COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN QUALITY ASSURANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN DELTA STATE NIGERIA

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Education in Nigeria as well as in other parts of the world is seen as the cornerstone for development. It forms the basis for literacy, skill acquisition, technological advancement and the ability to harness human and material resources towards the achievement of societal goals (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). In an increasingly competitive world, education is the most powerful instrument for development and empowers the citizen to master his social and natural environment and to compete for survival (Nnoli, 2003). No wonder education is described as the key that unlocks the door for modernization.

The future of any society is in qualitative education of its young people. To neglect education is to mortgage  the wellbeing  of the people and the development  of  the nation. Supporting this view, Alake (2000) stated  that the education of our  children remains the cornerstone of the nation’s development and that all said and done, the future which we all desire and imagine with noble expectations can never be  realized, unless we invest in the development of our young ones. Hence the commonly held view that good and qualitative education for children in a nation is important for the country’s future and wellbeing, as the children  of  today  are  the  leaders  of  tomorrow.  As  the  world  over  is  becoming  highly technological, the children of today need to be taught how to develop in line with current trend (Enueme, 2004).

It is important therefore, for every nation to ensure that its citizenry, particularly the children are encouraged  to acquire the necessary training and relevant education.  Otakhor (2007) opined that the level of capital investment in education is an index of the level of its functionality,  standard  and  development,  or  conversely  the  magnitude  of  its  decay  and

decline in quality, standard, productivity and development, crisis and acrimonies. Hence it is

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said, that the quality of a nation is dependent upon the kind of education which its citizenry received. It is based on this premise that most people in developing countries attach great importance to education of their children. No wonder, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) in her National Policy on Education described education as an instrument par excellence for effecting national development.

Many African countries, including Nigeria, have expanded their educational systems at primary level in response to the 1961 Addis Ababa conference that set for the continent the target of achieving free and compulsory universal primary education by the year 1980. This led to increase in population in secondary and tertiary levels. Given the limited financial and other resources however, this easing of access to almost every level of education system has led to perceptible drop in the quality of education offered in  educational institutions. The issue  is not  peculiar  to  the educational  system  of the  developing  world,  for  even  some advanced countries have often expressed some concern about the quality of their education.

Education being a big enterprise and an expensive social service in terms of human and material resources, need to be adequately funded. According to  Onwuasoanya (2005), finance in education is regarded as catalyst which helps to accelerate the effectiveness of any educational  undertaking.  Adesina (1990)  and  Ogbonnaya  (2010)  asserted  that educational financing  is  the  means  usually  employed  to  provide  for  expenditure  involving  staffing, equipment and maintenance of educational institutions. Incidentally, education in Nigeria is under funded. Yearly, a huge amount is budgeted in Nigeria but, only a little percentage goes into education which is a big social service. In 2001 to 2011, the following percentage was spent in education. In 2001, out of ₦0.8942trillion budgeted, 4.5% was for education, 2002 budget was N0,84trillion, education was given 9.6%. In 2003, N1.446trillion was budgeted, education  was  given  only  4.5%.  2004  budget  was  N  1.189trillion,  only  6.4%  was  for education. 2005 budget of N1.618trillion, 5.1% was for education. In 2006, of N1,88trillion

budget, only 7.4% was given to education. In 2007, the budget was N2.30trillion, only 6.7% was for education. In 2009budget of N2.80trillion,  4.9% was given to education.  In 2010 budget  of  N4.60trillion,   only  3.7%  was  given  to  education,   and  in   2011budget   of N4.972trillion, just 6.8% was given to education (Central bank of Nigeria, 2013). In all, the budget on education was below 10% of the total annual budget which is below UNESCO advise of 26% of the total budget Gross Domestic Product(GDP). This issue of under funding of education is so endemic that it has now  encouraged  series of other problems  such as shortage of human and material resources (Durosaro, 2007).

