1. REPOSITIONING NIGERIAN ARMY COMMAND SCHOOLS FOR QUALITY EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

2. QUALITY DELIVERY IN NA COMMAND SCHOOLS: AN APPRAISAL

3. EDUCATION IS…
A process of teaching, training and learning to improve knowledge and develop skills The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction Information about or training in a particular field An enlightening experience

4. PURPOSE OF EDUCATION
To develop the intellect, to serve social needs, to contribute to the economy, to create an effective work force, to prepare students for a job or career, to promote a particular social or political system.
The purpose of education has always been to every one, in essence, the same—to give the young the things they need in order to develop in an orderly, sequential way into members of society.
The purpose of education has changed from that of producing a literate society to that of producing a learning society.” —Margaret Ammons, Associate Secretary of ASCD.

5. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTGOALS

6. WHAT IS QUALITY IN EDUCATION?
Quality is not self-evident.
Quality in education is a multifaceted and complex concept that is continuously evolving.
There are various schools of thought on quality education:
Quality is seen as a measure of how much the learner knows and to what depth.
Or as a policy issue where creating an education system that facilitates the realisation of the learners’ rights to education and development of their capabilities is achieved.
Other schools of thought focus on quality as a deliberately constructed value.

7. UNICEF’S KEY INDICATORS OF QUALITY
Quality Processes
Quality Learners
Quality Education
Quality Learning Environment
Quality Content
Quality Outcomes

8. QUALITY LEARNERS
Healthy, well-nourished and ready to participate and learn
Good early childhood psychosocial development experiences.
Regular attendance for learning.
Family support for learning

9. QUALITY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Physical Environment
Quality of school facilities.
Interaction between school infrastructure and other quality dimensions.
Class size
Psychosocial Environment
Peaceful, safe environments, especially for girls.
Teachers’ behaviours that affect safety.
Effective school discipline policies: Well-managed schools and classrooms
Inclusive environment that reduces discrimination
Non-violence.
Service Delivery
Provision of health services.

10. QUALITY CONTENT
Quality content refers to the intended and taught curriculum of schools.
Relevant curriculum
Curriculum structure should be student-centred, gender-sensitive and inclusive of children with diverse abilities and backgrounds, and responsive to emerging issues such as HIV/AIDS and conflict resolution. It should provide for individual differences based on clearly defined learning outcomes that are grade-level appropriate and properly sequenced
Uniqueness of local and national content.
Literacy.
Numeracy.
Life skills: attitudes, values and behavioural change, rather than seeking to provide young people with a body of knowledge about a set of topics.

11. QUALITY PROCESS
This is how teachers and administrators use inputs to frame meaningful learning experiences for students.
Teacher quality.
Teacher competence and school efficiency.
Ongoing professional development
Continuing support for student-centred learning
Teacher feedback mechanisms
Teacher beliefs that all students can learn.

12. QUALITY OUTCOMES
Outcomes encompass knowledge, skills and attitudes, and are linked to national goals for education and positive participation in society.
Achievement in literacy and numeracy.
Outcomes sought by parents.
Outcomes related to community participation, learner confidence and life-long learning.
Health outcomes.

13. APPRAISAL OF COMMAND SCHOOLS
Any education is, in its forms and methods, an outgrowth of the needs of the society in which it exists.”
-John Dewey
Quality education is one that provides all learners with capabilities they require to become economically productive, develop sustainable livelihoods, contribute to peaceful and democratic societies and enhance individual well-being.
- VVOB

14. QUALITY OF LEARNERS
The quality of the yarn determines the quality of the fabric
Motivation: Many students are in school because it is the default thing to do for homes that can afford it and not necessarily out of personal desire or motivation.
Health: unless health records are required of parents, the school may not be able to determine the health of the student. Where records are given, schools are non the wiser
The enrolment process should ensure that the best get in.

15. QUALITY OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Class size: for effective student-centered learning, the teacher-pupil ratio becomes consequential as there can be no individual learning where a teacher has 50 pupils in a class and several arms to teach.

16. QUALITY OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Infrastructure: education is more than what happens within the four walls of classroom. Sports, extra curricula activities are critical to developing life skills.
There must be adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities accessible to all and in standard sanitary condition.
Policies and their implementation must promote physical and mental health, safety, and security. 

17. QUALITY OF CONTENT
Relevant curriculum: A matter of government policy. Teachers are made to deliver a curriculum into which they had no input.
Assessment and feedback: assessment is still very traditional. Teachers are poorly trained in evaluation techniques.
Feedback is not always prompt and often does not clearly indicate what the learner must do to improve.

18. QUALITY OF THE PROCESS

19. Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination Entry Scores
QUALITY OF THE PROCESS
Quality and Competence of teachers
Training selection process; The UMTE relegation of quality
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination Entry Scores
Universities
180 and above
Mono/Polytechnics
150
Colleges of Education
100

20. QUALITY OF THE PROCESS cont’d
Temporary/PTA teachers 48.25%
Continuous professional development and support for student-
centered learning are essentially absent.
Professional learning make up for short-coming in pre-service
education and keep teachers abreast of current developments.
Research has shown that teachers supported with in-service as
well as external workshop training improved significantly in
their abilities to use child-centered teaching and learning
behaviours.

21. AVERAGE TEACHING STAFF COMPOSITION
QUALITY OF THE PROCESS cont’d
The Recruitment Process Commission out of touch with reality on ground in the schools. Succession planning is poor as evidenced by the retirement of personnel without replacement resulting in high numbers of temporary/PTA teachers.
AVERAGE TEACHING STAFF COMPOSITION

22. QUALITY OF THE PROCESS cont’d
Staff motivation
job insecurity temporary / PTA teachers’ means high turnover and where they stay, they stay because they
are stuck in the rut and or are able to hold a second or
even third job!
Administrative support and leadership
Promotion to headship not be based on leadership or
management skills.

23. QUALITY OF THE OUTCOMES
Parents: academic achievement as a means to employment
Knowledge: the essential cognitive achievement that all learners should reach (including literacy, numeracy, core subject knowledge)
Values: solidarity, gender equality, tolerance, mutual understanding , respect for human rights, non-violence; respect for human life, and dignity
Skills or competencies:  a secure command of how to solve problems, to communicate clearly and with respect; to experiment, to work in teams, to live together and interact with those who are different, and to learn how to learn
Behaviors:  the willingness to put into practice what has been learned.

24. THE SINGAPORE MODEL Quality Process
Quality teachers: Best graduates retained for education with
high salaries.
Merit recognition: it recognises and appreciates the
exceptional talent which are directed towards public service.
Encapsulating the best from the world: they utilise the best
practices from around the world, adapting it to fit their context
rather than adopting it without questioning.
Quality Outcome
The best students are inspired to pursue further education at the
world’s leading universities by the national system of
generous scholarships.

26. “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives”
-William A. Foster

27. It is hoped that following this appraisal of the NA command schools, steps will be taken and promptly too, to put in place measures that will drive quality delivery to put command schools in her pride of place.

28. THANK YOU