Strategic Leadership in Adult Education Management in Ondo State

This study examined the influence of strategic leadership on adult education management effectiveness in Ondo State, South West Nigeria. Effective leadership is increasingly recognised as a critical enabler of organisational performance within public education management systems, yet leadership studies specific to the adult education sub-sector in Nigeria's South West zone are scarce. The study adopted a descriptive survey design involving 60 adult education managers and senior supervisors drawn from the Ondo State Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education and affiliated local government education authorities. Leadership behaviour questionnaires, management effectiveness rating scales, and structured interview guides formed the data collection instruments. Findings revealed that managers demonstrating transformational leadership behaviours, including visioning, inspirational communication, staff capacity building, and stakeholder partnership development, consistently achieved stronger programme delivery outcomes than those displaying transactional or passive management styles. Strategic planning competencies were poorly developed across most sampled managers, with long-term programme development frequently overshadowed by reactive administrative fire-fighting. The study found that management training history was the strongest predictor of leadership effectiveness, reinforcing arguments for mandatory management development for adult education administrators. Recommendations include developing a strategic leadership development programme specifically designed for adult education managers in Ondo State, establishing a state-level adult education management peer learning network, institutionalising annual strategic planning cycles, and creating formal leadership succession pipelines within the adult education management cadre. Keywords: strategic leadership, adult education management, organisational effectiveness, Ondo State, transformational leadership.