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AN APPRAISAL OF THE ROLES AND POSITION OF CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARIES IN THE CIVIL SERVICE :PROBLEMS AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

An office cannot effectively function without secretary. A secretary is very important in every organization. Secretary is the pillar of every organization. The objectives of an organization can hardly be achieved if a secretary is not employed. The success or failure of any organization depends on the secretary. The impression the secretary creates influence the attitude of the public towards the organization. Every secretary must be able to handle office equipment such as typewriter, converting hand written materials into printed forms mail room equipment, dispatch and receive of mails telephone instrument for communication purposes and the computer, a powerful equipment which renders itself to various uses. All these activities and many others not described here from the duties attributable to confidential secretaries.

Therefore, before appraising the major roles confidential secretaries play in the civil service of Anambra State. Let us have a brief concept of which a secretary means. Confidential secretary has been defined in various ways. A confidential secretary is an assistance to an executive possessing a mastery of the office, the person must demonstrate the ability to accept responsibility without direct supervision assigned direction. A mere servant, his position is that he has to do what he is told and no person can assume he has any authority to represent anything at all.

The above definition was made when the education status of secretaries has not been enhanced and their duties not clearly identified. As time goes on the positive of confidential secretaries has started to experience what can be termed as modification is occasioned by technological development, which afforded advancement in secretarial field. Many scholars and association formulated a coherent definition of secretary. Homby (1942) in his dictionary identified a secretary as: An employee in an office who deals with correspondence, keeps records, make arrangement and appointment for a particular member of the staff and usually called private secretary. The importance of a secretary and his work in any organisation cannot be overemphasized he is the gateway of every employer as he is the first person to be seen.

According to Unwin (1982) a secretary is an ambassador of an organization, more often. He is the first person whom customer or members of the general public come in contact. A secretary is also a person to speak than on the telephone, and first impressions are important, therefore, the secretary has the responsibility of representing the organization. The national association of secretary in their view described secretary as: An assistant to an executive possessing mastering of office skill and ability to assume responsibility without being directed, supervision, who display initiative exercise judgment and makes decision within the scope of her authority.

Oguniye (1978) in his handwork of secretary duties identified secretary as: that individual who has been professionally prepared through series of educational expose coupled with practices to records correspondence, minutes, finance, personal materials related to the affairs of the organization for which is employed. Finally, confidential secretaries are employed in various ministries constituting the evil service of Anambra State. They play significant roles but are faced with many problems, which will be identifier in the course of the research possibly solution or strategies would be suggested, aiming at ameliorating the problems, encountered by confidential secretaries.

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