THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL SUPERVISION AS A QUALITY CONTROL MEASURE FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The evolution of the Nigerian educational system necessitates a larger and more significant role for school administrators in educational monitoring. Since the British colonial era, according to Mohd, Salleh & Lebar (2022), educational monitoring in Nigeria has existed. Visiting teachers and school inspectorate monitored schools in the past. Since then, there have been exchanges between the inspectorate and instructors. The connection was one that was democratic and cordial.

In reality, the definition of monitoring differs throughout the Nigerian educational administration system. The supervision was done by lecturers from teaching institutions and universities in order to assess the trainee teachers' practical teaching abilities. In addition, the school inspectorate supervised the evaluation of educational activities, organizational function, resource allocation, and school administration as a whole (Yunus, 2022). As a result, the inspectorate provided the principal with improvement suggestions and guidance. Typically, the principal, the headmaster, or the senior teacher with authority oversaw the school. During supervision, the principal may identify a fault or issue in the school's system. In general, the supervisors' responsibilities include of guiding, enhancing teaching performance, acting as facilitators, and boosting the morale of instructors.

Educational leadership depends on the supervisory function of the principal. It required several facets of leadership, including identification, supervision, teacher abilities, student performance, school type effectiveness, and technological expertise. Consequently, it is the responsibility of a school administrator or principle to oversee, organize, and execute competitive tactics for the school. Thus, a main job is quite tough and must be able to discriminate between administrative duty and management work.

According to Yunus (2022), educational supervision is a dynamic process in education that aims to enhance the quality of instruction and learning. One of the responsibilities of principals is to provide the finest instructional leadership possible.

According to Yunus (2022), the duties of school administrators as educational supervisors include the execution of the curriculum, the development of teaching materials, and the improvement of teachers' professionalism in their individual schools. In order to increase the quality of education, school principals must pay special attention to teachers' instructional duties.

Principal Supervisory functions at schools, notably on its teaching and non-teaching staff services, are crucial to the quality of education provided to students by the institution (Grauwe & Carron, 2022). The supervisors are charged for defining rules and regulations, staffing, training and development, as well as employee performance. Supervisors should be aware not just of the group's objectives relative to the organization's objectives, but also of the team's duties and activities.

According to Peretomode (2022), the school, like any other institution, has challenges. By analyzing how the school's functions are carried out, it is possible to determine the variety of issues it presents. Instructional monitoring is one method through which school management strives to attain acceptable performance and outcome requirements. It is the educational system's quality control instrument. According to Nwankwo (2022), supervision may be categorized. These include education and personnel administration Instructional supervision has been defined as a series of activities performed with the aim of enhancing the teaching and learning process for the student. Personnel supervision, on the other hand, refers to the collection of actions carried out by the supervisor with the primary objective of sensitizing, mobilizing, and monitoring employees in the school in terms of achieving the stated goals and objectives of the educational system.

The secondary school level bridges the primary and university levels of education. The significance of secondary education prompted the federal government to define its broad goals as preparation for a meaningful life in society and for further study. The guiding premise here is that all students who may benefit from secondary education should have access to a high-quality secondary education.

However, it appears that secondary school teachers are not living up to expectations in carrying out their responsibilities due to inadequate supervision by the Ministry of Education, problems ranging from a lack of commitment and dedication on the part of teaching staff, a high attrition rate, low staff morale, inadequate facilities and infrastructures, a large number of teaching staffs who are not committed to their professional tasks, and late payment and incentives to staff (Grauwe & Carron, 2022). On the other hand, government parastatal, such as the Ministry of Education, contribute to the challenges of school supervision, which include inadequate money to train and retrain inspectorate and school supervisors people, low staff morale, poor school monitoring, and frequent policy changes. inadequate staffing/shortage of inspectors/school supervisors, lack of instructional materials and resources, lack of facilities for school supervisors/inspectors of education, absence of evaluation system, inadequate funding, political instability, constant change in educational policies, lack of adequate training for inspectors, and nepotism among school supervisors. In addition, teachers contribute to the monitoring problem in the following ways: Unprofessional work attitudes, a lack of motivation, a lack of fundamental knowledge or formal training, and a significant number of incompetent instructors (Nwankwo 2022).

Community and Society contribute to the problem of supervision in the following ways: bad public opinion of teaching as a profession, low prestige accorded to instructors, and lack of motivation on the part of teaching staffs. All of the aforementioned concerns were associated with the myriad problems plaguing the Nigerian school supervision system.

