Quality management for education in the Gambia : the role of planning

Abstract

The hall-marks of the aim of Education in The Gambia, as outlined in 'The Gambia Education Policy 1988-2003' are 'Quality' , 'Access' and 'Relevance'. As a developing country, every effort is being made by the government to make Education accessible to all its citizenry but, as a matter of priority, the school age population which, due to inadequate resources, among other things, are the prime targets. At the same time, attempts are constantly being made towards the delivery of 'Relevant Education' to the Gambian context. i.e. to be responsive to the present and future needs of Gambians. Allied to these, is the strive for the provision of 'Quality Education' which, in my opinion, is more difficult to address because of what is involved in terms of its concept, delivery, assurance, management, and the customers in education. The need for 'Quality Education' in The Gambia is almost echoed every time the Education system is evaluated. For instance, in 1989, a World Bank report indicated that large proportion of unqualified teachers (i.e. 54%), weak organisation and management of schools, among others, suggest that the quality of education is poor. Also, in a mid-term review of 'The Education Policy 1988-2003' in September 1995, several working groups lamented over the poor quality of teaching, in particular its delivery, without considering the education system as a whole. This is to say that the 'Quality' of a considerable aspect of The Gambian education, leaves much to be desired and the attainment of 'quality' in the Education system is far fetched and therefore needs to be looked at. To achieve quality in a sustainable manner, each of the sub-systems(i.e. policy-makers, decision- makers, education financiers, policy implementers, resource allocators, etc.) of the education system will have a very important and worthwhile role to play. However, the role of Planning towards the realisation of these goals is very crucial and needs to be given a critical consideration. In this essay, therefore, I intend to look at the issue of 'Quality', and the role that Planning should play in quality management for Education in The Gambia. This will be linked to the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) which suggests, among other things, that the achievement of quality in any organisation is the responsibility of every member of the organisation. This will call for the re-conceptualisation of 'Educational Planning' in The Gambia; a look at who 'Education Planners' are; who should be the 'Education Planners'; etc. I will also make an in-depth look at 'Quality' in the educational system, its definition, features and how it could be managed in a service industry like Education in The Gambia with a view to making the 'Relevant' and 'Accessible' education, being sought for Gambians, to also have this important element of 'Quality'.