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1.0Background
The most valuable resource in any organization is its employees, as they have the ability to coordinate and influence other resources to achieve the organisation's goals (Ali, et. al., 2021). In the Nigerian private secondary school system, this is no exception, as motivated employees are essential for generating profitability and shareholder value (Bughin et al., 2018). While employees can be physically replaced, their unique combination of skills and knowledge cannot be replicated. Therefore, it is important to reward individuals for their contributions to the organisation to maintain high levels of motivation and job satisfaction, which can lead to increased productivity and employee retention (Shujaat & Alam, 2013). Private secondary schools are non-government institutions established by entrepreneurs, religious centers, business entities, or corporate organizations. As Akomolafe (2012) noted, private education is the type of education provided by any organisation or agency other than the state. The proliferation of private secondary schools in Nigeria can be attributed to the deplorable conditions in public schools. Bassey, Bisong, Ubi, and Isangedighi (2011) added that personnel in private schools are more committed to their jobs, as administrators have low tolerance for truancy, indiscipline, and inefficiency. This is due to the fact that private schools are business-oriented, hence total efficiency and diligence are required to keep the business afloat. However, they further submitted that many private schools pay low salaries to their staff, which leads to poor teacher motivation. This situation can impede the motivation of teachers. From the outset, the issue of remuneration has kept teachers at the bottom of the payment ladder in Nigeria despite being the builders of the nation. Even today, teachers are still not among the highest-paid professionals in Nigeria. Many take up the job because of job security, flexibility, gratuity/pension, and not necessarily because of a passion for developing the younger generation.
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