to delegate more tasks and duties.
For instance, school administration in Nigeria has witnessed some changes due to some
innovations in government policy and the curriculum. These include:
i.
the implementation of the Universal Primary Education (U.P.E) in 1976 which resulted
in student population explosion at all levels of the educational system;
ii.
increased, though still inadequate, teacher supply to schools to cope with increased
enrolment and new subjects;
iii.
the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education with Junior and Senior Secondary
sections.

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96

(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)

the introduction of pre-vocational subjects which expanded the school curriculum;

expanded school plant to take care of the growing population;
new emphasis on continuous assessment; and
the introduction of guidance and counselling units in all secondary schools.

With this kind of situation, the school head is in a no-win situation in the management of
the school if he does not delegate: The various education bodies had responded to these
needs by appointing more principal officers. For example, at the secondary school level, most
schools now have two or three Vice Principals (V.P.) instead of the traditional practice of one .
These are V.P. (Administration), V.P. (Academic ) and V.P. (Special Duties) who are ranked in
ascending order (the V.P. Administration as the most senior), with specific functions including
deputizing in the absence of the Principal (Sanni, 1997). Similarly, in the universities there are
now two , as against the former practice of one, Deputy Vice-Chancellors (D.V.C.) namely D.V.C
(Administration) and D.V.C. (Academic) also with clearly defined functions. .
In addition, another visible sign of delegation especially in our secondary schools is the
increasing use of committees. Though the use of committees is not new in schools, what is
however novel is their increasing popularity in schools. As against two or three (disciplinary
and sports committee) of the past, many schools now have up to eight or more. Queen Elizabeth
School, llorin, for instance, has 25, each with specific terms of reference. Also, some schools
now see the need to appoint heads of sections or class supervisors to oversee and coordinate
the activities of the traditional class teachers.
Delegation of authority is therefore very important in school management and should be
well understood by school heads as well as by the teachers especially its process, benefits and
how to make it work to the benefit of the educational system. This is necessary in view of
the fact that most school heads and their

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deputies in Nigeria have no training in Educational Management. Their appointment is usually based
on experience and who you know (Ayinla, 1999). Most of the teachers are also deficient in such
training. In addition, most problems bedevilling the educational system nowadays such as
cultism, insubordination, truancy, examination malpractice, drug abuse, poor academic
performance and so on, are probably the result of poor supervision and improper delegation of
duties.

The Process of Delegation

Delegation could take place in three directions:
i. Downward: This is the usual process in which a superior officer gives authority to a
subordinate to act on his behalf.
ii. Upwards: It is when a manager acts for or performs the work of a subordinate who is
absent.
iii. Lateral: This is a case of a manager acting for another manager or officers at the same level
acting for each other.
Principles of Delegation
For successful delegation, it is important that both parties understand its basic principles.
These include:
i. Parity of authority and responsibility, that is, authority must be commensurate with
responsibility.
ii. Absoluteness of accountability - this implies that while authority and responsibility can
be delegated, the senior officer remains accountable to his own superiors.
iii. Unity of Command - this is saying that a subordinate would be answerable to only one
superior on whatever task is delegated in order to avoid confusion due to conflicting
instruction (Nwachukwu, 1988).
Benefits of Delegation
No school head can do without delegating even if he has eyes on the back of his head.
Even the one who insists on being told everything before action is taken will soon find out that
he is overloading himself with matters that his subordinates can easily handle. Shaping children's
behaviour is not exactly the same thing as

