The 6 Core Elements of Quality Education in the 21st Century

by Ekene Ifechukwu

elements of quality education

A teacher delivering quality education using teaching aids in a conducive classroom
environment
Contents hide
1 The 6 Core Elements of Quality Education in the 21st Century | Key Indicators of
Quality Education in the 21st Century | How to know the basis of Quality Education
1.1 1. Effective school management
1.2 2. Funding
1.3 3. Quality teaching aids and materials
1.4 4. Quality learning content
1.5 5. Quality learning environment
1.6 6. Quality teaching
A teacher delivering quality education using teaching aids in a conducive classroom
environment Image credit: ace-english.club

The 6 Core Elements of Quality Education in the 21st Century | Key Indicators of
Quality Education in the 21st Century | How to know the basis of Quality Education
There are 6 core elements or key indicators that can facilitate quality education.
These elements or indicators will help understand the basis on which quality
education strives in any school or institution of learning whether in developing or
advanced countries.

1. Effective school management

The first out of the 6 core elements of quality education in the list is effective
school management. The school must be well-administered in order to deliver quality
education. The administration of the school should well-organised to deliver the
expected dividend to students and produce future leaders.

The school management should have good and friendly rapport with all stakeholders
in the school system – students, teachers, parents, communities, regulatory bodies
and governments if they will run the school successfully.

The school management set clear parameters on how the students should be treated
and taught. It should ensure cooperation among teachers, accommodate and appreciate
parents and surrounding communities’ positive contribution to the growth and
development of the school.

However, each privately-owned or government-owned school is expected to administer

its resources and organize the academic and administrative engagements in the best
possible way on its own terms to ensure quality education.

2. Funding
Another important element of quality education is funding. Quality education does
not just form by itself but it is built and delivered. Funding helps to set the
organization and other educational factors aright. It is promotional and
provisional in nature. An academic institution can be individually-funded private
school or government-funded public school, Whichever is the case, any school that
is not granted adequate funding and has no clear guidelines will not be able to
deliver quality education. In summary, funding as an important factor can’t be
ruled out from the 6 core elements of quality education.

3. Quality teaching aids and materials

The relevance of teaching aids and materials in enhancing quality of education
cannot be downgraded for once. Teaching aids and materials make knowledge
acquisition experiential and tend to remove abstraction in subject contents thereby
making it look real. In fact, the more interesting revelation about this basis of
quality of education is that there is no topic or content that can be delivered in
any subject matter in any field of study or discipline that does not require the
use of teaching aid. Therefore, every education system is fully armed in that
respect to produce quality in education services it offers. In conclusion, quality
teaching aids and materials made the list of 6 core elements of quality education
because of its importance in the acquisition of knowledge.

4. Quality learning content

Still on the 6 Core Elements of Quality Education, it is very important to note
that the 21st century learning content in the curriculum should be encompassing and
the teaching aid relevant in the education system in order to build a total child.
Content should include basic literacy and numeracy skills. It should also reflect
social and life skills like computer, health, environment literacy skills and
others like conflict resolution, work, gender equality or other important national
and international issues.

5. Quality learning environment

Structural learning environment, as a key indicator of quality education should be
sound, healthy, secured, supportive-to-learning, inspiring and motivating as well
as adaptable to all categories of learners irrespective of background or race.

6. Quality teaching
The other six core elements of quality education will not likely strive in the
absence of a teacher. The teacher is the ultimate mover or driver of the quality
education. The teacher is probably the most important factor in the core elements
of quality education. The 21st century quality teacher should be able to use to use
appropriate teaching methods and instructional styles to impart knowledge
pertaining to future sustainability to his or her students.