Strategies to improve the quality of educational inspection activities in thanh hoa province

66 9 Relationship of Educational Qualifications of Teachers to the Educational Inspection Activities in terms of Professional 10 Relationship of the Educational Qualifications of Teacher

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A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Southern Luzon State University, Lucban, Quezon, Philippines

in Collaboration with Thai Nguyen University, Socialist Republic of Vietnam

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The researcher wishes to extend his most sincere gratitude to the following people, who in one way or another, made this piece of work a reality:

Dr Cecilia N Gascon, President of Southern Luzon StateUniversity,

Republic of the Philippines, who made possible the linkage with Thai Nguyen University and the offering of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Management, through the ITC-TUAF;

Dr Dang Kim Vui, President of Thai Nguyen University, who

developed the linkage with Southern Luzon StateUniversity, Republic of the Philippines and the offering of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Management, through the ITC-TUAF;

Dr.Apolonia A Espinosa, his research adviser, for her support and

supervision throughout his graduate study program Her advice and support during the conduct of his study has greatly helped him a lot;

Prof.Nordelina B Ilano, Director, Office for International Affairs of

SLSU for her outright assistance to the Ph.D students;

Dr Tran Thanh Van, the Dean of the Graduate School of Thai Nguyen

University, for hisassistance and encouragement to pursue this study;

Dr Dang XuanBinh, the Director of International Training Center, for

his indefatigable effort to encourage the Ph.D students to pursue this study;

LMH

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This piece of work is dedicated to my family

LMH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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TITLE PAGE ……… i

APPROVAL SHEET ……… ii

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ……… iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ……… iv

DEDICATION ……… vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS ……… vii

LIST OF TABLES ……… ix

LIST OF FIGURES……… xi

LIST OF APPENDICES ……… xii

ABSTRACT ……… xiii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ……… 1

Background of the Study ……… 5

Objectives of the Study ……… 7

Hypothesis ……… 8

Significance of the Study ……… 8

Scope and Limitation of the Study ……… 9

Definition of Terms ……… 10

II REVIEW OF LITERATURE ……….……… 12

Conceptual Framework ……… ….……… …… 48

Research Paradigm ……… ….……… 50

III METHODOLOGY ……… 52

Locale of the Study ……….……… 52

Research Design ……….……… 52

Population and Sampling ……….… ………… 53

Instrumentation……… ………… …….… 53

Data Gathering Procedure ……….… 54

Statistical Treatment …….……… 55

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IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ……….… 57

V SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary ……… ……… 78

Findings……….……… ……….… 79

Conclusions ……….… 81

Recommendations ……… …… 82

REFERENCES ……… 84

APPENDICES ……… 88

CURRICULUM VITAE ……… 112

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1 Weighted Mean and Rank Distribution of the Responses on

Educational Inspection Activities in terms of Professional

2 Weighted Mean and Rank Distribution of the Responses on

Educational Inspection Activities in terms of Inspection

3 Weighted Mean and Rank Distribution of Educational

Inspection Activities in terms of Complaint Management … 60

4 Educational Quality of the Respondent Schools as to

Educational Qualification of Teachers ……… 61

5 Educational Quality of the Respondents' School as to

Performance of Students……… 63

6 Difference between the Schools and their Educational Inspection

Activities in Terms of Professional Inspection……… 64

7 Difference between the Schools’ Educational Inspection

Activities in termsof Inspection Management ……… 65

8 Difference between the Schools’ Educational Inspection

Activities in terms of Complaint Management ……… 66

9 Relationship of Educational Qualifications of Teachers to the

Educational Inspection Activities in terms of Professional

10 Relationship of the Educational Qualifications of Teachers to

the Educational Inspection Activities in terms of Inspection

11 Relationship of the Educational Qualification of Teachers to

the Educational Inspection Activities in terms of Complaint

12 Relationship of the Performance of Students to the

Educational Inspection Activitiesin terms of Professional

13 Relationship of the Performance of Students to the

Educational Inspection Activitiesin Terms of Inspection

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14 Relationship of the Performance of Students to the

Educational Inspection Activitiesin terms of Complaint

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1 Paradigm of the Study……… ……… 50

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A Educational Inspection Activity ……… 89

B Questionnaire ……… 92

C Certificate of Verification ……… 96

D Statistical Computation ……… 105

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Title of Research : STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF

