QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) IN PRIMARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Among the strata of the education system, primary education has been identified as the most sensitive stratum, the reason being that it determines the success or failure of the entire system. This calls for qualitative instructional delivery in the primary schools and quality assurance is required to ensure and sustain quality education at this level. This paper, therefore, reviews the concepts of primary education and quality assurance. Some requirements that are directly related to quality assurance in primary schools are discussed and challenges of quality assurance at this level of education enumerated. Based on the challenges, recommendations were made. In the modern world, education has come to remain as the bedrock of development in societies. Hence, nations have adopted formal education as a veritable instrument for national development. In this direction, schools have been institutionalized to dispense education at different levels and components. In these schools, teaching and learning take place as teachers and students (learners) are engaged in one form of instructional activity or the other. It is important to note that these instructional activities must not be at variance with the procedures set out for them, and must result in the objectives set out for attainment in the schools. The need then arises to ensure that the quality of instruction in the primary schools is assured. This paper will, therefore, examine the following:  Primary Education and its Objectives  Quality Assurance (QA)  Requirement for Quality Assurance (QA) in Primary Schools  Challenges of Quality Assurance in Primary Schools