AVAILABILITY OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES, SUPERVISION PROCEDURES AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: The change and development of any nation in the globe begins and ends with the education of a high-quality educational system. Because of this, no nation ever progresses beyond the degree of education she possesses. In addition, education is widely recognized as the social building block for the economic, political, and political development of every nation. Given the information presented above, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) came to the conclusion that education in Nigeria is a tool "par excellence" for achieving national development. Because education is the most essential tool of change, it should continue to be given a high education in the plans for national development. Any significant shift in the intellectual and social vision of any society needs to be preceded by an education revolution. As a direct consequence of this, Oluremi and Oyewole (2013) said unequivocally that "education is the main engine for sustained human development as well as the fulcrum around which every activity revolves." To put it another way, in order to achieve the aims and objectives set for the education system in Nigeria, efficient monitoring, supervision, and quality control need to be brought to the forefront. The acquisition of knowledge, abilities, and comprehension by a person as a result of their participation in educational activities, such as going to school, falls under the umbrella term "education." As a result, the instruction for supervision of both learning experiences and instructional activities would be essential.

When one considers the background of education in Nigeria's past, one realizes that supervision was interpreted as meaning the inspection and control of teachers. Consequently, a great number of teachers dreaded supervisors who were labeled as "inspectors" to their schools, despite the fact that educational supervision has many positive effects. The standard of Nigeria's educational system has, lamentably, deteriorated throughout the years as a result of lax oversight and inadequate quality control. According to Kpatakpa (2008), there is a common belief that academic standards are rapidly declining, and the responsibility for this is being placed on the teacher, who is perceived to be delivering effective teaching and learning. In addition to this, he asked the following question: "What then may have influenced negatively the general productivity of kids in schools?" In response to what has been said up to this point, the difficulty is attributed to a lack of "appropriate supervision." This is supported by a number of factors that hinder the success of effective supervision of secondary education in Nigeria. These include the large number of schools in comparison to the number of personnel that is available, the economic climate, as well as the distance between schools and the facilities for transportation that are made available by the government for supervision exercises. A preventative strategy and a problem-solving device have been defined in the form of effective supervision in Nigerian secondary education in order to protect against wasteful imbalances in the system. This has been done to ensure that quality control is maintained. The monitoring, assessment, and evaluation of the educational system in Nigeria is managed by the Ministry of Education, and it is focused toward serious endeavor to assure the professional development of teachers. The supervision of schools is done by the Ministry of Education. Taking into account the significance of supervision in the field of education, Segun (2004) asserts that supervision is the stimulation of professional growth and development of teachers, as well as the selection and revision of educational objectives, materials of instruction, methods of teaching, and the evaluation of instruction. The viewpoint of Segun sheds light on the significance of supervision in the context of the professional development of teachers and the procedures that need to be carried out in order to accomplish the educational goals that are intended.

The delivery of educational services does not just take place without first putting appropriate safeguards in place to make certain that the education system is meeting its most fundamental goals. As a result, school supervision is an essential educational management control mechanism or pillar that assures the optimum attainment of the aims and goals of education. [Citation needed] In point of fact, it is impossible for a school administrator to avoid failure if they do not employ sufficient supervision or supervisory tactics. This is due to the fact that an ordinary staff does not have the initiative and creativity necessary to carry out the school's everyday duties in an efficient manner. Therefore, it is expected of school managers to provide routine leadership by continually increasing the consciousness of staff members about the primary objectives of the school through the provision of advice and technical or professional assistance in order to ensure that every staff member pursues his or her daily responsibilities in the most efficient manner possible. Therefore, it follows that efficient school administration cannot be assured without effective school supervision. This is the case even if appropriate provisions are made for teachers, classrooms, libraries, labs, textbooks, and funding, among other things. Because of this, it is very necessary to emphasize the fact that educational management and school supervision are the two sides of the same coin. As a result, given that supervision is a management role, educational management and supervision are intricately connected with one another.