In Nigeria,  much  emphasis  is  placed  on secondary education  which  is  education children receive after primary education and before tertiary stage. It helps to prepare students for  higher  education,  self reliant  and  for useful  living  within  the  society.  This  level  of education prepares students for professionalism since the foundation of every course is laid at this stage. Secondary education in Nigeria which comprises three years of Junior Secondary School and three years of Senior Secondary is capital intensive. The Junior Secondary School is prevocational,  and  academic.  It  comprises  basic  subjects  like  introductory  technology, business  studies,  agriculture,  computer  education,  home  economics,  Basic  science,  local craft; fine arts, French, English language, local language and others. These subjects are taught to prepare students for Senior Secondary School, Technical College, Vocational training and apprenticeship  (Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria,  2004).  To  achieve  the  aim  of  secondary education in Nigeria much is to be invested in education. Unfortunately not much is invested in  education  in Nigeria.  Consequently,  only the  theoretical  aspects  of these  subjects  are taught  instead  of the full implementation  of the  programme  which  is both practical  and theory.

xIn Delta State,  the story is the same.  The allocation  to education  is still  below

UNESCO advice of 26% of the total budget Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as can be seen

in appendix D pg.126. Though there was a steady increase in the annual budget as years go by, but the allocation to education was dwindling. Moving from 8.3% in 2001 to 4.1% in

2002, 10.2% in 2003, 8.4% in 2004, down to 6.9% in 2005 and 11.8% in 2006 then back to

4% in 2007, 4.6% in 2008, then 10.9% and 11.8% in 2011 and 2012 respectively. In all, the allocation to education was always not up to half of UNESCO advice of 26% GDP. Due to this poor allocation,  and with exponential  increase in enrolment  due to free  education  in primary and secondary schools, free West Africa Senior School Certificate Exam (WASSCE) registration,  qualified staffs are lacking in some basic subjects like English, Mathematics and Sciences, Supervision are rarely conducted in many schools due to lack of supervisors and supervisory facilities. There is lack of seats for teachers and students, overcrowded classes, lack of laboratory equipment and poor subvention to schools which is not giving at the right time. Furthermore,  the practical aspect of  business studies, introductory technology,  home economics, computer education and some aspects of sciences are abandoned in many schools, leading to poor learning and consequently poor performance of the students in examination with  the  attendant  consequences  like  moral  decay,  militancy,  unemployment  and  armed robbery.  Delta  State  with  its  high  derivation  from  oil  is  still  unable  to  implement  the programmes of junior and senior stages of secondary education well. Many schools do not have  computers  or  computer  teachers  which  is  now  a compulsory  subject  in  secondary school. It is expected that the lofty aim of secondary education can only be achieved where the schools are adequately funded and properly managed.

In Nigeria,  the funding of education  has seen some bad times.  This  has led  to a situation where the education system is fraught with decay in infrastructure and equipment, lack of motivation for teaching and learning and even for policy implementation. The main financier and provider of education is government. This type of school run by government is called public schools. In public schools, government is responsible for admission of students,

recruitment of staff, payment of salaries, and provision of facilities for teaching and learning. Head  of  schools  are  equally  appointed  by the  government,  and  supervisory  function  is undertaking by the government through Ministry of education in the state. Public secondary schools  are usually  characterized  with  low fees and as such are  usually over  populated. Fagbulu (2003) is of the opinion that government alone cannot fund education and so other stakeholders   have  joined   the  government   in  funding   education.   These   include  local community,   parents,  organized   private  sector,   international  development  agencies  and religious bodies. In Delta State, community participation in the provision of education has been distinct. Philanthropists build science blocks and donate science equipment to schools, Oil companies in the communities are also not left out in providing facilities to some schools. Some  International Organizations in Asaba have donated Computers to schools. Other contributions  of  these  agencies  to  education  could  be  found  in  Appendix  E  pg.  127. Donation of sports equipment has been a common event in inter-house sports competitions in public  secondary  schools  in Delta  State.  All these  are  aimed  at  quality enhancement  in Education.

The delivery of quality education in our schools and institutions is the concern of all. It extends to all aspects of the teaching and learning process. It involves the quality of school, quality  of  teachers  and  students,  quality  of  infrastructure  like  classrooms,  laboratories, libraries and instructional materials, all aimed at improving teaching and  consequently the quality of education. The management of secondary education in any nation determines the quality and quantity of its educational system. Supporting the view, Uduaghan (2009) stated that the quality of students who pass out from secondary schools determine the calibre of students who matriculate and graduate from our higher institutions.