EDUCATIONAL INSPECTION ACTIVITIES IN THANH HOA PROVINCE

Researcher : LE MINH HUNG (TEN)

Degree Conferred : DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATIONAL

MANAGEMENT Name and Address

of Institution

: Southern Luzon State University Lucban, Quezon, Philippines and Thai Nguyen University, Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Adviser : Dr Apolonia A Espinosa

Year Written : 2014

This study was conducted to find out the strength and weaknesses of educational training quality of all school levels in ThanhHoa Province during the Academic Year 2012-2013 This study used the descriptive design in analyzingthe variables It is designed to help determine the extent to which different variables are related to each other Based on the data gathered, the following are the findings: The level of educational inspection activities in terms of professional inspection shows that all the teachers in ThanhHoa Province were always using standard grade equivalent with a mean score of 5.00 Teachers were also often pursuing their graduate studies with a mean score of 4.40 Only few teachers were observed to retain or make their student competent with a mean score of 1.98 In general, the professional inspections in ThanhHoa were sometimes observed with grand mean of 3.32 While on the level of educational inspection activities in terms of inspection management, it shows that the management of the schools in ThanhHoa have always set specific date for the examination The administrative activities

to 40 percent performance in inter-school level and 15 to 20 percent performance in provincial level And, data show that the performances of the students in primary schools was 45 to 55 percent in classroom level, 40 to 50 percent in inter-school level and 20 to 35 percent were in provincial level In view of the significant difference of the educational inspection activities in terms of professional inspection of the ten schools, results show that the observed professional inspection were significantly different from the ten schools Thus, the ten schools in ThanhHoa Province have different level on their educational inspection activities in professional inspection In terms of

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inspection management was the same as observed in the ten schools in ThanhHoa Thus, the ten schools in ThanhHoa Province have same level on their educational inspection activities in inspection Management In terms of complaint management, it shows that the observed complaint management was the same It shows that the educational degree of the teachers in ThanhHoa Province doesn’t affect the level of professional inspection of the school, thus, the level of the educational inspection activities of the school in terms of professional inspection is not affected by the educational degree of the teacher Based on the findings, it is therefore concluded that Educational inspection activities as toprofessional inspection, inspection management, and complaint management need some adjustment or fix up; The performance of the students is of average level only; The respondents of the study have variations in their responses as to professional inspection However, there is commonality of response as to inspection management and complaint management; The educational inspection activities in various schools in ThanhHoa province is not associated with the educational attainment of the teachers; The performances of the students in classroom level are related with the educational activities in terms of the complaint management; and The proposed inspection activity program is ready for implementation The researcher therefore recommends to undertake the following proposed activities: The proposed educational inspection activity program may be implemented by the different schools in Than Hoa Province

to further enrich and revitalize the present educational inspection activities

In terms of professional inspection activities, teachers and head masters

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student learning and school development, thus, making them productive and dynamic;In terms of inspection management, school management should practice the principle of transparency of the schools’ finances among the students, staff and parents in order to achieve the desired goals as mandated

by the ministry; and In terms of complaint management, school management should provide trainings for mediators and/or principals who handle grievances/complaints among erring teachers and staff, and likewise establish logical and judicious policy in resolving complaints to avoid resentment and distrust among its constituents; Provide in-service trainings for educational inspectorates for a more effective implementation of educational inspection activities to ensure educational quality assurance at educational institutions; propose functional and practical measures to ensure educational law enforcement in terms of educational inspection activities; and A need to increase the number of qualified and professional educational inspectors must

be considered for a more effective monitoring of the performances of the different schools in ThanhHoa

Chapter I INTRODUCTION

Vietnamese education is a socialist education with popular, national, scientific, and modern characteristics wherein educational activities are conducted on the principles of learning coupled with practice, education linked with production, theories connected to practicability, and education at schools combined with education in the family and in the society (Education Law in Vietnam, 2005) Educational development is the first national priority with a view of improving people’s knowledge, training manpower, and fostering talents It must be linked with the requirements of socio-economic development, to the scientific-technological advances,and to the consolidation

of national defense and security; must implement standardization, modernization, and socialization; must ensure the balance in terms of qualifications, professional and regional structure; must expand scale on the basis of quality and efficiency assurance; and must link education with employment

