Enhancing Quality Assurance in our High Schools: Reflections of Heads of Schools

Background

The Heads of Schools, Teachers & Counselors Workshop is an annual educational workshop hosted by Academic City University College. It aims to bring together high-school educational leaders and practitioners to share insights, best practices, and strategies for enhancing the educational experience and outcomes for high school students. The workshop features speakers, interactive sessions, networking opportunities to foster collaboration and innovation in our educational community as well as practical tools and resources to support school management, counselling, and teaching practices.

An interactive session with some Heads of Senior High Schools discussed what Quality Assurance in high schools should look like. As the world of education rapidly evolves, it is imperative for an interrogation of what goes into quality assurance to provide some matrix that schools can engage in arriving at their quality assurance policies and processes from a multi stakeholder perspective. This is important because these stakeholders play a pivotal role in shaping the success of educational institutions as well as challenging them to improve and adapt to local and continental changes.

Stakeholder Expectations

A key aspect of quality assurance during the discussion was the need to identify and understand stakeholders, as this is considered the first step in the adopted enquiry process. The Heads listed some persons/ institutions/ bodies they considered to be their MVS – Most Valued Stakeholders. The list included the school leadership, teaching and non-teaching staff, students, alumni, parents and guardians, regulatory bodies like the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), National Teaching Council (NTC), National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NASIA), West African Education Council (WAEC), Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, British Council, local community chiefs, religious units and churches, donors and sponsors both individuals and non-governmental organizations, local assemblies like the district, municipal, metropolitan assembly, and School Management Committees.

Additionally, it was established that each stakeholder or stakeholder group has a unique set of expectations that must be met to ensure the schools’ success. For instance, parents and guardians are primarily concerned with the welfare of their children. They expect quality teaching, academic excellence, moral and ethical upbringing, a safe school environment, and effective policies. They also look for progress in their children’s education and positive moral changes. Alumni/ old student associations expect the school to continue its culture and traditions, improve its visibility, maintain and possibly enhance academic performance and discipline, among other interests. They also want to see well-rounded graduates and effective management with which they can maintain good relations with.

Teachers, they mentioned, expect to be well-compensated and equipped with the necessary tools and training to perform their duties effectively. They also value positive engagement with students and support from the school’s administration. Students, a key stakeholder group, seek academic success, a safe learning environment, and an education that promotes their holistic development, including extracurricular activities and moral guidance. The local community also expects the school to deliver quality education that leads to high academic performance, employment opportunities, and responsible citizens who contribute positively to the community.

Regulatory bodies like the West African Examination Council, Ministry of Education, and the Ghana Education Service, amongst others, expect schools to produce globally competent graduates, reduce illiteracy, and ensure inclusive education accessible to all. They also expect the promotion of unity and adherence to educational standards and industry requirements. Religious units expect the school to integrate their beliefs, practices, and moral values into the curriculum. Identifying and meeting these unique expectations of the stakeholders will undoubtedly promote quality assurance within an educational institution.

What is key, if for the institution to create avenues and channels of communications that allow these stakeholder groups to engage, be intentional about how they will address these expectations, and put in place structures, being aware of their constraints and limitations, to deliver on these quality requirements.

Assuring Quality

Subsequently, the group discussed some activities that schools could undertake to meet the varied expectations of all stakeholders with the aim of assuring quality. Some of the significant strategies that came up were: recruiting highly qualified teachers and ensuring they are well motivated through competitive salaries, benefits, and professional development opportunities; implementing effective disciplinary practices to promote student learning and personal growth; continuous investment in infrastructure like classrooms, libraries, and sports facilities; effectively communicating and engaging with all stakeholders, including parents, community leaders.

Additionally, the group mentioned that, providing continuous in-house training to enhance professional development among teachers as well as keeping them updated with the latest educational practices and technologies, conducting regular formative and summative assessments help monitor student progress and identify areas for improvement, ensuring regular supervision and monitoring of teaching practices was essential. On the student front, it was recognised that, the school leadership/ management team offering comprehensive guidance and counseling services to support students’ academic, career, and personal development, promoting equitable resource distribution ensure equal opportunities for success, and encouraging student participation in extracurricular activities like sports, games, school clubs and societies as a means to develop their teamwork, leadership, and all-around skills, would ensure holistic student development.

Engaging regulatory bodies responsible for the curriculum being run and ensuring the institution is delivering as required based on their standards was identified as one of the key factors in assuring quality. It was unanimously agreed that gatherings such as these, which gave them the platform to learn from each other, learn how constraints and limitations are being managed, learning how resource shortages are being navigated, and being able to bring members of their time together to network and build collaborations was an essential part of this process.

Moving Forward

It is worth noting that quality assurance in schools is a continuous process that involves meeting the various expectations of all stakeholders. By understanding who these stakeholders are and what they expect, schools can implement targeted strategies that ensure educational excellence and the holistic development of students to #MakeTheirMark in the local and global arena, becoming glo-cal leaders for the future as we together work towards the development of #FutureReadyLeaders for Africa and the world.

 

Written BY: Dr Sena Agbodjah, Vice President, Academic Affairs, Academic City University College & Susanna Otoo, Faculty Assistant, Department of Communication Arts, Academic City University College