The warning signs of a poor education delivery necessitated the introduction of the initiative  of  community  participation  in  quality  assurance  in  secondary  education.  This

concept aligns with the Whole School Evaluation (WSE) by all members of the community. Whole  school  evaluation  here  means  involving  all  the  stakeholders  in  assessment  and monitoring of education since government  have failed in their funding  and monitoring of education  (Egwu,  2009).  There  have been renewed  worldwide  interests  on the  issues  of quality since the Jomtien Conference of 1990. It was agreed at the conference that countries should pay greater attention to quality education delivery systems. The Federal Ministry of Education Report (2005) on poor education delivery noted that the deterioration in quality is related to the weakening of monitoring devices by government and schools. The suggestion therefore is that the host community whose children are the consumers of education should participate in quality assurance. With the endorsement of policies on quality improvement by Education for All (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and National Economic Empowerment  and  Development  Strategies  (NEEDS),  many countries,  including  Nigeria, have  resorted  to  initiating  reforms  that  would  strengthen  the  monitoring  and  evaluation procedure with emphasis on quality assurance.

The  education  sector  thus  emphasizes  participation  through  involvement  of  all stakeholders in education including the communities which host the schools. In furtherance of this, the Federal Ministry of Education Sector Reform of 2007 conceived the Community Accountability   Transparency   Initiative   (CATI)   to, among   other   roles   empower   the community to track resources for development, participate in the utilization of resources and to ensure that output equates with the quantum of input. Community participation broadens the scope of partnership in education delivery and in particular helps to ensure more efficient and equitable utilization  of school resources.  This brings about increased  transparency  in school operation and thus encourages contribution to schools by various community agencies and philanthropists within the community. This leads to improvement in quality of teaching and learning. This is as  stated in community participation in quality assurance framework,

(2010). Egwu, (2009) advocated for the involvement of the community in the monitoring of the management and organization of the schools located in the community. This is to ensure that standard  set for teaching and learning in public secondary  schools are met. In other words,  community  participation  ensures  that  learners’  performance  both  in external  and internal examinations is of a high quality and that learners acquire relevant skills to enable them fit into the world labour market.

The term quality refers to standard. It equally means value or worth of something. Anumudu (2010) viewed quality as the standards of something when it is compared to others like it. Quality according to Parri (2006) has to do with exceptionality, excellence, zero errors and fitness for purpose. Quality in education refers to the worth of education, with reference to  its input,  the  teaching  learning  process  and  the  output/outcome  (Ariyibi,  2008).  It is measured against set standards and could either  be seen as being exact, below or above a given standard. When it is below standard it is said to be of poor quality but if exact or above the standards it is referred to as being of quality or exceptional. Quality of inputs refers to the quality  of  teachers,  students,   textbooks,  technology  delivery  and  tasks  or  curriculum. Quality of process deals with the quality of teaching learning process that involves, the lesson plans, delivery methods, class organization and control, student-teachers interactions, pupils’ participation, assess and evaluation. The quality of outcome or output involves the academic achievement and attainment, value added through education, and results of examinations. So the  quality  of  inputs,  process  and  output  affect  educational  quality  (Maduewesi,  2005). Quality can be viewed from two angles. One view point is from the internal criteria of the system, such as profile of student’s performance on a standard examination like West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE). The other is based on external criteria such as its fitness and relevance to the needs of its environment, the student and the society as a whole (Ejieh, 2005).   Therefore quality is looked upon as standard.  Quality in this study is the

ability  of  education  to  achieve  the  objective  set  for  it,  utilizing  all  the   intervening components. When the standard set for secondary education is met, we say it is of quality. Therefore, quality is partly linked to results and partly to objectives  and  components  that intervene to reach these results (UNESCO, 2000).

Quality assurance on the other hand is undertaken to increase the probability that the input,  process  and  output  of  education  is  of  acceptable  standard.  Quality  assurance according to Fadipo and Oyedele (2000), is basically a system for setting standard and taking appropriate action to deal with deviations outside permitted tolerance. This definition implies that during the process of ensuring the quality of a product or service, standards are set and actions taken to deal with deviations  from  the norm or  accepted  practice.  Compbell  and Rozsnyai (2002) defined quality assurance as the  systematic monitoring and evaluation of various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize  the probability that minimum standards of quality are being maintained in the production process. Quality assurance is the process  of demonstrating  excellence  and  value  for money.  It also  involves  meeting  and maintaining  the  quality  of  inputs  and  processes  in  sustenance  of  high  output/outcome (Universal Basic Education, 2004). Quality assurance in this study therefore, can be defined as  an  attempt  to  ensure  that  the  set  targets  for  excellence  in  teaching  and  learning  in secondary schools is realized, through community participation in planning, monitoring and evaluation.  Educational  quality can be improved  upon through the employment  of highly qualified   teachers,  provision  of  conducive  learning  environment,  development  of   and exposure of students to interesting educational programmes and through effective interaction between the school and local community. Through, the participation of every stakeholder, the school, the learner, government, the teachers, parents, and the school community quality is assured.  Quality  assurance  is  anchored  on  the  principles  of  shared  governance  which recognizes that every unit and governance level in education has a particular role, task, and

