THE SECRETARY PROFESSION IN NIGERIA IN THE PAST AND IN THE PRESENT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

THE SECRETARY PROFESSION IN NIGERIA IN THE PAST AND IN THE PRESENT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The secretarial profession has existed since the beginning of time, as long as man and nature have existed. The necessity for a famous individual to whom private affairs might be entrusted and who could work as an assistant to a principal evolved naturally (Beynon et al, 2002)..

Prior to the founding of the empire, secretaries were known to exist in Rome. They were generally educated men who served as "scribes," taking dictations and serving as valued counselors.

Scribes' instruments of the art ranged from chisels used on stones to styluses used on clay, wood, or wax tablets before the introduction of parchment and reed pens (Brubaker et al, 2000). During that period, events and works of notable persons were documented in some way. "Reliable documents demonstrate that the modern day secretary arose from the origins whose oldest is 'penman,'" Alexander the Great declared (Brubaker et al, 2000).

The first personnel officer to be taught was dubbed 'penman,' and the skill of 'penmanship' was born. Originally, the penman utilized quill feathers as a pen to create colorful writings. After the penman known as "the writer," other kinds of secretaries evolved, becoming what are known as "chartered secretaries," who provided helpful service to persons and organizations that need their skills (France, 2009).

Most historians attribute the beginnings of shorthand with the Greek historian euphony, who employed an old Greek to record Socrates' recollections, according to the new encyclopedia Britannica (1990:1052). However, it was under the Roman Empire that shorthand became widely utilized. Marcus adds up the numbers. The tironians notes were devised by tiro, a skilled freedman who was a member of Cicero's household, and were the first Latin shorthand system. It was created in the year 63 B.C. and has survived for almost a thousand years. The Latin triennia shorthand grew in popularity to the point where it was collected into shorthand dictation and employed by emperors and scholarly clerics in rapid writing materials. As a result, a variety of other shorthand systems have been developed. Isaac Pitman released the first Latin edition of the work in 1837. The second version of his work, titled "photography or writing by sound, being also a fresh and natural form of shorthand," was published in 1840. Pitman's shorthand Instructor and Key; New Era; Pitman 2000; and Pitman Script are examples of his work in various formats. "In 1888, John Greeg's light line photography was also published. These systems took off in America shortly after their publication and have since stretched their tentacles to practically every country on the planet. All written information was done by hand before the development of the typewriter. In the United States of America (U.S.A), William Austine Bunt created the first typewriter in 1829. He built a contraption that wrote slower than a biro pen. Christopher Sholes, on the other hand, created a machine in 1874 that was quicker than a biro pen. The typewriter keyboard was alphabetically organized during the time period under consideration, and an updated version was released in 1872 for convenience. Naturally, the development of the typewriter changed the course of events for secretaries since they began to learn how to control it with their hands.

Members of the nobility in early modern times had secretaries who were invariably males, spoke multiple languages, including Latin, and were obliged to acquire what we now call a wide generalist education (France, 2009)..

People of wealth and power required secretaries, confidants, and trusted agents to handle letters on private or confidential affairs, particularly matters of state, as commerce and trade grew. The secretarial sector was still dominated by men. With the outbreak of World War II in 1940, the secretarial profession experienced another change, with males being recruited into the armed forces and only women remaining to continue on secretarial tasks. Since then, the secretarial profession has been predominantly a female-dominated field, with males entering it seen as invaders.

Recognizing the need of continuous education for job advancement, a group of secretaries in America's heartland formed the foundation of an organization to assist professionalize the profession. The National Secretarial Association (NSA) was founded in 1942 and is currently known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals. In 1951, NSA launched the certified professional examination, which has since become a gold standard for the industry.

In 1914, the secretarial profession was introduced to Nigeria by Sir Frederick Lord Lugard (the first Governor General of Nigeria), who brought his wife to help him in maintaining and storing critical papers. It is now found almost everywhere in the United States. In the guise of a secretary, every organization today has someone who looks after crucial and private papers (France, 2009).

