QualityQuality ofof EducationEducation inin AfricaAfrica :: Definitions,Definitions, IndicatorsIndicators andand PracticesPractices DayoDayo Odukoya,Odukoya, Ph.DPh.D Education & Development Consultant/Secretary General Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa [ERNWACA], Nigeria [email protected] 234 -8034730219; 234 -7084887675 © 2010 - All illustrations/sketches by Dayo Odukoya OverviewOverview Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] ‘‘QualityQuality ofof educationeducation isis nownow anan issueissue ofof globalglobal concern.concern. WithoutWithout qualityquality education,education, developmentdevelopment willwill notnot occur.occur. OnlyOnly thethe educatededucated peoplepeople cancan commandcommand thethe skillsskills necessarynecessary forfor sustainablesustainable economiceconomic growthgrowth andand forfor aa betterbetter qualityquality ofof lifelife ’’ Barber Conable Former President of the World Bank (1988) Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] KwapongKwapong (1988)(1988) observedobserved thatthat thethe mainmain challengechallenge ofof educationeducation inin AfricaAfrica isis toto developdevelop thethe humanhuman resourcesresources thatthat willwill ensureensure acceleratedaccelerated developmentdevelopment andand modernizationmodernization withoutwithout compromisingcompromising AfricaAfrica ’’ss culturalcultural identify.identify. HeHe stressed,stressed, inin orderorder forfor educationeducation toto realizerealize itsits keykey rolerole inin development,development, thethe attainmentattainment ofof greatergreater internalinternal efficiencyefficiency ofof thethe educationaleducational systemsystem andand aa greatergreater externalexternal efficiencyefficiency throughthrough anan increaseincrease inin thethe relevancerelevance ofof schoolingschooling toto thethe jobjob marketmarket shouldshould bebe aa priority.priority. Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] InIn 1990,1990, thethe WorldWorld DeclarationDeclaration onon EducationEducation forfor AllAll [EFA][EFA] identifiedidentified qualityquality asas aa prepre --requisiterequisite forfor achievingachieving thethe fundamentalfundamental goalgoal ofof equityequity .. ItIt waswas recognizedrecognized thatthat expandingexpanding accessaccess alonealone wouldwould bebe insufficientinsufficient forfor educationeducation toto contributecontribute toto thethe developmentdevelopment ofof thethe individualindividual andand thethe society.society. EmphasisEmphasis waswas accordinglyaccordingly placedplaced onon assuringassuring anan increaseincrease inin childrenchildren ’’ss cognitivecognitive developmentdevelopment byby improvingimproving thethe qualityquality ofof theirtheir education.education. TheThe questquest toto achieveachieve EducationEducation forfor AllAll isis fundamentallyfundamentally aboutabout assuringassuring thatthat children,children, youthyouth andand adultsadults gaingain thethe knowledgeknowledge andand skillsskills theythey needneed toto betterbetter theirtheir liveslives andand toto playplay aa rolerole inin buildingbuilding moremore peacefulpeaceful andand equitableequitable societies.societies. ThisThis isis whywhy focusingfocusing onon qualityquality isis anan imperativeimperative forfor achievingachieving EFAEFA (UNESCO,(UNESCO, 2004)2004) Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] UNESCOUNESCO furtherfurther stressedstressed thatthat thethe sixsix goalsgoals adoptedadopted atat thethe WorldWorld EducationEducation ForumForum inin Dakar,Dakar, Senegal,Senegal, inin AprilApril 2000,2000, implicitlyimplicitly oror explicitlyexplicitly integrateintegrate aa qualqualityity dimension.dimension. GoalGoal 6,6, inin particular,particular, commitscommits countries,countries, withwith thethe supportsupport ofof theirtheir EFAEFA partners,partners, toto improveimprove allall aspectsaspects ofof thethe qualityquality ofof educationeducation …… TwoTwo principalprincipal objectivesobjectives areare atat stakestake here:here: thethe firstfirst isis ttoo ensureensure thethe cognitivecognitive developmentdevelopment ofof learnerslearners .. TheThe secondsecond emphasizesemphasizes thethe rolerole ofof educationeducation inin nurturingnurturing thethe creativecreative andand emotionalemotional growthgrowth ofof learnerslearners andand inin helpinghelping themthem toto acquireacquire valuesvalues andand attitudesattitudes forfor responsibleresponsible citizenshipcitizenship .. QualityQuality mustmust passpass thethe testtest ofof equity:equity: anan educationeducation systemsystem characterizedcharacterized byby discriminatingdiscriminating againstagainst anyany particularparticular groupgroup isis notnot fulfillingfulfilling itsits mission.mission. Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] TheThe profoundprofound andand validvalid statementsstatements underscoreunderscore thethe significancesignificance ofof thethe themetheme ofof thisthis paperpaper -- qualityquality ofof education.education. Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] SomeSome ofof thethe corecore questionsquestions addressedaddressed inin thisthis paperpaper are:are: whatwhat isis qualityquality education?education? IsIs thethe definitiondefinition ofof qualityquality educationeducation universaluniversal oror therethere areare peculiaritiespeculiarities aboutabout qualityquality educationeducation inin Africa?Africa? WhatWhat areare thethe reliablereliable andand validvalid indicatorsindicators ofof qualityquality education?education? WhatWhat currentcurrent practicespractices bestbest illustrateillustrate thethe statestate ofof thethe qualityquality ofof educationeducation inin AfricaAfrica inin comparismcomparism withwith bestbest practicespractices inin thethe world?world? HowHow realisticrealistic isis thethe goalgoal ofof achievingachieving EFAEFA withinwithin thethe specifiedspecified timetime frameframe [2015],[2015], consideringconsidering thethe seriousserious limitationslimitations inin developingdeveloping AfricanAfrican nations?nations? IsIs itit reallyreally feasiblefeasible toto achieveachieve qualityquality andand ‘‘quantityquantity ’’ educationeducation allall atat once?once? ThisThis paperpaper attemptsattempts toto findfind validvalid answersanswers toto thesethese keykey questions.questions. Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] DefinitionsDefinitions Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] AlthoughAlthough therethere isis nono singlesingle definitiondefinition ofof quality,quality, twotwo principlesprinciples characterizecharacterize mostmost attemptsattempts toto definedefine thethe objectivesobjectives ofof education.education. TheThe first,first, whichwhich identifiesidentifies learnerslearners ’’ cognitivecognitive developmentdevelopment asas thethe majormajor explicitexplicit objectiveobjective ofof allall educationeducation systems,systems, seessees thethe successsuccess withwith whichwhich systemssystems achieveachieve thisthis asas oneone indicatorindicator ofof theirtheir quality.quality. TheThe secondsecond emphasizesemphasizes thethe rolerole ofof educationeducation inin promotingpromoting commonlycommonly sharedshared valuesvalues alongalong withwith creativecreative andand emotionalemotional developmentdevelopment (UNESCO,(UNESCO, 2005).2005). Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] GordonGordon andand PartingtonPartington (1993)(1993) conceptualizedconceptualized educationeducation qualityquality asas thethe degreedegree ofof successsuccess withwith whichwhich anan institutioninstitution providesprovides educationaleducational environmentenvironment whichwhich enableenable studentsstudents toto effectivelyeffectively achieveachieve worthwhileworthwhile learninglearning goalsgoals andand appropriateappropriate academicacademic standard.standard. AccordingAccording toto ColeCole (1996),(1996), qualityquality isis thethe degreedegree ofof excellence.excellence. ItIt isis synonymoussynonymous withwith standard,standard, efficiency,efficiency, excellence,excellence, relevancerelevance andand worthiness.worthiness. Quality of Education in Africa - [email protected] TheThe variousvarious approachesapproaches regardingregarding qualityquality havehave theirtheir rootsroots inin differentdifferent traditionstraditions ofof educationaleducational thoughthoughts.ts. HumanisticHumanistic approaches,approaches, behaviouristbehaviourist theory,theory, sociologicalsociological critiquescritiques ofof educationeducation andand challengeschallenges toto thethe legacieslegacies ofof colonialismcolonialism havehave eacheach enrichedenriched thethe qualityquality debate.debate. ToTo reconcilereconcile aa rangerange ofof approaches,approaches, thethe EFAEFA GlobalGlobal monitoringmonitoring TeamTeam ReportReport adoptsadopts aa frameworkframework thatthat takestakes intointo accountaccount fivefive majormajor factorsfactors affectingaffecting quaquality:lity: learners,learners, whosewhose diversitydiversity mustmust bebe recognized;recognized; thethe nationalnational economiceconomic andand socialsocial context;context; materialmaterial andand humanhuman resources;resources; thethe teachingteaching andand learninglearning processprocess andand thethe outcomesoutcomes andand benefitsbenefits ofof educationeducation [[Illustrated ]] ByBy focusingfocusing onon thesethese dimensionsdimensions andand howhow theythey interact,interact, itit isis possiblepossible toto drawdraw upup aa comprehensivecomprehensive