responsibility  inherent  in  the  office  and  for  which  it  is  principally  accountable  for  the educational outcomes. Education quality assurance Framework reflects a strong commitment to  evidence-based  decision  making  and  continuous  improvement.  It  aims  at  achieving excellence in all aspects of its work through accountability, collaboration and teamwork and a student centred approach to teaching and learning. Quality assurance framework is designed to  assist  in  maintaining  the  highest  standard  and  in  meeting  regulatory  and  legislative requirement.  Quality assurance  Framework is a manual or a legal framework provided by government  on how  to  participate  and  area of participation  for  each  group.  The  school provide  enabling  environment,  facilities  and  materials,  then  government  provide  relevant curriculum and well trained teachers who bring about the teaching and learning, the learner participate by been ready for learning, parents and  the community   provide the funds and relevant materials for learning and the accurate assessment of learning outcome is brought about by the school. There is shared responsibility. See quality assurance manual Appendix. – L pg145.

The school as a place where the child develops a variety of competences and where group cohesion is nurtured needs to utilize all available skills and strategies to  ensure the success of its desired goals. When school is owned and financed by government is called a public school but when owned by an individual or an organization is called a private school. Both schools are supervised by ministry of  education to ensure that minimum standard is maintained. Enueme (2004) opined that the school which is the second agent of socialization for the child should have an enabling environment and at the same time be child-friendly. In appraising what a child-friendly school environment should be, a UNICEF (2000) report on a

new global agenda for children in 21st  century indicates that a child-friendly school is where

the learning environment is conducive, the staff is friendly to the children, and the health and safety  needs  of  the  children  are  adequately  met.  The  school  is  also  community-based,

recognizes the rights of all children irrespective of gender, religion and ethnic differences, family  status,  physical  and  mental  ability/disability.  Furthermore,  a  child-friendly  school must ensure quality education and positive learning for the child.  Anything outside this is child-unfriendly.  Schools  characterized  by inadequate    classrooms,  furniture,  equipment, teaching  and  learning  materials,  lack  of  easy  access  to  safe  drinking  waters,  hygienic sanitation and poor   health facilities, poorly motivated teachers and the use of substandard teaching aids and methodologies  are  said  to be substandard  and as such child-unfriendly. Maiyashi (2001) acknowledged that many Nigerian public secondary and primary schools are characterized by these and as such need urgent attention from government and communities where the schools are located. The vision of providing quality education to learners can only be realized if schools are held accountable to the nation and states for equipping learners.

Accountability is being answerable to one’s action. In the school management context accountability may take additional meaning like 1. The act of compliance with the rules and regulation  of school governance;  ii. Reporting  to those with oversight  authority over  the school, and iii. linking rewards and sanctions to expected results . Teachers and school who are trusted with the imperative task of teaching and instructing children are held accountable for students outcomes,  and by so doing the school tries  to improve the performance,  and identify under- performing students for remediation  (Rechebei,2010).  Accountability is thus a demand  for efficiency,  effectiveness  and  being held  responsible  for failure to meet the expectation of those who entrusted duties to them. The school therefore should be answerable to the community for performing duties as expected and be held responsible for failure to meet the expectation.  See quality assurance and accountability manual App.L page161.

Quality Assurance  and Accountability  Framework  (QAAF)  seeks to bind  the  key players  and  stakeholders  involved  in  the  system  into  one  integrated  entity  whose  main objective is to ensure consistent provision of quality basic education services to every learner

anytime anywhere. QAAF as a tool and road map for quality assurance   has the  following objectives; 1.highlighting the strategic importance of schools in providing quality education; strengthening support of the division and regions to school and community centres; defining the system boundaries between various units ; facilitating the documentation and preparation of best effective practices ; ensuring education standards and management systems at all level are  in  place;  instill  a  continuous  improvement  in  the  education  system;  and  facilitate decision-making and problem solving.  So quality assurance requires the contribution of all the stakeholders, particularly the community and the school to be accountable for education delivery. See Quality Assurance and Accountability Framework,    app.-L  page  162  for  the stated objectives.

