Impact of quality assurance and standards on educational quality in secondary schools in Nyeri South District, Kenya

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to establish the impact of QASO's in enhancing quality education among secondary schools in Nyeri south district. The study also sought to determine the challenges faced by QASO's in enhancing educational quality. Five research questions were formulated to guide the study. Literature review focused on the relevant literature on quality assurance and standards in schools.

The study was cross-sectional survey in design. A sample of 11 principals, 10

QASOs and 110 teachers from Nyeri South District participated in this study. Data was collected from the respondents through questionnaires. Interview and focused group discussions were also used to supplement data collected by questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the present data.

The study revealed that QASO's were faced with several challenges that included being seen as faultfinders by teachers, lack of resources, finances, low salary, and non-facilitation from office, inadequate personnel, and lack of motivation, inhospitable teachers and limitation in movement. Both principals and teachers perceived QASOs to have assisted in enhancing quality education. However, they did not visit schools regularly, tending to visit when there was a need and did not give feedback to schools after inspections.

Results obtained also indicated that assessment reports were rarely acted upon and follow-up on the recommendations made were not always done. Majority of the QASOs very often felt that teachers did not take their comments seriously. The analyses also indicated that QASO's did not often visit schools. However, they were following the prescribed inspection guidelines in assessing schools.

In the light of the findings of the study several recommendations were made For example, that QASOs should visit schools more often so as to effectively assist teachers and hence enhance quality education. It was also recommended that the government should increase the number of QASO members to effectively carry out their roles in the schools that QASO personnel should be further trained to carry out their roles and should be provided with the

necessary resources and support to carry out their roles effectively.

Taking into account the limitations and delimitations of the study, the researcher made the following suggestions for further research. That a study on the effect of supervision and inspection on academic performance should be conducted, an investigation on the role of supervision on school policy development should be carried out and a study on relationship between QASO qualification and training and its effect on supervision of school should be carried out. A replication of the study was also recommended to ascertain whether different research instruments would yield similar results.