ABSTRACT
This
study was carried out to ascertain ways of improving school-community
partnership for sustainable quality assurance in secondary school
administration in Nsukka Education zone of Enugu state. Five research questions
and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive
survey research. A sample of 400,made up of 278 principal/ teachers and 122 PTA
executives, was used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was
questionnaire titled “Improving School-Community Partnership Questionnaire”,
developed by the researcher. The research questions were answered using mean
and standard deviations while the null hypotheses were tested using t-test
statistics.The findings of the study revealed that the ways community members
can actively participate in decision making include: involving the communities
in setting best alternative course of action , regular consultations with
community development unions on school programmes and activities, allowing the
community to take part in determining subjects offered in the school, allowing
the community to take part in deciding school levies and amount charged. The
study revealed that school-community partnership can be improved through active
participation of community in the provision of infrastructural facilities,
provision of furniture, rehabilitation of school infrastructural facilities,
provision of instructional materials and provision of recreational facilities.
The study also revealed that the school-community partnershipcan be improved by
the communities recruiting adequate number of staff to fill existing vacancies
giving incentives to boost teachers’ morale and rewarding outstanding staff.
The findings also revealed that school-community partnership can be improved
through community provision of fund for procurement of equipment, provision of
funds for the renovation of dilapidated buildings, sponsoring school
co-curricular activities, and sponsoring school academic competition Based on
the findings, the researcher recommended that government should encourage the
operation of the school based management committees in the schools for the
mobilization of the host communities in school administration for sustainable
quality assurance, there is need for the Ministries of Education to spell out
areas which communities can be involved in decision-making process in schools,
that the state government should sensitize all communities on the need for
increased participation in school administration, especially in the provision
of facilities and instructional materials.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Education is conceived by people of varying
backgrounds, ages, needs and
aspirations as a tool for sustainable development.
The potency of education is more
evident in its globalization trends imbued with
instrumental values of nurturing
productive citizens for sustainable development and
democracy. Education is an
inevitable tool for sustainable development and a
vehicle for advancing the frontier
of knowledge (Abdul-Kareem, 2001). Education has
been recognized as a process of
imparting knowledge, skills, value and attitudes to
the learners. This could take place
in homes, skill centers and schools, among others
with the purpose of ensuring total
development of the children.
Secondary education is the type of education offered
to children who have
completed their primary education. It is divided
into three years of junior secondary
and three years of senior secondary. Education that
is offered at this level has two
main purposes; to prepare students acquire the
necessary skills that would help them
live functionally in their communities, and to
prepare them to continue with their
academic careers in higher institutions. According
to Federal Republic of Nigeria
(FRN) (2004), the objectives of secondary school
shall be to:
Provide
all primary school leavers with the opportunity for a higher education; offer
diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in talents, opportunities
and future roles; provide trained manpower in the applied science, technology
and commerce at sub-professional grades; develop and promote Nigerian
languages, arts and culture in the context of world’s cultural heritage;
Inspire students with a desire for self improvement and achievement of
excellence; foster national unity with
an emphasis on the common tries that unite us in our diversity; Raise a
generation of people who can think for themselves, respect the views and
feelings of others, respect the dignity of labour, appreciate those values specified
under our broad national goals and live as good citizens; provide technical
knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, industrial,
commercial and economic development (p:6).
These laudable objectives of secondary education
cannot be achieved by the
government alone. In other words, the public
secondary schools cannot meet the
educational needs of the teaming population of the
country if left for the government
alone. This is because many public secondary schools
in Nigeria are characterized by
inadequacy of infrastructure, facilities and
personnel, poor funding, hence declining
standard, examination malpractices and substandard
products.
Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) in her National
Policy on Education
recognized that education is an expensive social
service that requires adequate
financial provisions from all tiers of government,
private sector, communities,
individuals and other organizations for successful
implementation of education
programmes. The policy document stated that
education cannot be free at all levels.
Therefore, the need for effective teaching- learning
process and school effectiveness
calls for the community-school co-operation.
Community-school relation is an
important aspect of school administration. It deals
with deliberate and sustainable
efforts to establish and maintain mutual
understanding between the school and the
community where the school sited. The essence of
this relationship is to establish a
good rapport between the school and community in
order to achieve educational
goals.
School-community relationship enhances effective teaching and learning
process as it engenders the interest of all stake holders. Oyedele (2000)
described community school relations as ways by which the school relates with
the immediate and large communities where the school is located. Oyedele noted
that through the relationships that exist between the school and community, the
community learns about the progress, development, problems, purposes,
programmes and the needs of the schools and where the community could be
involved and assist. Suleiman (2001) stated that the purpose of having
community-school relations is to enhance effective goals achievement in the
schools. The schools are established for the purpose of the immediate
community. The community needs to monitor and supervise the schools to see to
their needs, problems and progress towards the education of their children.
Bello (2011) believed that open relationship between the school and community
could bring about high opportunities that will allow community resources to be
optimally utilized for the school improvement.
School-community partnership is a driving force behind quality assurance
practice, aimed at improving the quality of school administration, learning
environment, curriculum delivery and students’ learning outcomes. This could be
done through the establishment of meaningful, close, strong and goal-oriented
partnership between the school and other relevant stakeholders such as School
Based Management Committees (SBMC), Parent-Teachers Association (PTA), Old
Students’ Association, Non-government organisations, Age grades, Communities,
Corporate bodies, Individuals and other social institutions. This synergy is
necessary because a virile and responsive school-community relationship is a
building block.....
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Item Type: Postgraduate Material | Attribute: 119 pages | Chapters: 1-5
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