Community is referred to as a group of persons with similar geographical, economic and social attributes. It also means people living together with the same norm, culture, rules and regulation, binding them together in a cordial and unifying state to achieve a successful outcome  (Ogakwu,  2004).  Community  in this  study consists  of a  group  of people  with connections   established   through   geographical   proximity,   special   interests   or   shared experiences with the power to influence and be influenced by its members. This people may be linked  by blood or not, but they share common  interest  on how to assure quality  in secondary schools located in their place (Enyi,  2011).   The composition  of a community includes parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, old students, professional bodies, youths and  other  opinion  leaders.  Their  involvement  in assurance  of  quality  is  in the  areas  of promoting access of learners to education; provision of facilities, assistance in the preparation of plans for  implementation, monitoring of schools development  plan and annual budget; rendering  of  annual  statement  of  account,  income  and  expenditure;  transmitting  skills, knowledge, values and tradition of the community in which a school is situated, monitoring the organization of the school and in the provision of staff in some areas  of  need (FME,

2009). See community participation in quality assurance manual App. K pg153 on areas of participation.  Specifically each group perform definite functions for example  Members of Traditional  Council  are  involved  in  mentoring,  monitoring,  promoting  the  community’s cultural  values  and  traditions;  initialing  projects,  and    fundraising  activity;  Community Development   Associations   participate   in   funding,   resource   mobilization,   community mobilization/ advocacy; Religious Bodies Organization – Instilling moral values, serving as gate  keepers,  mentoring,  funding;  Women  Organization  are  involved  in ensuring  gender Mainstreaming in all activities, mentoring, providing support to the girl-child, initiating fund raising  activities,  and  enlightenment  campaigns;  NGOs    help  in  advocacy,  mentoring, sensitization,  capacity  building,  community  level  intervention,  resource  mobilization  and monitoring; Artisans/Professional Bodies are involved in fund raising, infrastructure/facilities maintenance,  monitoring, mentoring and sustainability of  community projects. App. K pg.

160. The manual also stated that community based management committee should be formed in every school to carry out these functions.    Community participation is a new policy thrust in  quality  assurance  in  education  world  -wide,  which  emphasizes  the  involvement  of members  of a community  in the progress  of the school located  in  that  locality (Federal Ministry   of   Education,   2007).   Community   participate,   through   Community   Based Management   committee   formed   in  every  school,   in   School  Self  Evaluation  (SS-E), monitoring,  and  in  the  preparation  of  School  Development  Plans  (SDP)  among  others. Quality assurance manual Appendix. J pg.144.

The situation in the schools have been such that the head teacher or principal and his vice in most cases run the school while professionals are left out; evaluation and supervision are hardly done thereby leaving few hands to manage the school.  The tradition has been for the community to build the school, provide money without really knowing how this money is being  expended.  The  Federal  Ministry  of  Education  (2009)  opined  that  involving  the

community  in  the  management  of  the  secondary  schools  is  to  make  the  schools  more proactive and dynamic. Thus communities become more committed to their schools if they have greater say in school planning, monitoring, supervision and evaluation.

Planning  here means  deciding  in advance  what  is to  be done and  how  to do  it. Planning  generally  connotes  taking wise decisions  for further  action for the  purposes  of achieving set out objectives. Ukeje, Akabogu and Ndu (1992) stressed that planning bridges the gap between where we are and where we want to be. The important thing in planning according to Ezeuchu (2006), is to decide in advance the objectives to be achieved and how to utilize the available resources in achieving these objectives. Enyi cited in Okonkwo (2000) observed  that for any plan to be effective,  such plan must identify the programme  to be implemented as well as the goals to be  achieved. Furthermore, it entails the strategies and resources  for  achieving  the  objectives  and  the  involvement  of  all  the  stakeholders  in formulating the plan for the programme so that the plan can be well implemented (Sunday,

2011). Planning in this study means setting the goals to be achieved and deciding in advance ways  of achieving  these  goals.   For effective  quality  assurance,  the  stakeholders  should participate in setting the goals and ensure that everything needed to achieve the set goals are available. Every school has a school Development Plan. SDP is the blue print or master plan for improving the school (Federal Ministry Education, 2010). It brings together and organizes the efforts of all stakeholders towards meeting common targets of the school. SDP deals with setting out the vision and mission of the school; summarizing the current situation based on input from learners and other  stakeholders, for the purpose of identifying the needs of the school;  determine  which  needs  are most urgent;  setting  priorities  for  action to  meet the urgent needs. So SDP is about making the school better place for learners to learn and for improving  on  the   way  schools  work,  with  their  host  community,   as  school  –based management  committee(SBMC)  representing  the    community  to  take  lead  in  building

