Developing educational management through investment in digital governance, data-driven decision-making, and institutional accountability in South-East Nigeria
Abstrak
Educational institutions in South-East Nigeria faced challenges in effectively managing resources, ensuring accountability, and adopting digital governance systems for data-driven decision-making. Inefficient administrative processes, lack of institutional transparency, and inadequate use of data hindered decision-making, reduced operational efficiency, and negatively impacted student outcomes. This study evaluated how digital governance and data-driven decision-making influenced institutional accountability in educational management across the region. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design using a validated questionnaire titled the “Educational Digital Governance and Accountability Scale (EDGAS)” developed in line with the research questions. Data were collected from educational administrators, school principals, and department heads. Analysis employed descriptive statistics. Empirical findings show that digital governance tools significantly enhance institutional accountability in South-East Nigerian tertiary education by curbing financial leakages and improving compliance. Concurrently, data-driven decision-making improves resource allocation, staff evaluations, and policy formulation while reducing political interference. Despite technical skill gaps among personnel, integrating automated workflows and data analytics strengthens overall administrative transparency and governance integrity. The results informed policymakers, school administrators, and other stakeholders about best practices for implementing digital governance and data-driven management strategies, ultimately contributing to sustainable improvements in the educational sector in South-East Nigeria
Referensi
Artyukhova, N., Churikanova, O., & Bliumska-Danko, K. (2024). University Leadership: Transparency in Communication with External Stakeholders. Business Ethics and Leadership, 8(4), 16-36.
Dehinsilu-Isa, M., & Amodu, A. (2025). E-Governance and Transformation of Education: Bridging the Digital Divide in Lagos State. Journal of Contemporary Education Research.
Egwu, J. U. (2022a). Impact of educational management on the 21st century education pedagogy in Imo State public secondary schools. Journal of Educational Research and Development, 5(2), 109-119.
Egwu, J. U., & Ekwe, N. I. (2024). Creating effective roadmaps towards managing colleges of education for promoting students’ employability in a competitive society in Delta State. NAEAP Journal of Studies in Educational Administration and Management, 3(1), 70-85.
Egwu, J., & Mbonu, O. A. (2023). Managing secondary education for sustainable development in Anambra State through adequate resources mobilisation: Challenges and strategies for improvement. Journal of Education in Developing Areas, 31(2), 415-428.
Egwu, J. U. (2022b). Assessment of internal mechanisms for quality assurance in the management of public primary schools in Delta State. UNIZIK Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies, 13(1), 111-125.
Elugbaju, W. K., Okeke, N. I., & Alabi, O. A. (2024). Conceptual framework for enhancing decision-making in higher education through data-driven governance. Global Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2(02), 016-030.
Emere, O. N. (2025). The Role of Technological Transformation in Enhancing Management and Administrative Decision-making in Tertiary Institutions in Anambra and Imo States. Journal of Education, Teaching and Learning Research, 1(4), 103-114.
Ezugoh, T. C., Agu, A. N., & Egwu, J. U. (2023). Quality assurance issues in the management of basic education in Nigeria. Emerging perspectives on universal basic education, 259.
Gbadrive, S. W. (2025). Enhancing Financial Transparency and Accountability in Public Education: Lessons from Internal Control Interventions in Developing Countries. International Journal of Scientific Research and Modern Technology, 4(9), 19-28.
Gul, M. N., Abbasi, W., & Wani, M. Y. (2025). Revolutionizing educational decision-making: a robust machine learning mechanism for predicting student performance. Journal of Electrical Systems and Information Technology, 12(1), 1-25.
Ikegbusi, N. G., & Egwu, J. U. (2024). Impact of project-based learning and student creativity on academic achievement of public secondary school students in Abia State. Int'l Journal of Education Research and Scientific Development, 5(5), 14-14.
Ikegbusi, N. G., Egwu, J. U., & Iheanacho, R. (2021). Students' perception of utilization of ICT in teaching and learning in post-COVID-19 era in Nigeria. ANSU Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 8(2), 127-138.
Ilawagbon, O. O. (2025). The Role of Regulatory Bodies in Sustaining Educational Development in Nigeria: An Assessment of the National Universities Commission. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(4), 2664-2681.
Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (2000). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. In Corporate governance (pp. 77-132). Gower. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315191157-9/theory-firm-managerial-behavior-agency-costs-ownership-structure-michael-jensen-william-meckling
Karim, H. A. (2025). Accountability and Transparency In Education Financing Management. ICMIE Proceedings, 2, 256-263.
Khan, A. N., Shahzad, K., & Khan, N. A. (2024). Fostering accountability through digital transformation: Leadership’s role in enhancing techno-work engagement in public sector. Public Money & Management, 1-8.
