THE EFFECT OF IN-ADEQUATE COMPUTERS IN SECRETARIAL TRAINING IN NIGERIA

THE EFFECT OF IN-ADEQUATE COMPUTERS IN SECRETARIAL TRAINING IN NIGERIA 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study 

One cannot overstate the significance of a secretary’s role in an organisation, given the delicate nature of the post. Actually, secretarial education benefits greatly from the accessibility of computers. For the most part, they feel its absence acutely.

Both the public and business sectors rely on them heavily.Educated at Nigeria’s universities and polytechnics, the vast majority of these secretaries have advanced degrees. Over the past few decades, polytechnics have played an increasingly important role in the education of secretaries.

Due to the specialised nature of secretarial studies, students typically work with unusual tools like word processors and computers. A graduate of secretarial studies is ill-equipped to confront the difficulties of the job and the automation of the workplace that has resulted from technological advancements because of their lack of experience with this specialised equipment.

In order to keep her work, a secretary must adapt to new technology as it becomes available. In order to prepare secretarial students for careers in contemporary workplaces, the secretarial department at Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro is required to provide in-depth instruction on several modern machines, such as accounting, dictation, duplicating, and word processors.

Secretarial students will benefit greatly from these tools since they will help them learn how to manipulate a wide variety of office equipment, which is an essential skill for any job.

This department risks losing credibility if it does not have the necessary equipment to adequately train secretaries, which is one of the factors typically considered by the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) when accrediting tertiary institutions to offer secretarial administration courses.

The reality is that most universities and colleges today have such a weak financial foundation that they struggle to cover the expenses of providing students with the necessary learning tools.

Without a doubt, this will cause students in this department to graduate lacking in operational expertise with these pieces of equipment, which will reflect poorly on both the student and the school from which the student graduated. Similarly, Nolen (1964) noted that schools do not have the necessary resources when he stated:

Many educational institutions still do not have the necessary office equipment, even though many new and improved models have hit the market in recent years. In order for training to be effective, equipment must be adequately and properly maintained. For example, a key punch machine can be taught to operate.

Instead of just reading about the machines in a textbook, it would be more beneficial to let the pupils actually use them. Projects may be sponsored to raise funds or students could be taken to company homes to get familiar with appliances, so schools shouldn’t let a lack of funds prevent them from providing necessary equipment.

Due to insufficient training of secretarial students on the actual equipment, the lack of available acceptable equipment inhibits both secretarial services and the generation of skilled secretaries, who lack the necessary manipulative skills.

1.2 The Statement Of The Problem

Some believe that secretaries’ roles will also evolve in response to the rapid pace of technology development in today’s corporate world. The secretaries could benefit or suffer with technological progress. The evolution of secretarial technology is influencing both the nature of secretarial work and the skillsets needed to do it.

To be able to operate some pieces of office equipment is now a need, if not an absolute must, for many employers. Graduates of secretarial programs often struggle to get work due to their general lack of proficiency with office machinery.

There is a serious issue with the training at the Secretarial Department of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, and Isoko North Local Government Council due to the lack of sufficient and modern equipment. Students are ill-prepared for their programs because they have no opportunity to handle the equipment they need.

Additionally, the absence of contemporary machinery in the office results in low production. Graduates of this program (administrative or secretarial studies) often lack the skills necessary to operate office machinery, which has a negative impact on secretarial services.

Nonetheless, the underlying impact of outdated technology on students’ academic achievement, employment prospects, and office productivity is what this project aims to investigate.

1.3 The Purpose Of The Study

The purpose of this project is to look into the effects of underpowered computers on secretarial studies students’ and employees’ performance at Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, and the Isoko North Local Government Council, as well as possible solutions to these problems.

Practitioners, students, and prospective students of secretarial administration would all benefit from knowing how technology advancements have affected secretarial performance, and this study would help to accomplish just that.

The following factors were identified and evaluated throughout the course of this research as potentially contributing to the issue of insufficient equipment:

See whether there is any missing equipment that might improve secretarial functions in the department.

Specifically, we want to know how much of an impact inadequate equipment has on learners’ and employees’ productivity.

In order to find out how much of an effort the government, the institution, and the department put into making sure students have enough equipment for training.

14. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Similar to other important studies, this one will help colleges and universities in Delta State determine if their secretarial programs are adequate for the kinds of organisations that students are expected to work for as part of their degree requirements.

The findings of this study will inform the department and school authorities about the latest technology tools utilised in offices, allowing them to seek their acquisition in areas where they are lacking.

In order to effectively execute secretarial services, it will also improve the link that now exists between the school and the employers of labour. Lastly, it will be significant because, if given enough resources, student secretaries will be well-versed in the latest and greatest equipment.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 

The primary goal of equipping universities with sufficient computers and current equipment is to produce competent secretaries who are well-suited to their positions and who can confidently handle the technological demands of today’s offices.

Thus, the research will centre on how much student secretaries’ performance is impacted by the lack of proper equipment in the secretarial department. Consequently, we would answer the following questions:

Is there a dearth of equipment that might improve secretarial duties in the department?

Does the lack of suitable equipment impact the academic achievement of students?

In order to ensure that students have access to sufficient computers and current training equipment, how does the government interact with the department, the tertiary institution, and the students?

1.6 Limitations of the Study  

Isoko North Local Government Council and Delta State Polytechnic in Ozoro will be the only subjects of this study because of the following circumstances that the researcher encountered:

Time is not on the side of the researchers since there is not a lot of time to finish and submit this study.
Money: The researcher is having trouble covering the costs of the investigation because of the current state of the Nigerian economy.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The following locations in Delta State are particularly relevant to this project’s scope:

In Ozoro, at Delta State Polytechnic. Municipal Council of Isoko North

1.8 Definition of Terms 

These are some of the more common terms used in this study, with their definitions provided in the way the author hopes the reader would understand them:

The office serves as the hub of any organisation. There, administrative tasks are completed. Someone could be filling that role. The office, according to Neuner and Keeling, is “the focal point for correlating the services and profit making activities of a business enterprise.”.

Business offices rely on a variety of pieces of equipment to carry out daily tasks and other administrative tasks more efficiently.Variously referred to as “office appliances,” “office machines,” and “labour saving devices,” this category encompasses all of the tools and gadgets utilised in an office setting.

Secretarial training is an academic program that prepares students for the theoretical and practical components of their chosen field of study by exposing them to the workplace environments in which they will likely work upon graduation.

Any device that can receive, store, and execute a set of instructions in a predictable and preset form is considered a computer. According to this definition, a computer is a device whose instructions can be modified, as well as the data upon which those instructions are based.The output is referred to as information when it is utilised for decision-making. Text storage and reproduction are its primary tasks.

The term “word processor” refers to a specific set of computing devices that include both software and hardware components. The two primary uses for a word processor are data storage and retrieval.

Consequently, it is useful for text or document editing. With its built-in dictionary, which comes in different sizes, it will point out any mistake in a word that is in the dictionary. It can print several copies of a document simultaneously.

There is a wide variety of dictation machines available. Their operation could be powered by batteries or electricity. Their processes should be well-known to the secretary.

There are dictation machines with remote controls and automatic transmission capabilities, as well as desk-tape or central system devices, and portable cassettes for travellers.

Making copies of written, printed, or drawn items is the job of a duplicating machine. Machines that can reproduce an image from a master, be it paper or metal, are known as replicators.

Therefore, it is essential that all secretaries and administrative assistants be proficient in using the equipment to make copies from the master document.

The spirit process, the offset litho process, and the stencil process are among the many methods of duplication.