Quality of government secondary school services in regional Bangladesh

Abstract

This research investigated the service quality of government secondary schools (GSS) in Bangladesh. A mixed methods research design combining quantitative and qualitative methods was applied for gathering and analyzing data. Quantitative data was collected from 601 randomly selected clients using a structured interview schedule developed based on the five-dimensional SERVQUAL instrument. Qualitative data was obtained through focus group discussions and interviews of students, teachers, headteachers, guardians, assistant school inspectors, and the deputy director of secondary and higher education working in the selected region. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis, while qualitative data was transcribed and labeled into emerging themes. The study found that the quality of secondary education in the GSSs of the study area failed to meet the demand of the clients in terms of all the quality dimensions of SERVQUAL, where t-values revealed a significant gap between expectation and perception in Tangibles, Responsiveness, Reliability, Assurance and Empathy dimensions. Data from qualitative methods showed that all the stakeholders agreed with the gap in tangibles and empathy dimension claimed by the respondents in the quantitative survey. However, teachers and guardians showed differential opinions regarding the gaps in responsiveness, reliability, and assurance. It was also found that 40% of the respondents were either neutral or dissatisfied with the education service of GSSs. Logistic regression output shows that among the dimensions of SERVQUAL, tangibles, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy can significantly influence a respondent’s overall satisfaction with GSS services. One-way ANOVA results show that schools from at least two districts differ significantly in terms of the mean score of overall satisfaction and the perceived mean score of tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy dimensions. The schools lack teaching, learning and recreational facilities such as laboratory, library, common room, and sports. The students did not receive individual need-based care for academic performance improvement and did not participate in lesson planning, preferring teaching methods and deciding assessment strategies. The teachers were not sufficiently skilled in delivering intelligible lectures and didn’t give time to students outside of formal classes. A sizeable gap in the SERVQUAL dimensions indicates that a comprehensive all-out effort is necessary to improve the service quality of GSSs. Consequently, improving teaching learning facilities, student participation in the lesson plan and deciding on teaching methods, teachers' training in pedagogy, and school-specific quality improvement measures are imperative.