Health insurance and job performance of secondary school teachers in Cross River State - Full Length Research Paper

Oct 15, 2026

This study highlights how health insurance predicts the job performance of secondary school teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria. Using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 190 public secondary school teachers and 72 principals and vice-principals across three senatorial districts. Structured four-point Likert questionnaires were analyzed with simple linear regression. Results show a weak but statistically significant positive prediction (R = .148, R² = .022, p = .046), meaning health insurance explains 2.2% of performance variance and only supports limited productivity gains.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Context and background

Existing policies and gaps

Literature Review

African Educational Research Journal Vol. 13(3), pp. 381-385, September 2025 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper Health insurance and job performance of secondary school teachers in Cross River State Imanyi, Killian Caleb*, Antai, Jane Ita, and Aquaowo, Hannah Ezekiel Department of Educational Management and Planning, University of Uyo, Nigeria. Accepted 4 September, 2025 | ABSTRACT
This study highlights how health insurance predicts the job performance of secondary school teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria. Using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 190 public secondary school teachers and 72 principals, vice-principals across the three senatorial districts. Instruments employed were structured questionnaires on a four-point Likert scale. Simple linear regression analysis revealed a weak but statistically significant positive prediction (R = . 148, R² = .022, p = .046) . This means health insurance explained only 2.2% of the variance in teachers’ job performance. Basic descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) showed that while teachers maintained moderate performance levels, access to functional health insurance remained limited. This suggests that while health insurance matters, it is not the primary determinant of teachers’ job performance. Findings suggest that a well-structured and accessible insurance scheme tailored to educators could enhance productivity. Recommendations include strengthening the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and Ayadecare schemes, improving awareness, and expanding coverage.
Keywords: Health insurance, job performance, secondary school teachers, fringe benefits, Cross River State, teacher welfare, educational management, expectancy theory. | | --- | | Email: ki[llianimanyi38@gmail.com](llianimanyi38@gmail.com). | INTRODUCTION Context and background Teachers are the backbone of any educational system, and their job performance directly determines student achievement, school effectiveness, and, ultimately, national development. In Nigeria, however, secondary school teachers often contend with delayed salaries, inadequate infrastructure, heavy workloads, and weak welfare support. These conditions negatively affect motivation and effectiveness. Among welfare provisions, health insurance may be vital because it reduces financial stress, encourages preventive care, and sustains productivity. Despite the recognized importance of health insurance for sustaining teacher productivity, coverage in Nigeria remains low. The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA, 2022) reports that fewer than 10% of Nigerians are enrolled in health insurance schemes, leaving the majority of teachers without adequate coverage. In Cross River State, for instance, despite the introduction of the Ayadecare initiative, participation among teachers has remained minimal. This gap underscores the urgent need to strengthen welfare provisions, particularly health insurance, to enhance teacher job performance and, by extension, improve educational outcomes. Existing policies and gaps The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was established to ensure universal health coverage. Complementary state-level schemes, such as Ayadecare in Cross River, aim to extend affordable healthcare. Yet, challenges such as low awareness, poor hospital coverage, and bureaucratic inefficiencies limit scheme effectiveness (Pariya and Nasiru, 2021; Usoh and Afr Educ Res J 382 Abdullahi, 2022) . Consequently, many teachers continue to finance healthcare out of pocket, affecting their income, health, and classroom performance. LITERATURE REVIEW Health insurance has been conceptualized in different ways by scholars. AlJohani and Bugis (2024) define it as a method of dividing the financial risk brought on by variation in each person’s health-care costs by pooling costs overtime through pre-payment and across people through risksharing. This definition highlights health

FAQs

What does the study measure regarding health insurance and teacher outcomes?

The study examines how health insurance predicts the job performance of secondary school teachers in Cross River State by considering its relationship to teaching duties and productivity-related indicators.

How was the data collected and analyzed in the study?

A descriptive survey design collected responses from 190 public secondary school teachers and 72 principals and vice-principals. Structured Likert-scale questionnaires were analyzed using simple linear regression.

What is the key finding about the strength of health insurance’s influence on job performance?

The results indicate a weak but statistically significant positive relationship (R = .148, R² = .022, p = .046). Health insurance accounts for only 2.2% of the variance in teachers’ job performance.

Oct 15, 2026

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