Liu, T., Luo, Y. T., Pang, P. C. I., & Kan, H. Y. (2025). Exploring the impact of information and communication technology on educational administration: A systematic scoping review. Education Sciences, 15(9), 1114.
McConvey, K., & Guha, S. (2024, May). " This is not a data problem": Algorithms and Power in Public Higher Education in Canada. In Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-14).
Mogea, T. (2023). Education Management Concept. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Pendidikan dan Humaniora (JISPENDIORA), 2(1), 59-67.
Mou, D. (2026). From Algorithmic Decision-Making to Administrative Legitimacy: Rethinking Legal Accountability in Digital Governance. Journal of Law and Governance, 2(1), 1-10.
Nadeem, A., Iram, S., & Akhtar, H. (2026). The Impact of Educational Leadership Styles on Teacher Productivity: A Comprehensive Review. Inverge Journal of Social Sciences, 5(1), 28-41.
Nigeria Education Data Initiative. (2025). About NEDI. https://nedi.education.gov.ng/about/
Noorjahan, M. (2025). Digital Governance and Democratic Accountability: An International Legal Perspective. Law and Democracy Insight, 3(1), 12-27.
Nurcahya, A., Zohriah, A., & Firdaos, R. (2024). Basic concepts of educational management. J-MIND (Jurnal Manajemen Indonesia), 9(1), 9-20.
Nwakanma, L. O., Agu, U. V., & Igwe, J. A. (2025). DATA-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE. Int'l Academic Research Journals of Education and Digital inclusion, 1(2), 220-235.
Okenwa-Fadele, I., Oyeyemi, A. A., Akutaekwe, E. C., Felix, G. C., & Ibrahim, B. D. (2025). Digital Divide Challenges and Their Impact on Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools in Anambra State. Journal of Research in Education and Pedagogy, 2(3), 447-453.
Onuh, U. B., Egwu, J. U., & Ozokwere, H. (2024). Challenges in artificial intelligence utilization for job management efficiency among academic staff in colleges of education in Anambra state. Journal of Association of Educational Management and Policy Practitioners, 6(1), 244-256.
Pattaro, A. F., Moura e Sá, P., & de Kruijf, J. A. (2022). Transparency and accountability in Higher Education as a response to External stakeholders and rules: A comparison between Three Country-Case studies. In Governance and performance management in public universities: Current research and practice (pp. 15-47). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Phakamach, P., PANJARATTANAKORN, D., RATCHAVIENG, A., & SENARITH, P. (2023). Integrated educational management: Meaning, objectives, scope, functions, and new directions for educational organizations. Asian Education and Learning Review, 1(1), 19-34.
Taufik, O. A., Pamungkas, O. Y., Ahmad, A. K., Andini, D. W., & Cahyandaru, P. (2025). Mapping Determinants of Success through Information Systems in Higher Education: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach. Educational Process: International Journal, 14, e2025067.
Taylor, Z. W., Charran, C., & Childs, J. (2023). Using big data for educational decisions: lessons from the literature for developing nations. Education Sciences, 13(5), 439.
Ughamadu, U., Okwuanaso, J. O., & Egwu, J. U. (2025). Principal’s communication skill’s as predictors of teacher’sjob performance in public secondary schools in Anambra state, Nigeria. Journal of Educational Research & Development, 8(2).
Weill, P., & Ross, J. W. (2004). IT governance: How top performers manage IT decision rights for superior results. Harvard Business Press.
Zahra, F. (2025). Analysis of Digital Governance Framework Implementation to Enhance Digital Transformation. SITEKNIK: Sistem Informasi, Teknik dan Teknologi Terapan, 2(3), 115-126.
Zhang, C. (2025). Digital Governance in Education: Theoretical Foundations and Global Trends. Education Insights, 2(4), 121-131.
Open Access
IDEA (International Development of Economics and Administration Journal) is a national peer reviewed and open access journal that publishes significant and important research from all area of Development of Economics and Administration.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content that making research publish in this journal freely available to the public that supports a greater exchange of knowledge.
Copyright
Submission of a manuscript implies that the submitted work has not been published before (except as part of a thesis or report, or abstract); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that its publication has been approved by all co-authors. If and when the manuscript is accepted for publication, the author(s) still hold the copyright and retain publishing rights without restrictions. Authors or others are allowed to multiply article as long as not for commercial purposes. For the new invention, authors are suggested to manage its patent before published. The license type is CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Disclaimer
No responsibility is assumed by publisher and co-publishers, nor by the editors for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a result of any actual or alleged libelous statements, infringement of intellectual property or privacy rights, or products liability, whether resulting from negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any ideas, instructions, procedures, products or methods contained in the material therein.
