QUALITY IMPROVEMENT APPROACHES IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT APPROACHES IN  ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

‘Quality’ in Education-

The quality of education is concerned with a child’s experience of education-an-amalgamation of the school, teachers, teaching as well as the nature of infrastructure and facilities. It is difficult to arrive at a universally acceptable articulation of what quality in education means. At the same, such articulation is critical since it plays an important role in shaping the practice of education. The purpose of universalizing elementary education is to bring to every child at a bare minimum, the ability to participate in social, political and economic processes. It has often been possible to bring about such quality in education at a small scale with intensive utilization of resources. However, the provision/distribution of quality education by a large-scale system is a daunting challenge.

‘Quality’ as a term refers to ‘how well’ certain objects and processes achieve their given aims. It is validating as well as comparative. Its most immediate connotation is ‘better’. ‘Better’ as differentiated from ‘good’ and implying the existence of at least two objects or processes, between which a comparison across a decided set of parameters can be established. Understanding quality in education requires an appreciation of the aims of education; the social and philosophical roots of these aims as well as determining the nature of the organization and system that is best oriented to achieve them. Educational quality concerns typically encompass topics such as teacher-training, textbooks and materials, evaluation and physical infrastructure especially school buildings.

To define quality in the field of education, it may be instructive to examine the more widely practiced usage of quality and explore its appropriateness or applicability for education. Quality is contextual. It is very difficult to give a comprehensive definition of quality. However, the quest for quality has been the major concern of the entire human civilization. Quality is not an act, it is a habit. It generally signifies the degree of excellence.

Quality Improvement Approaches-

1)    Quality Infrastructure- According to finance minister, this is the most important equity issue considering that almost 85% of the children in our country are in government school and they deserve much better school. It is not acceptable that these children who don’t have a choice are made to learn in dilapidated, leaky room sitting on the floor. In many school the current quality of access doesn’t meet the government’s own norms provided for in the Education Bill.                                                  

Another point regarding quality of education in primary school is that researcher found most of the government primary school having the system of the multiple classes being conducted simultaneously in the same room. This implies that students of more than one standard are made to sit in a combined class taken by a single teacher due to insufficient number of classrooms and/or teachers.

2)    The Attitude of the Teacher- The most important aspect of the approach is the attitude of the teacher, which should be that learning is a form of play which fosters the blossoming of the child’s nature development. Learning should and can be made interesting, enjoyable and fun.

3)    Teaching Materials- A large portion of the teaching materials are produced at the school by the teachers, who customize their teaching aids suit the interests and knowledge levels of students.

4)    Evaluating the Status of Learning- The current status of the learning assessment was quite revealing. Surprisingly, 50% of the children in any village could not read fluently and 70% of the children attending school didn’t understand the basic concepts of numbers and arithmetic. To tackle these underachievement patterns, simplifying the evaluation becomes a natural choice. Participation of the community must be sought to improve the current education scenario in general and primary education, in particular.

5)    Teacher - Pupil Ratio- Among the most crying needs for the development of the country is the quality of education. Several surveys, researches and reports have established the current poor quality beyond doubt. The current national average is 1:40. Elementary Education Budgets has suggested that the quality is probably the best when the ratio is between 1:25 to 1:35.

6)    Demonstrating The Change- To demonstrate a change requires multi-pronged and strategic reforms in teaching. Focus on specific goals or skills, assessing what the children know, designing activities specific to the child’s level, recognizing small improvements and using all these to change perceptions of children’s activities, were discussed as change factors.

7)    Mid-Day Meal Quality- The decision to provide mid-day meal to all children in elementary schools was the best thing to happen and has positively impacted health, attendance and reduction in drop-out rates. However, the current budget provision of approximately Rs.1.80 to 2.50 per meal in various states is unable to ensure achievement of the nutrition norms of the government itself. Finance minister estimate is that a decent, nutritious meal would cost at least of Rs.5.00. The government has to, therefore, double its current budget to bridge the gap considering that in many cases that is the only decent meal the child has. This will go a long way in making of a healthy educated nation.

8)    The Act of Teaching- The act of teaching consists primarily of presenting sensory images, objects and information to the child in a pleasant and interesting manner and permitting the child to observe and inquire about the subject, without compelling the child to memorize. Coloured flash cards with large images are utilized as convenient, low cost teaching aids.

9)    Curriculum Reviewed & Reformed- There is a clear need for relevant curricula in order to provide quality education. Curricula must be regularly reviewed and reformed to reflect these changes and to adequately prepare pupils to respond to their environment and its challenges.

Improved curricula, relevant to the life of the learner, can increase participation in schooling and improve the quality of the education provided. UNESCO is implementing a number of activities worldwide that include curriculum strategy, curriculum development and reform, textbook revision, training and publications.

UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE) has a mandate to support and strengthen national capacity to lead and facilitate renewal of curricula and to adopt the context and methods of school education. The regional networking seminars, workshops and projects presented here provide a platform for promoting exchange and dialogue on national experiences. They are focused on a host of curriculum development issues ranging from management of curriculum reform, to citizenship education, multiculturalism, social exclusion, violence and learning to live together through the teaching of history and geography.

10) NEW Approaches to Active Pedagogical Learning- New approaches to active pedagogical learning and innovative modalities need to be developed to encourage teachers to change from using a traditional lecture approach to a more interactive style of teaching. Pedagogical techniques should include participatory and gender-sensitive teaching and learning methods and strategies that foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They should instill in pupils willingness and motivation to continue learning beyond the classroom.

11) Rapid Acquisition of Basic Math Skills- Rapid acquisition of basic math skills is achieved through the use of number line method which enables the child to physically experiment and act out differently combinations of addition and subtraction.

12)   Story Telling- Story telling is used to make learning fun and to communicate basic values of goodness, beauty, harmony, responsibility and right conduct. Information on people and living things, places, history, geography and other cultures are presented to the child in the form of stories, pictorial information and explanations combined together to present facts in a living, integrated context rather than as a series of separate divorced subjects.

13)   Evaluation Methodologies- As an answer to the various problems posed by current scenario(such as meaningless aggregation of skills etc.), evaluation methodologies can be evolved in the direction of skill by skill testing, competing with oneself rather than others, and providing adequate opportunities to better one’s performance.