According to Akintola (1992), stenography was mostly a male-dominated industry until the 1950s, when a few female stenographers emerged, most of whom were expatriate CEOs. Only female expatriates were offered such possibilities since their language was utilized, and secondly, they were highly prepared for the skills before coming to Nigeria. He went on to say that by 1960, the expatriates had departed Nigeria, and that their posts had been filled by Nigerian men and women on training. Secretaries were given lectures, seminars, and workshops.

The word "secretary" is derived from the Latin word "sectrum," which means "secret." It originally meant "one entrusted with a superior's secrets and confidence." Secretaries was the Middle English word, while Secretarius was the Middle Latin word. Secretaries was a term used in France from the 13th through the 16th centuries to describe a confidant. It also became a phrase for "someone who transcribes or organizes for another" in the administrative world.

The First Millennium Webster Dictionary's meaning had been substantially broadened by 1847. (1) A person engaged by a public body, a corporation, or an individual to write instructions, letters, dispatches, public or private papers, records, and the like for a public body, a company, or an individual (France, 2009).

Secretary of State – (2) An officer whose job it is to administer the operations of a specific department of the government.

The term "secretary" has come to denote "someone who types correspondence" or "someone who takes dictation." The International Association of Administrative Professionals recommends the word "administrative professionals" as a placeholder term for office support workers to better represent the administrative and information management tasks of today's office support personnel (IAAP).

1.2              STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study will compare and contrast the secretarial professions of the past and now, as well as the impact of education, training, working circumstances, and current technology on the profession.

1.3              SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is essentially significant in the following ways;

i.        It will highlight some of the differences between secretaries of yesterday and today.

ii.      The findings from his investigation will enhance the image of secretaries and thus place them in their rightful position along other officers.

iii.     The outcome of this study will be beneficial to all practicing secretaries who are already in the system.

iv.     Another set of people that will benefit from this study are all student secretaries all over the country. It will enhance the overall performance of the student secretaries because they will be convinced on the importance of this profession.

v.     Finally,  the findings from the research will ensure a concrete perception of the secretarial profession by the general public.

1.4       PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

   The purpose of the comparative study of secretarial profession in Nigeria yesterday and today concentrated on Ibeto Group of Companies Nnewi.  The researcher principally aims at investigating the relationship between the old secretarial profession and the present one, for the purpose of revealing the differences and suggesting improvements if necessary.  The study will also state clearly how the present or modern secretary outwits the past secretary.

1.6       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

 For the purpose of this research study, the following questions are formulated.

1.     Is there any difference between secretaries of today and those of yesterday?

2.     Do secretaries of today require any special training before they can be of equal status with other professionals?

3.     Is there job satisfaction for secretaries of nowadays than before?

4.     Is there a scope of expansion in the profession?

5.     Is there any increase in secretary’s productivity nowadays?

1.7       DEFINITION OF TERMS

 For better understanding of this research work the following operational terms are defined.

Administration:  The act of putting something into operation, the control or direction of affairs

Correspondence:  Agreement between particular things, likeness, the act of exchanging letters.

Effective:  Having a noticeable or desired result

Minute:    To make a note on a document or notes taken during a meeting

Organization:  The arrangement of points to form an effective whole. A group of people with a special purpose.

Technology:  The branch of knowledge, study, mastery and utilization of manufacturing and industrial methods; systematic application of knowledge to practice industry.

Penman:  The first trained professional officer

Penmanship:   this is the act of writing with feathers by the penman.

Stenographer: One who has the skill of writing shorthand outlines and transcribing on the typewriter.

Automation: Use of automatic equipment and machines in handling of secretarial matters.

Scribe:   Writer in ancient times.

Present Secretary:  A modern secretary who is equipped with the new information technology system.

Past Secretary:  All the secretaries that existed between (1940 and 1970) are known as first generation secretaries.

Secretary:   According to National Secretaries Association quoted by Obodo (2001), is an executive assistant who possesses a mastery of skills; who demonstrates the ability to assume responsibilities without direct supervision, who exercises initiative and judgment and who makes decisions within the scope of assigned authority.

Chattered Secretary:   A professional body that controls the activities of its members and regulates entry into the profession through a set of organized examination.

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