Current Practices of Quality Education in General Secondary Schools of North Shoa Zone of Oromia Regional State
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Date
2015-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess current practices of quality education in general secondary schools of
north shoa Zone of Oromia regional state. The study has attempted to answer the basic questions such as; ‘What
were current practices of General Secondary Schools in providing quality education? What challenges they faced
in the process? What strategies could help those schools to overcome or minimize the challenges?’ To this effect,
descriptive survey design was adopted to carry out the study. Because, it was aimed that it enables the researcher
to describe the detailed picture of the problem under study. The necessary data for the study was collected from
350 grade 9 th and 10 th students and 45 General Secondary School teachers who were selected using random
sampling technique from the sample schools for the reason that it was intended to get much information from
large number of respondents that enabled the researcher not to draw erroneous conclusion. Besides,6 principals
and 4 vice principals of six general secondary schools were selected using purposive sampling technique because
they were the key persons who could give detailed information. In addition, 15 education office experts of six
woredas and 3 north shoa zone education office experts were selected using purposive sampling technique for the
reason that those selected individuals had direct connection with the issue raised. The six sample general
secondary schools were also purposively selected on the basis of their three years consecutive result of grade 10 th
national examination result ( 2011/12-2013/14) with an intention to assess the sources of difference between the
three high scorers and the three least scorers in the zone. The instruments employed to collect the data were:
questionnaire for students and teachers, interview for principals and experts, observation to check school
facilities and document analysis to get different data from the selected schools and zone education office. The
quantitative data gathered from students and teachers were analyzed using frequency, percentage and mean
where as the qualitative data from all groups of respondents was analyzed through narration. Accordingly, the
findings of the study reviled that in north shoa zone, more than 70% s of the parents were found to be illiterate. As
a result, they were un able to support their children to study at home and to send their children to school
regularly. Besides, although students’ teamwork was set as a strategy to the provision of quality education, in the
implementation it was found to be rare. Moreover, insufficiency of basic school facilities such as; students’ seats,
lack of text books, lack of laboratory equipments, in attractive classrooms and, absence of extra rooms to provide
tutorial, absence of laboratory technicians, large number of students per a section ( i.e 65-75 students/ a class),
absenteeism that reached 5 to 10 students per a day and per a section as well as inappropriate provision of
assessments and weak performance of some primary school teachers were among the challenges identified.
Consequently, because of illiteracy of large number of parents, students missed parental support from home and
this led the students to low academic achievement and to increase absentees. Besides, students need to be
convinced to work in team before they are formed to work together. Moreover, insufficiencies of basic school
facilities had been resulted in the students’ poor achievement of national examination in the zone. Furthermore,
primary school teachers’ poor performance led many students to be weak performers in general secondary
schools. Thus,to solve these challenges, helping parents to have good understanding of benefits, processes and
challenges of education is expected from schools, woreda and Zone education experts. Besides, school facilities
should get emphasis by MoE, Oromia regional state, North Shoa zone woredas and schools to play all their roles.
Furthermore, general secondary schools’ administrators and teachers need to work on students so as to convince
them to work in team regularly. Finally, North Shoa Zone education office should be take care of the recruitment
of new primary school teachers.
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Keywords
Current Practices of Quality Education, in General Secondary Schools