development plans based on the  school’s own analysis of its needs. The composition of the members of  SBMC are, a retired educationist of note, not below director level residing in the state  where  the  school  is  located    as  chairman,  2  representatives  of  school  PTA,  one representative of school alumni association, 2 representatives  of  school’s host community, one person from state ministry of education, one person from federal inspectorate, one person from  federal  ministry  of  education,  two  representatives  from  two  major  religions,  the divisional  police officer  of the local  government  where the school is, head  of school as secretary,  assistant  principal  of  the  college  to  record  proceeding  of  the  meeting,  then guidance counselor and others. see App.J pg. 149. Furthermore, they should be part of the implementation process to ensure that the set goals are well achieved.

Implementation means executing what have been planned. It involves undertaking a planned programme to achieve the stated objective. Onu (2012) defined implementation as a stage, when all the knowledge is employed for actualizing the goal to which such programme is aimed. Implementation of any programme or project starts  from planning. For effective teaching  and  learning,  there  should  be  adequate   provision,  proper  implementation  of students’ personnel services and supervision of certain services for the students in order to achieve the objective of the school. In this study, implementation is the involvement of the community in the execution of planned  programme of the school for attainment of the set educational  goals  for  quality  assurance.  Fafunwa,  (2003)  observed  that  many  planned educational programme in  Nigeria failed due to poor implementation.  He asserted that the failure  of  6-3-3-4  system  of education  was  due  to  poor  implementation  of  the  planned programme. The human and material resource needed for its effective implementation were not  available  before  the  adoption  of  the  programme  therefore  it  failed.  Involving  the community in execution and monitoring of planned projects would bring quality assurance since there would be transparency in monetary transactions.

Monitoring is the process of collecting data at intervals about ongoing programmes within the school system in order to ensure achievement of the objectives. Monitoring means that inputs, process and output have to be set in proper position and direction to attain the basic  standard  of establishment  (Edo  and Ebom,  2011).  The  practical  event  here is that monitoring and modification of organizational activity and  resource utilization ensure that pre-determined standards are met and plans are carried out accordingly (Nwachukwu, 2005). Thus  monitoring  ensures  that  outcome  is  consistent  with planned  educational  objectives. Monitoring in this study means a day to day management task of ensuring that set educational objective is undertaken according to stated guidelines to achieve quality assurance. It ensures that children are regular  and  punctual  to school.  It also  entails collecting  and reviewing information with respect to learners’ academic performance, ensuring that learners within the communities  attend  school  regularly  and  punctually,  and  ensuring  the  disbursement  and utilization of school funds according to set guidelines (Federal Ministry of Education, 2009). Manual  on  community  participation  in  quality  assurance  Appendix  k  page  156.  The community   participation   in  monitoring,   will   ensure   accountability,   transparency   and efficiency thus encouraging quality assurance in public schools. The community should also be involved in supervision of the organization of the school.

Supervision here means the intervention that is provided by a senior member of an organization  to  ensure  that  the  organization  operates  efficiently,  and  within  the   legal requirement  and rules. Supervision is to have a comprehensive  view of the  activities  and problems of the institution and to assess the extent to which it is  fulfilling its obligations (Agangan 2014). Supervision is therefore defined in this study as the assessment of the extent the school is fulfilling its obligation of imparting the right  values, best education and self actualization.     The ultimate aim of supervision is to improve on the overall efficiency of the school and raise the academic  standard  of the  institution.  Ogunsaju  (2003),  asserted  that

supervision enhances educational growth and development of both students and teachers. It ensures  that teachers  and other staff do what they suppose  to be doing,  so  that students receive the best education possible. Involving the community in supervision will make the students to be more committed to their studies and the teachers to be more dedicated to their duties. For quality assurance, the community should equally evaluate the programme of the school and the performance of the students.