 

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Secondary education is only valuable if it results in the production of quality output (students) who are prepared to meet the demands, problems, and ambitions of society in the service of national development. It would appear that a lack of adequate supervision and quality control of activities taking place in the secondary education system in Nigeria is to blame for the precipitous decline in the level of education that has been taking place at an alarmingly rapid speed. It is very clear that school heads no longer oversee adequate supervision and the evaluation of learning experiences gained via participation in both academic and extracurricular activities. For instance, the 6-3-3-4 educational system that is currently in use in Nigeria mandates that by the time a student reaches the end of their junior secondary education, they must have mastered the necessary skills to be able to support themselves independently based on the vocational training that they have received. Regrettably, at this level of education, some subject teachers fail to fulfill their responsibilities and urge students to return from school vacations and midterm breaks with projects that are already finished (practical assignments). Before leaving for vacation or during their regular school days, these students never had the opportunity to learn any of the aforementioned abilities. One might be surprised to learn that some of the teachers who assigned these tasks did not take into account the students' capabilities and are unable to even complete some of the "projects" themselves. When everything else fails, the students resort to purchasing finished works from the market so that they may hand them in to their teachers and receive marks for those works. Some examples of these "projects" include the demand that students in junior secondary school (JSS) turn in "ncho" (a local game), entire sets of bead accessories, kola nuts, and constructions of cult icons. In the event that these requirements are not met, the students will either face a disciplinary action or a reduction in their overall grade. The question that arises next is, what happens to these things once the submission has been made. It is difficult to say for certain, but it appears that certain secondary schools engage in the unethical practice of extorting money and other resources from their students. As a result of insufficient supervision and poor quality control, this questionable activity is allowed to continue unchecked. The assessment, supervision, and quality control of secondary education are no longer given as much attention as they once were, not even by state ministries of education (SMOE), school management, or other stakeholders. UNESCO (2000) made a striking allegation when they stated, "it has been noticed that teaching and learning have diminished due to insufficient and inefficient monitoring, assessment, inspection, and supervision." A further piece of news is that certain secondary schools in Nigeria still use methods of physical punishment such as plucking pins, kneeling, lying down in the sun, or hiding under the bed till sunrise. Despite the fact that the federal government has outlawed the use of physical punishment in schools, it is nonetheless occasionally administered to students, particularly when there has been a particularly egregious instance of misconduct. This is because Nigeria's secondary schools lack enough supervision and quality control, which has led to this education. The situations described above are only a few examples of how teachers have violated or infringed upon the rights of their students. It is inexcusable to make assertions on the basic rights of individuals, secondary school students included, in a manner that is in direct opposition to Sections 32–42 of Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which was ratified in 1999. The major trends that have been seen in certain schools in developing nations about the shortcomings and limitations of secondary school teachers in completing their official duties continue to act as a clog in the wheel of development and the attainment of educational goals. In a similar vein, some school supervisors carry out their duties in a haphazard manner, which is especially problematic in situations when there is insufficient supervision and quality control. If the quality and desirable goals of the educational sector are going to be accomplished, then it is imperative that sufficient supervision and quality control of secondary education be addressed. This, in essence, served as the impetus for the investigation.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

the availability of educational facilities, supervision procedures and quality assurance practices in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria. Specific objectives of this study are:

1. To determine whether there are adequate educational facilities in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria.

2. To determine whether supervision procedures takes place in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria.

3. To determine whether effective quality assurance practices are performed in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

1. Are there educational facilities in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria?

2. Does supervision procedures take place in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria?

3. Are effective quality assurance practices performed in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria.?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The following null hypotheses will validate this study:

H01: There are no adequate educational facilities in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria.

H02: Supervision procedures does not take place in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research will help numerous school administrators, education ministries, and other government bodies.

The study will assist various school administrators in comprehending the value of good school supervision as a quality control measure at various educational levels. It will equip school administrators with knowledge of the most effective school monitoring approaches for preserving academic standards and school effectiveness. It will also assist school administrators in understanding their role in the routine monitoring of teachers, non-teaching personnel, and academic performance of students.

This study would also aid the Ministry of Education through appropriate planning and execution of supervisory policies to various school administrations. The ministries will assist with school supervision as a quality control mechanism by conducting thorough inspections and fostering positive relationships between school administrators and instructors.

This study will also help government agencies through the provision of school infrastructure, a favorable academic atmosphere, and an improvement in the quality of education. At all stages of schooling, it is essential to improve effective supervision and control procedures. Other benefactors include supervision academics who will learn more about topics of interest in supervision and which aspects of the study warrant future study.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Generally, this study is focused on the the availability of educational facilities, supervision procedures and quality assurance practices in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria. Precisely, this study is focused on determining whether there are educational facilities in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria, determining whether supervision procedures take place in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria and determining whether quality assurance practices affects the standard of education in public senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria. The respondents for this study will be obtained from selected public senior secondary schools in Ondo State.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher were able to manage these just to ensure the success of this study.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

School supervision: Supervision of any school ordinarily refers to the improvement of the total teaching-learning situation and the conditions that affect them.

Quality control: Quality control is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production.

1.10 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDIES

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the  review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study,  sample size determination,  sample size, and selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.