Qualit of Education in General Government Secondary Schools in Debre Markos Town
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Date
2012-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study examines the status of quality education in three lower secondary schools situated
in Debre Markos town using systems model. Building the model by 'filling in' variables from
GEQIP framework and the literature, the study employs parallel mixed methods design to
better illuminate the nature of relationships in input, process, and output variables in the
study. Data was obtained from teachers, students, supervisors, directors, PTA members and
Wereda education offices through questionnaire, interview and document analysis. Using
stratified random sampling, 336 students and 112 teachers; purposefully selected 15 teachers,
supervisors, and directors, 4 PTA members, and 2 Wereda education office representatives
participated in the study. Mixing qualitative and quantitative strands of data at the analysis
level, the study tried to answer the research questions. The results indicate that more than 98%
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of teachers in these schools had teacher qualifications set in the education policy for the
level. It is also found that teacher guides and textbooks ratio are not yet 1:1, and there are
students and teachers who did not receive at all textbooks and teacher guides respectively. It
is also found that the three schools were statistically significantly different in terms of all
variables (p <.01) except the school improvement program (F(2, 109) = 0.204, P = .816).
Stepwise regression results also show that assessment and material resources jOintly
explained 33.6% of the variance in the outcome measure - teachers' and students'
satisfaction with overall schooling. Those variables from GEQIP framework, namely
assessment and material resources explained all of the variance in student and teacher
satisfaction. However, the rest of the components or subcomponents of the GEQIP
framework did not appear to be significant predictors of customers' satisfaction - thereby
provision of quality education in the schools. But qualitative analysis through themes and
categories illuminated existing limitations in the relationships quantified above. It is found
that school improvement program implementation is substantially deterred by implementers '
poor understanding of the program, low awareness among stakeholders, exclusion of school
priorities form school improvement plan. Amount gaps in school grant releases and
. receivables, absence of school grant documents in PTAs, scarce resources and facilities,
lack of interest and ownership in CPD, poor teacher and student motivation, ab ence of
participatory decision making, poor assessment procedures and difficulty in implementing
continuous assessment, and generally low satisfaction in overall school services are found to
be some of the explanations of the current status of quality education in these schools. Thu .
meeting school grant program implementation requirements on the part of PTAs and the
schools, developing context-based planning on the part of schools, reviewing school
improvement program guidelines to allow schools develop their plans with inputs from the
analysis of their contexts on the part of MoE, and the practice oj participatory decision
making procedures by school administrations were some of the recommendations made
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Keywords
Education