We are all concerned with quality in education. Quality should be at the heart of education because what takes place in classrooms and other learning environments is fundamentally important to the future well-being of children, young people, and adults.
However quality in education is not an easy concept to qualify. And so it is important to take the time to understand this concept. It is, therefore, appropriate to ask ourselves the questions, “What is quality education and what are considered to be the basic requirements of quality education?”
Experts share two principles that characterize most attempts to define quality in education: the first identifies learners’ cognitive development as the major explicit objective of all education systems. The second emphasizes education’s role in promoting values and attitudes of responsible citizenship and in nurturing creative and emotional development.
Based on these principles, quality education is one that satisfies basic learning needs and enriches the lives of learners and their overall experience of living. Quality determines how much and how well children learn and the extent to which their education translates into a range of personal, social and developmental benefits.
Aside from many other areas like curriculum, leadership, and support, central to achieving quality in education is a stimulating pedagogy. It is the teaching and learning process that brings the curriculum to life that determines what happens in the classroom and subsequently the quality of the learning outcomes.
In conclusion, a system that focuses on quality education permits children to develop and grow in a school environment that is supportive and at the same time challenging, which nurtures them to become confident, have good self-esteem and willing to strive forward yet at the same time feel the sense of responsibility towards others in the community. I believe that our schools can be such places where children of different abil\ities develop, learn and grow together.
By THOMAS B. DACAWE
