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Quality Assurance in Education

JEFERSON F. ESPIRITU G22-0295

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Quality and Accountability in Education: What Say the School Heads?

Mandina Shadreck and Chiheve Hebert

Authors

Quality and accountability in education are fundamental aspects of any effective

educational system. Quality in education refers to providing a well-rounded and meaningful
learning experience that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for
personal and societal development. Accountability, on the other hand, involves holding
educational institutions, educators, and policymakers responsible for education outcomes,
ensuring that resources are used efficiently, and educational goals are met. Together, these
principles form the cornerstone of a successful educational system, fostering continuous
improvement and ensuring students receive the best possible education.

I do agree with the study of Mandina Shadreck et. al (2013) entitled “Quality and
Accountability in Education: What Say the School Heads?” as they mentioned that providing
quality education to learners can only be realized if schools are held responsible for the nation and
the state for equipping learners with knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are beneficial to the
society. They reiterated that, in order for us to have a quality education, our educational system
must require accountability on the part of the teachers for both the learning environments they
provide and the learning outcomes they enable their students to achieve. Assuring the quality of
educational experiences in schools cannot be alienated from the notion of accountability since
schools are entrusted with the delivery of quality education, equipping learners with knowledge,
skills, and attitudes beneficial to the nation and society and hence must be held accountable to the
State and society (Ndawi and Peasuh, 2005). The central assumption in accountability is that
holding schools accountable for their products will cause schools to achieve substantially higher
levels of performance hence meeting the demand for quality education for all (Rosenkvist,2010).

In their study, they defined quality education as the ability of an educational system or
program to fulfill and meet the needs and aspirations of the society that it serves in terms of the
goals set within that society. Therefore, schools are expected to meet certain requirements for
quality education if they are to remain useful to society. While World Education Forum in Dakar
in 2000 recognized quality education as being of fundamental importance, and specific
requirements of successful education programs include well-trained teachers, adequate facilities
and learning materials, a relevant curriculum, a good learning environment, and a clear definition
and accurate assessment of learning outcomes (UNESCO 2005). They also cited the study of
Pigozzi 2006 which categorized the factors affecting educational quality into two levels –those
that affect the level of the learner and those that affect the level of the education system supporting
the learning experience. At the level of the learner, a high-quality education system would need to
be able to recognize and adequately respond to the diversity of learners and their particular
experiences, characteristics, skills, and conditions. Access to relevant educational materials, the
processes of education, and the learning environment are also critical factors affecting this level.
At the education system level, elements affecting the quality of education include the managerial
and administrative system, implementation of ‘good policies, a supportive legislative framework
that can ensure equality of educational opportunity, human and material resources, and the means
to measure learning outcomes. With that, they conclude that a quality education is one that satisfies
basic learning needs and enriches the lives of learners and their overall experience of living. I also
personally support their statement that quality in education influences what students learn, how
well they learn, and what learning outcomes they achieve the values and skills they acquire help
them play a positive role in their societies.

In order for us also to achieve quality education, every educational institution must undergo
quality assurance as it systematically reviews the educational programs to ensure that acceptable
standards of education and infrastructure are being maintained for the sake of the students. Quality
assurance also helps to support teachers and build expertise and capacity in the education system
to deliver positive outcomes for children and young people. Through sharing, understanding, and
applying standards and expectations, quality assurance helps to raise standards and expectations,
and levels of consistency across teachers and schools (Shadreck et. al 2013). But the question is,
how can we achieve a better outcome on the student's performance based on set standards of quality
assurance personnel? As can be gleaned from the study by Shadreck et al. 2013, teachers and
schools – who are trusted with the imperative task of teaching and instructing children should be
held accountable for student outcomes. The school also has an obligation to educate the young
people of society to cultivate in the learner’s certain knowledge, skills, potentials, and attitudes
that will enable them to confer the expected benefits to society (Ndawi and Peasuh, 2003). The
school therefore should be answerable to the community for performing duties as expected and be
held responsible for failure to meet the expectations.

As a result of the study, the researchers came up with four themes based on transcribed
digitally recorded audio through the conducted interviews, observations, or document analysis
with the select school heads participants and these are the following: (1) maintaining positive
relationships in the workplace, (2) promoting professional growth and development, (3) provision
of training, and (4) provision of material and financial resources. Those themes revealed that in
order for school heads to create an environment that is conducive to assuring quality and
accountability in education they should maintain positive relationships with members of staff,
provide training to staff members, and provide material and financial resources as well as
promoting professional growth and development of their teachers. School heads should also form
partnerships with the private sector in order to secure funding.

To conclude, school administrators play a crucial role in fostering a culture of excellence

and responsibility within educational institutions. Their insights and perspectives offer valuable
contributions to ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of education. As stewards of both student
success and institutional integrity, school heads hold a significant stake in the continuous
improvement of the educational landscape.

Reference:

Mandina Shadreck et. al (2013) “Quality and Accountability in Education: What Say the School
Heads?”