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producing soap or baking bread. The former is much more complex and more demanding with
the result rather unpredictable. Without proper delegation, the school manager cannot cope
successfully. The subordinates and the entire school system also stand to benefit from
delegation, if well handled, delegation could:
1.
lead to effective utilization .of available human and material resources and ultimately better
performance of the school as an organization and imporved productivity among teachers;
2.
lead to better use of time which is an invaluable asset to any organization including
schools;
3.
give the manager more time to attend to more strategic management functions rather
than stressing himself out in doing the work. .
4.
delegation engenders participation on the subordinates' part, and can serve as a training
ground to improve their knowledge and skills as well as test their suitability for job
performance and promotion;
5.
provide opportunities for subordinates to take part in the schools' decision-making
process which can help to boost their morale, reduce conflicts and enhance job
satisfaction (Ejiogu, 1988);
6.
lead to formation of committees with membership which cut across the various
departments and serve as means of achieving team work, co-ordinating school
activities and disseminating information within the school community (Coleman and
Bush, 1994);
7.
make the school leadership more democratic while making different shades of opinions
available to the principal;
8.
help to improve the rapport among teachers on the one hand and between principal
and the teachers on the other hand and thereby improve the tone of the school; and
9.
leave more time for managers to be available for consultations by subordinates and
superiors.

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Barriers of Effective Delegation of Authority.

In spite of the seeming picture of delegation in the structure of organisations, in reality, not
much of delegation may be going on. In a school system, where the head confines his deputies
and other teachers solely to their routine work without entrusting them with some of his own
duties or where responsibilities are given to subordinates without commensurate authority to act
or take decisions and being closely monitored, there cannot be said to be a meaningful delegation.
In such a situation the school manager is inviting chaos or outright breakdown of law and order. He
will not only stress himself out unnecessarily but would also soon find out that he cannot cope
effectively. For instance, the school manager cannot single-handedly maintain discipline in the
school. There are late-comers, loiters, students in wrong uniforms, unruly ones, and so on to be
disciplined. Unless teachers are given full authority to control such students within defined guidelines,
law and order would breakdown.
In spite of the obvious need, some school managers still find it difficult to delegate or still
retain some vital aspects of their work undelegated especially financial matters. The major reason
attributed to the attitude of not delegating freely is fear, that is, fear that the subordinate will not
do the work well or that he may do it so well that the manager will be made to feel inferior or
incompetent (Mullins, 1993). In certain cases, it is due to greed or corrupt tendencies of the
manager who does not want the subordinates to know his secrets.
Another barrier to effective delegation is the fear of losing control of the system by
managers. To such managers, delegation will mean being dependent on others and they no
longer feel on top. This does not have to arise. Management by nature implies being dependent
on others (Mullins, 1993) but good managers would be able to manage such dependency properly
and still manage to be in control.
On the part of the subordinates, over-zealousness and/or greed or laziness can create
bottlenecks for effective delegations. Some subordinates have been known to have overstepped their

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bounds by using more authority than was entrusted to them even in spite of clear guidelines. For
example, when a class teacher is asked to collect some levies and he decides to take more for
himself or embezzles the money. Some teachers have been known to be over zealous in the
application of corporal punishment to students to the extent of maiming them.
Delegation is a social skill that is very much influenced by mutual trust on the part of the
manager and his subordinates. Where the manager perceives a subordinate to be untrustworthy or
the latter finds out that he is being used for some selfish reason of the manager such as roping him
into a fraud the superior officer has already committed, delegation would fail. Work delegated
under mistrust will have to be closely monitored and double checked which is bad for
delegation. In the earlier case, it might result into open clash between the manager and the
subordinate, or strain! the relationship between them which might have repercussion
throughout the organization. This is poor delegation.
At the other extreme is excessive delegation whereby subordinates are left almost
without guidance and supervision to do their work as they like and be ready to accept blame for their
mistakes. Such managers would abscond from office when there are serious problems in the
school so as to dissociate themselves from them. This cannot be called delegation but shirking
one's responsibility.
Both poor and excessive delegation can frustrate subordinates, leading to low
morale, low motivation and poor job performance.
Guidelines for Effective Delegation
Delegation is at the centre of management. It is an important way of getting jobs done in an
organization. As a behavioural skill, it has to be handled properly for effective management. The
following tips can help managers to delegate properly:
1. Delegation has to do with location of decision making and involves decentralization.
School managers should adopt participative rather than authoritative or consultative style of
management.