The term evaluation refers to the process of determining the extent criteria are met. It is the assessment,  appraisal,  valuation and estimation of the work of secondary education system  inputs, process  and outcomes  for the purpose of making  judgment  for corrective action aimed at further modification  (Madume-Obike  and Uchechi,  2009). The process of evaluation  of overall project  performance  on a regular  basis is  to ensure  that it satisfies relevant quality standards. Community involvement in evaluation would make the school to work harder to bring about the expected outcome.  In Delta state, public secondary schools particularly the rural schools are rarely supervised due to bad roads and lack of supervisory facilities,  and many of these  schools are not monitored  thus students  loiter  about during classes and some engage  in unwholesome practices. Many of the teachers posted to these schools go to school once or twice a week, and many don’t even report at all leading to poor education. With the adoption of whole school evaluation, this problem would be is addressed. Whole   School  Evaluation   is  one  of  the  emergent   framework   for  quality  assurance programmes  in  schools.  It  is  a  comprehensive,  participatory  and  interactive  evaluation framework that focuses on improvement of the quality of teaching and learning in a school and covers all aspect of school life (FME, 2010) quality assurance  framework App. J PG.

141. The manual requested that the local committees, parents and all stakeholders must be part of the school self- evaluation team to ensure proper quality assurance in schools.

Poor management of Public schools in Delta state is evidenced by non establishment of new schools, handing over some schools to voluntary agencies, poor staffing in schools particularly in basic subjects, lack of laboratory and sports equipment in many schools, poor subvention to mention but a few (Agangan, 2014). The resultant effect is poor standard of education, examination malpractice, cultism, dropout, and arm robbery. Hence, the need for community participation in the management of secondary schools in Delta state of Nigeria for quality assurance.

Statement of the Problem

Since  the  government  takeover  of  schools  in  the  1970,  and  introduction  of  free primary and secondary education in the 80’s, many public secondary schools in Delta State have been in a bad state. There have been rapid increase in enrolment and  supervision are rarely conducted in many schools due to lack of supervisors and supervisory facilities. Many of the schools are neglected and they are characterized by dilapidated buildings with broken walls, leaking roofs, over populated classes, under staffing, lack of furniture, libraries with obsolete books or none at all, and laboratories without equipment and chemicals.  There has been gross indiscipline in schools like teachers being attacked by students, lateness to school, cultism,  drug abuse,  examination  malpractice  of all  kinds,  sexual  abuse  and  increase  in dropout.

The rising costs of education at all levels have made it difficult for government  to assume total financial responsibility for education. Many planned educational programmes could not be well executed because of financial handicap. The 3-year junior and 3-year senior system of secondary education being adopted in Delta state is not  well implemented.  The programme was adopted to meet the increasing needs of  Nigerians and create job for the citizens but the programme  has been frustrated by financial and management  constraints. Some  of  the  facilities  like  computers,  generators,  science  equipment,  books  and  sports

equipment supplied to schools were stolen and some damaged due to lack of commitment on the part of some school heads and teachers. Sometimes money or items donated by some philanthropists for specific projects were mismanaged. In most cases the community donates money,  hands it over  to the school without  knowing  how it is  used.  Furthermore,  many teaching  staff  reject  transfers  to  rural and  riverine  schools  due to  their  location  and  the resultant effect is poor staffing and lack of teachers in many subjects.

However, many of the products of these schools cannot gain admission into  higher institutions due to poor results and those that are unable to continue with education cannot engage in any trade due to lack of entrepreneurial skills. No wonder the serious drift from public  to  private  schools,  particularly  by rich  and  educated  parents  who  feel that  better planning,  monitoring,  supervision  and  evaluation  are  done in those  schools.  Community participation in quality assurance in schools is an attempt to manage the schools better and thus salvage the seemingly declining educational standard. The problem of this study is, in what  ways  can  community  be  involved  in  the  quality  assurance  management  of  public secondary schools in Delta State?

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to determine ways community would be involved in quality assurance in public secondary schools in Delta State.

Specifically, the study intends to determine ways of involving the community in;

1)    Planning of school programmes for quality assurance in public secondary schools in

Delta State.

2)    The  implementation  of  the  school  programmes  for  quality  assurance  in  public secondary schools.

3)    Monitoring of public secondary schools for quality assurance.

4)    Supervision of public secondary schools for quality assurance.

5)   The evaluation of public secondary schools for quality assurance.

Significance of the Study

This  study  has  both  theoretical  and  practical  significance.      System  theory  has significance  in this  study.  System  theory states  that every system  has  subsystems  which interact to bring about the required outcome. The school as a social organization has subunits which are interdependent and which interact to bring about the required outcome. In a school system, students, teachers, communities,  parents and instructional  materials all interacts to bring about the expected  output. This study provides  the  opportunity of finding out how community would participate in achieving quality assurance in public secondary schools in Delta State.

