Abstract
This study investigated the effect of human resource planning on manpower utilization in public secondary schools in Cross River State, Nigeria. Guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses, the study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised 427 teachers across 24 public secondary schools in Obudu Local Government Area. A researcher-developed instrument titled Human Resource Planning and Manpower Utilization Questionnaire (HRPMUQ), containing 15 structured items, was used for data collection. Mean and standard deviation were employed to answer the research questions, while Chi-square (χ²) goodness-of-fit test was used to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that human resource planning has a significant effect on teacher-student ratio, teacher workload management, and staff role appropriateness in the selected schools. The study concluded that effective human resource planning through data-driven staffing decisions, equitable workload distribution, and qualification-based role assignments is critical to enhancing manpower utilization and educational effectiveness. Based on these findings, the study recommended that the Cross River State Ministry of Education adopt strategic enrolment forecasting and census data for balanced teacher deployment, and that school administrators implement structured workload management strategies to ensure fairness, reduce burnout, and promote teacher efficiency.