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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Work should be delegated to the right people whether individually or as a

committee by considering their personality characteristics: age, interest,
qualification, experience, capability and level of motivation.
Terms of reference or guidelines should be clearly spelt out in writing for whatever is
delegated.
Effective communication between the manager and subordinates is also
important.
School managers remain accountable for work delegated.
There must be effective coordination of functions and committees' assignments by
the manager so that they all work towards over-all school objectives.
Informal relationships can promote delegation among staff.
Recommendations made by subordinates individually or as a committee should be
respected, examined and implemented if found acceptable so as to encourage
them and others.
Managers should avoid over-use of certain individuals for delegation of duties to
prevent dissatisfaction among other teachers.
Managers should not be stingy of praise for good work done.

In addition, a systematic approach to delegation, as suggested by Mullins (1993), in school

management is hereby presented. This, it is hoped, can lead to better delegation relationship,
improved job satisfaction and enhanced opportunities for promotion or personal development:.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:

Identify and clarify the task to be delegated.

Specify in writing the terms of reference or guidelines.
Follow with briefing, guidance and training (if necessary).

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Step 4:
Step 5:

Provide review and monitoring system.

Allow freedom of action within agreed terms of reference or guidelines.

Figure 2: A Systematic Approach to Delegation in School Management.

Adapted from Mullins (1993). Management and Organizational
Behaviour, p.529.

Conclusion
In synopsis, delegation is a key aspect of management. In the school system, it is quite visible
and is almost impossible to run a school successfully, no matter the population , without
delegation.

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The increasing complexity of the educational system in Nigeria at present even makes
delegation necessary more than ever before, forcing school mangers to delegate more, hence
the need for them to fully understand what delegation involves.
Delegation is about decentralization of authority and responsibility within an
organization with benefits for the manager and the subordinates wherever successfully carried
out. A major obstacle to successful delegation is fear of failure though selfishness cannot be ruled
out. For successful delegation, however, the element of trust is important for both parties, just as
authority must be commensurate with responsibility. A systematic approach to delegation
can also promote its success in school management. Annual evaluation of teachers should
recognise, among other things, their performance in carrying out delegated duties as a means of
encouragement.
Revision Questions
1.
What does the term 'delegation of authority1 mean? Why is it so Important in school
management?
2.
Distinguish between delegation at organizational level and at a personal level.
3.
What factors would you take into consideration in delegating duties to a subordinate?
4.
What are the principles guiding effective delegation of authority?
5.
What are the main bottlenecks against successful delegation?
References
Akanbi, T. (1994). Schedules of Duties of Staff in Secondary Schools. ANCOPSS. Kwara
State Branch, llorin Publication.
Ayinla, M.A. (1999). Vice Principal managerial skills and effectiveness in llorin
Metropolis secondary schools, Kwara State. Unpublished M.Ed. Dissertation. Department of
Educational Management. University of llorin.

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Cole, G.A. (1996). Management Theory and Practice. London: DP Publication..

.
Coleman, M. & Bush, T. (1994). Managing with teams in T. Bush and J, West-Burham
(Eds.): The Principles of Educational Management: pp. 265-284. London: Longman.
Ejiogu, A.M: (1998). Towards greater collegiality in school policy making. The linkingpin model. In S. Adesina and E.O. Fagbamiye (Eds.): Educational Administration. pp. 127-133.
Ibadan: University Press Limited.
Mullins, I.J. (1993). Management and Organizational Behaviour. London: Pitman
Publishing.
Nwackukwu, C.C. (1988). Management Theory and Practice. Onitsha. AFRICANA - Fed.
Publishers Limited.
Sanni, R.O. (1997). School Management: Guidelines for Principals and Teachers. A
publication of the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission, llorin.

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