The Ministry of Education has given little to no consideration to clinical supervision, which necessitates a meticulous and methodical approach, and the counseling model, which necessitates additional technical expertise.

In any school organization or bastion of learning, supervision is a function that may be carried out to varying degrees and in various forms. Given the changing developments in the Nigerian educational system, it is evident that better monitoring would be required to improve the instructional quality in schools. There is already pressure from numerous parties over the content and method of instruction (Peter, 2022).

In addition, contemporary instructional resources are being introduced and utilized as teaching aids in the school instruction process. In order to meet these objectives, it appears that supervision has a significant role to play in determining the type and content of the curriculum, selecting school organizational patterns, and leaving behind resources that promote the educational growth and development of both students and faculty. There are several reasons for doing school monitoring. One of the most important reasons is to guarantee that each teacher in the school system has been carrying out his assigned responsibilities. Another compelling motive is to enhance teachers' efficacy so that they can contribute optimally to the system's aims (Adesina, 2022).

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

According to Ogunu (2001), the number of supervisors/inspectors is insufficient, and a significant percentage of supervisors/inspectorates are untrained and unaware of their responsibilities owing to a lack of in-service training and seminars. As a result of these inadequacies, the quality of instruction has steadily deteriorated, as evidenced by little or no staff welfare scheme, high labour turnover of teaching staff from teaching profession to other lucrative professions such as banking sector, oil sector, and multinationals companies, low staff morale, job insecurities for staff, non-use of modern supervisory equipment, bureaucracy, nepotism, lack of disciplinary action for erring staff, and lack of pro-active for future prospects of school supervisors in Nigeria (2022).

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this study is to examine the impact of school supervision as a quality control measure for secondary schools. Specifically, other objectives of this study are:

i.          To determine the extent to which supervision is carried out in secondary schools.

ii.        To determine whether principals play a role in school supervision.

iii.      To determine whether school supervision has an effect as a quality control measure for secondary schools.

iv.      To examine the problems encountered in the supervision of secondary schools as a quality control measure.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions will guide this study:

i.          To what extent is supervision carried out in secondary schools?

ii.        Do principals play a role in school supervision?

iii.      Does school supervision have an effect as a quality control measure for secondary schools?

iv.      What are the problems encountered in the supervision of secondary schools as a quality control measure?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research will help numerous school administrators, education ministries, and other government bodies.

The study will assist various school administrators in comprehending the value of good school supervision as a quality control measure at various educational levels. It will equip school administrators with knowledge of the most effective school monitoring approaches for preserving academic standards and school effectiveness. It will also assist school administrators in understanding their role in the routine monitoring of teachers, non-teaching personnel, and academic performance of students.

This study would also aid the Ministry of Education through appropriate planning and execution of supervisory policies to various school administrations. The ministries will assist with school supervision as a quality control mechanism by conducting thorough inspections and fostering positive relationships between school administrators and instructors.

study will help government agencies through the provision of school infrastructure, a favorable academic atmosphere, and an improvement in the quality of education. At all stages of schooling, it is essential to improve effective supervision and control procedures. Other benefactors include supervision academics who will learn more about topics of interest in supervision and which aspects of the study warrant future study.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Generally, this study is focused on the impact of school supervision as a quality control measure for secondary schools. Precisely, this study is focused on determining the extent to which supervision is carried out in secondary schools, determining whether principals play a role in school supervision, determining whether school supervision has an effect as a quality control measure for secondary schools and examining the problems encountered in the supervision of secondary schools as a quality control measure.

Principals and students of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt, Rivers State will be the respondents of this study.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

As with any human endeavor, the researcher experienced small impediments while performing the study. Due to the scarcity of literature on the subject as a result of the discourse's nature, the researcher incurred additional financial expenses and spent additional time sourcing for relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as during the data collection process, which is why the researcher chose a small sample size. Additionally, the researcher conducted this inquiry in conjunction with other scholarly pursuits. Additionally, because only a small number of respondents were chosen to complete the research instrument, the results cannot be applied to other secondary schools outside the state. Regardless of the limits faced throughout the investigation, all aspects were reduced to ensure the best outcomes and the most productive research.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Impact: A marked effect or influence

School supervision: Supervision of any school ordinarily refers to the improvement of the total teaching-learning situation and the conditions that affect them.

Quality control: Quality control is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production.

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