Community participation in quality assurance (CPQA): A catalyst in enhancing quality in basic education service delivery in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria, like most developing countries, is having challenges in reaching the Millennium Development Goals, Education for All, and national education goals within the globally agreed timeframe of 2015. While the widespread progress in enrolment is laudable due to social demand for it, there are persistent challenges of exclusion, inequalities, low completion rates, and low learning outcomes. It is within this context that this paper examines community participation in quality assurance as a catalyst for fast-track access and participation, enhancing quality and equity towards the attainment of Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Nigerian education sector. A descriptive survey study conducted through the use of a developed instrument on the expected role of community members in assuring qualitative education service delivery in the basic education sector, tagged “Community Participation in Quality Assurance Instrument,”. A stratified random sampling technique was used to sample the opinions of 150 school managers (both principals and headteachers) and 150 classroom teachers, totaling 300 respondents. The instrument was validated, and a reliability test was carried out using test-retest and found reliable at .85 reliability coefficient. Findings revealed that there is no significant difference in the perception of all the respondents towards community participation in quality assurance at the basic education level. The implications of the study as a catalyst for fast-tracking access, participation, and enhancing quality and equity towards the attainment of the EFA and MDGs were also stressed.