SCHOOL INSPECTORS' EFFICIENCY IN ENSURING EDUCATION QUALITY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1          BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 

External evaluation by national governments in the form of school inspections is an old way of assessing educational quality in the world's education system. The first school inspection/supervision began in France around the end of the 18th century, during Napoleon's reign (Grauwe, 2007). Other European countries adopted the concept, which was eventually popularized in the nineteenth century (Grauwe, 2007). Her Majesty's Inspectorate (HMI) provided the first inspection services in the UK in 1839, according to Learmouth (2000). (Learmonth, 2000). School inspection was seen as a measure of educational accountability (Neave, 1987). However, it is noted that there were alternative types of accountability in education, such as market choice, which is used in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Friedman (Friedman, 2005). Accountability is the need that one party account for the work done by the other (Wilcox, 2000). The basic principle behind educational accountability is to hold educational providers responsible to the people who pay for their children's education (taxpayers) (Neave, 1987). Teachers were held accountable in the English educational system (England) based on their students' performance in national exams (Neave, 2005). This implies that, notably in the 1870s, instructors' incomes were determined by their students' performance in national tests (Levin, 1991). The goal of this practice was to increase teachers' commitment to the mission of educating students and to contribute significantly to their school's accomplishments and excellences. External review of education through national government school inspection is not a new concept in the educational system. According to legend, the first school inspection/supervision began in France during Napoleon's reign towards the end of the 18th century (Grauwe, 2007). Later in the nineteenth century, the concept extended to other European nations (Wilcox, 2000; Grauwe, 2007). Her Majesty's Inspectorate (HMI) provided the first inspection services in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1839. (Wilcox, 2000). School inspection was envisaged as one of the mechanisms of educational accountability (Neave, 1987). Other kinds of educational accountability include market choice, which is used in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Also, in America, Chile, Colombia, and England, there is a school voucher scheme (Friedman, 2005). Inspectors provide feedback to the school on what it is doing well and where it needs to improve. Inspectors assess whether the school has improved in terms of teaching quality, how well students learn, how well teachers assess students' work, and how they use the assessment of students' work to plan and set goals for meeting the needs of individual students and groups since the last inspection report (Hargreaves, 1995). In Nigeria, school inspectors' main job is to guarantee that the school system's policies, rules, regulations, and educational standards are followed (MOEC, 2005). School inspectors must perform the following tasks in order to fulfill this function: first, inspect all schools and write reports in order to advise the Commissioner of Education on matters that require decision-making for improvement, and second, inspect, educate, and advise owners, managers, school boards or committees, and teachers on proper school implementation. The third step is to develop and conduct education research as well as share knowledge in order to improve school teaching standards. The fifth duty is to participate in book authoring, book reviews, and the development of handouts as well as articles for various academy disciplines, and the fourth purpose is to operate as a link between the school and other institutions and the ministry. The sixth role is to seek personal, professional, and academic growth; the seventh purpose is to provide in-service training for teachers; and the eighth duty is to perform supervisory visits to enhance school teaching quality (MOEC, 2005). School inspections are likely to contribute in some manner to excellent education in most developing nations. Inspectors are constrained by transportation, whereas the quality of inspection is constrained by inspector skill. In Lesotho, for example, most inspection visits did not involve an evaluation of educational quality, and they gave little quality information to the school or government (MOE, 2002). In Ghana, inspection had gotten so visualized that it consisted only of a lesson inspection (Hedges, 2002). It might imply that teachers are just required to prepare lesson notes and are free to teach or not teach.       

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

School inspectors play an important role in ensuring and monitoring the quality of elementary school instruction (Hoyle, 2005). Several studies on the efficacy of inspection in elementary schools have been undertaken, but none have focused on individual schools or regions/districts/wards. However, research on the efficiency of inspection training programs (Saburi, 2002) and the implementation of inspector recommendations in secondary schools have been done (Swai, 1982). Other specialized topics relating to primary school inspection for quality practices, such as teaching, reading materials, and libraries, are mostly unexplored in Nigeria. The Ministry of Education reasoned that school inspections were not fulfilling their purpose of supporting and assisting schools in improving educational quality. The government discovered that head teachers were not involved in the inspection process' preparations, and that school inspections lacked essential feedback mechanisms. According to Sambirige (2009), school inspections are not only scary and unpleasant for teachers, but also judgemental.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 

The overall goal of this research is to look into the efficacy of school inspectors in assuring the quality of education in primary schools, using Boki LGA in Cross Rivers State as a case study. The following are some of the study's particular goals:

i. Determine whether or not school inspectors are present in elementary schools in the Boki LGA.

ii. To determine the influence of school inspectors on primary school pupils' academic performance in Boki LGA.

iii. To investigate the impact of school inspectors on the performance of primary school teachers in Boki LGA.

iv. To look at the role of school inspectors in improving primary school productivity in the Boki LGA.

v. Make recommendations on how inspectors could enhance the quality of elementary education. 

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i.       How can  school inspectors  in elementary schools in the Boki LGA.be determined?

ii. What are the influences of school inspectors on primary school pupils' academic performance in Boki LGA?

iii. What are the impacts of school inspectors on the performance of primary school teachers in Boki LGA?

iv. What is the role of school inspectors in improving primary school productivity in the Boki LGA?

v. What are the  recommendations on how inspectors could enhance the quality of elementary education? 

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Teachers, school inspectors, ministries of education, and other stakeholders involved in planning and implementing educational efficiency and quality will be exposed by the findings of this study. The outcomes of this study will be used as a starting point for future research by other scholars.

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research project will examine the efficiency of school inspectors in guaranteeing educational quality using secondary data.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS

School inspectors: A school inspector is an official whose duty it is to check and report on the quality and conditions of schools.

Efficiency is the condition of being efficient or the attribute of being efficient.

Quality: refers to a product's standard when compared to other products of the same type; it also refers to a product's level of excellence.

Education is the process of receiving or imparting systematic instruction, particularly in a school or university setting.