CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
Background of Study.
In
all aspects of the school and its surrounding education community, the rights of the whole
child, and all children, to survival, protection, development and
participation are at the centre. This means that the focus is on learning which
strengthens the capacities of children to act progressively on their own behalf
through the acquisition of relevant knowledge, useful skills and appropriate
attitudes; and which creates for children, and helps them create for
themselves and others, places of safety, security and healthy interaction. (Bernard,
1999).
What
does quality mean in the context of education? Many definitions of quality in education exist,
testifying to the complexity and multifaceted nature of the concept. The terms efficiency,
effectiveness, equity and quality have often been used synonymously (Adams, 1993).
Considerable consensus exists around the basic dimensions of quality education today,
however. Quality education includes:
Learners
who are healthy, well-nourished and ready to participate and learn, and supported in
learning by their families and communities; Environments that are
healthy, safe, protective and gender-sensitive, and provide adequate
resources and facilities;
Content
that is reflected in relevant curricula and materials for the acquisition of basic skills,
especially in the areas of literacy, numeracy and skills for life, and knowledge in such
areas as gender, health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention and peace.
CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION
2.1
Defining
Quality in Education
Processes through which trained
teachers use child-centred teaching
approaches
in well-managed classrooms and schools and skilful assessment to facilitate learning
and reduce disparities; Outcomes
that encompass knowledge, skills and attitudes, and are linked to national goals for
education and positive participation in society. This definition allows
for an understanding of education as a complex system embedded in a political, cultural
and economic context. This paper will examine research related to these dimensions. It is
important to keep in mind education’s systemic nature, however; these dimensions are
interdependent, influencing each other in ways that are sometimes unforeseeable.
This definition also takes into
account the global and international influences that propel the discussion of
educational quality (Motala, 2000; Pipho, 2000), while ensuring that national and local
educational contexts contribute to definitions of quality in varying countries (Adams, 1993).
Establishing a contextualized understanding of quality means including relevant
stakeholders. Key stakeholders often hold different views and meanings of educational quality
(Motala, 2000; Benoliel, O’Gara & Miske, 1999). Indeed, each of us judges the school
system in terms of the final goals we set for our children our community, our country
and ourselves (Beeby, 1966).
Definitions of quality must be open
to change and evolution based on information, changing contexts, and
new understandings of the nature of education’s challenges. New research — ranging from
multinational research to action research at the classroom level— contributes
to this redefinition. Systems
that embrace change through data generation, use and self-assessment are more likely to offer quality
education to students (Glasser, 1990). Continuous assessment and improvement can focus
on any or all dimensions of system quality: learners, learning environments, content,
process and outcomes. Each of these will be discussed below.