Practically, the result of this study would be useful to school administrators, teachers, government,  community leaders, parents, policy makers and prospective  researchers.   The results of the findings would help school administrators to know the ways community would be involved in planning, particularly in setting the objectives to be achieved in schools so as to   get   the   necessary   support   expected   from   the   communities   for   effective   school development.  By organizing  workshop  and  symposium  where  they would  be  taught  the strategies of involving the communities  in school administration,  the relationship  between school  and  communities  is  strengthened.  Furthermore,  the  result  would  reveal  to  school administrators   the  areas   community  would  be  involved   in  implementation   of  school programmes for quality assurance.

The  results  of  this  study would  educate  the  teachers  and  administrators  on  areas communities would be involved  in supervision,  monitoring,  and evaluation of  schools for quality  assurance  management.  Through  organization  of  seminar  for   teachers,  school administrators and community who undertake this function, quality education is enhanced.

The results  of this study would be utilized  by the  government  of Delta State  for effective  planning  and implementation  of educational  policies  and programmes  regarding community participation in quality assurance management of secondary schools. This would increase   the  effectiveness   and  efficiency   of  the  management   of  secondary  schools. Particularly by government  organizing symposium  and  workshop  for all the stakeholders, where they would be taught the importance of community participation in quality assurance and the method to be used to achieve this objective.

The findings  would reveal to community leaders their expected  roles in  planning, implementation,  supervision and monitoring of public schools, and in the  maintenance  of quality in teaching\ learning process in secondary schools in their domain. There should be regular  seminar  for  community  leaders  on  ways  of  involving  communities  in  quality assurance in public secondary schools to ensure proper implementation of the findings. When the leaders engage in these roles, learning would be more effective and of good quality and. this would enable majority of the secondary school graduates to gain admission  into higher institution  of learning and  those unable  to gain admission  can be gainfully employed  or engaged in useful trades thereby reduce crime.

Parents would also find the results very indispensable since they would be informed in  a  PTA  meeting  how  to  effectively  play  their  roles  in  monitoring  their  wards  daily activities, their performance and providing all the necessary assistance required of them for school development.  The results would equally help policy  makers  in knowing the areas communities would be involved in planning of programmes, by organizing a workshop for them, on formation of community Based Education Committee in every public school, whose responsibility  would  be    on  supervision  and  evaluation    of  public  schools  for    quality assurance management, and guide them in making appropriate policies.

Prospective  researchers  would  also  find  this  work  very useful  in providing  basic information   for  further   research  on  ways  of  involving  the  community  in   planning, implementation and monitoring of school programmes for quality assurance in related areas. Particularly by reading through the works in the libraries and in  attending  workshop  and seminars organized in schools and ministries on community participation in quality assurance in public schools..

Scope of the Study

The study is delimited to determining ways of involving the communities in quality assurance  of public secondary schools in Delta  state.  The study is limited  to  452 public secondary schools in the three senatorial districts of Delta state, Nigeria. The perception of the  community  leaders  and  principals,  on  ways  of  involving  the  community  in  quality assurance, in public secondary schools, in the areas of planning, implementation, monitoring, supervision, and evaluation of the schools.   Principals and  community leaders were chosen because they are in a leadership position and as such know the problem of the school and therefore can suggest ways of involving community in quality assurance in public schools. Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.

1)   In what ways would the community be involved in planning of programmes   of public secondary schools in Delta state for quality assurance?

2)   In what ways would the community be involved in the implementation of programmes of public secondary schools in Delta State for quality assurance.

3)  In what ways would the community be involved in monitoring of public secondary school for quality assurance?

4)  In what ways  would  the  community  be involved  in  supervision  of public  secondary schools for quality assurance?

5)  In what ways would community be involved in evaluation of public secondary schools to bring about quality assurance?

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and were tested at

0.05 level of significance.

H01:       There is no significant difference between the mean rating scores of principals and community leaders on ways of involving community in the planning of programmes of public secondary schools for quality assurance.

Ho2:    There is no significant difference between the mean rating scores of principals and community  leaders  on  ways  of  involving  community  in  the  implementation  of programmes of public secondary schools for quality assurance.

H03:       There is no significant difference between the mean rating scores of principals and community leaders on the ways of involving the community in the  monitoring of public secondary schools for quality assurance.

H04:       There is no significant difference between the mean rating scores of principals and community leaders on the ways of involving  community in supervision  of  public secondary schools for quality assurance.

H05:       There is no significant difference between the mean rating scores of the principals and community  leaders on the ways of involving  the community  in the  evaluation  of public secondary schools for quality assurance.

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