In terms of State management of education, it is written in the Education Law in Vietnam Chapter 1,Article 14 that: the State shall carry out the unified management of the national educational system in terms of goals, programmes, contents, educational plans, teachers’ standards, examination regulations and system of degrees/diplomas; focus on the management of educational quality, exercise decentralization on educational management; strengthen the autonomy and accountabilities of educational institutions.In view of this, the educational management staff is expected to play an important role in organizing, managing and directing educational activities;

they must study and improve themselves continuously in terms of moral standards, qualifications, management competence and personal responsibility The State therefore shall have plan to build and improve the quality of educational management staff in order to promote roles and responsibilities of educational management staff, ensuring the development of the cause of education

To meet the requirements of the country’s goals in national education,

it is necessary and urgent to review and apply some applicable innovation strategies and policies in education and training in the way it is pointed out by Vietnam Government To strengthen education and training career, first and foremost the educational management in the country must be improved

However, managing education involves other problems Many documents have emphasized the importance of changing educational systems in general and educational inspection in particular, which are the most vital stage in managing education In this context, it is the sole responsibility of the educational management staff to submit to the government major guidelines affecting learningrights and duties of citizens nationwide, orientations for reform of educational management related to the whole educational levels

Since the birth of social science, many scientific fields of the inspection have been discussed According to Mac-Anghen (2009), "inspection is a process that requires the government management in developing individuals

to perform better" On the other hand, Wanga (2008) noted that inspection can be conceptualized as overseeing, which involves directing, controlling, reporting, commanding, and other such activities that emphasize the task at

hand and assess the extent to which particular objectives have been accomplished within the bounds set by those in authority for their subordinates

During the first inspection conference held on April 19, 1955 in Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnam President said: "Through inspection, it helps the inspectors see if the given policies and missions have been completed successfully."Inspecting regularly can minimize the misinterpretation of the education management policies of any organizations

Inspection is an important stage of the entire educational management

of the government It enables leaders to evaluate their own leadership and other authorized officials to find out the most effective ways of management in line with the policies set by the government Many countries throughout the world have developed some means of monitoring the quality and standards of their education systems In most cases, the monitoring process involves supervision by inspection of educational institutions such as schools, and other aspects of the education systems The critical role of inspection as one

of the dominant strategies for monitoring and improving the performance of education system in schools cannot be overemphasized Inspection is concerned, in the main, with the improvement of standards and quality of education and should be an integral part of a school improvement program

In many countries where inspectoral system of supervision of schools is conducted, the responsibility for inspection lies with the Inspectorates School inspection practices, especially in Third World countries, such as Vietnam, are associated with numerous problems which, as a result, strength its attempts

to improve education quality into the background

To quote the Decision of the 2nd Central Committee Communist Party III, the main targets of the educational management are "Innovation of management mechanisms, training the manpower, improving the capacity of education and training, in order to complete the inspection system of education, increase the number of inspectors, and focus on professional inspection." Inspection is a professional activity, so it is a must to have professional training Each officer in the inspection system must be proficient enough to understand his/her own tasks Also, as noted by Hargreaves (2010), inspection is a powerful way of monitoring the education system, tracking standards and performance levels over a period of time, and of identifying schools’ failures

In 1990, the State Council (now Chairman of the Convention) issued a system of inspection which included the state inspectors, home affairs inspectors, and educational inspectors Then, in 1992 the Council of Office (now the Government) issued Decree 358/HDBT, which provided the educational inspection system to include the state inspectors, home affairs inspectors, and educational inspectors

In 2004, the Vietnam Government issued another inspection law which replaced the 1990 Inspection Law It stated that the inspection system shall consist the following: government inspectors, state inspectors, educational inspectors, provincial inspectors, and district inspectors

Effectiveness of the inspection includes management measures of inspection, considering the inspectors' cooperation in reaching the set out objectives and missions with less time and money Effective inspection is closely linked with effective management governance taking into

consideration that inspection task is an essential stage of effective management At the same time, effective inspection depends heavily on the composition of team of inspectors Adequate and sufficient number of inspectors plays an important factor in contributing to the effectiveness of inspection However, due to limited number of regular or permanent inspectors, other inspection team workers are assigned to assist the permanent inspectors when necessary Besides enhancing the team of inspectors, building qualified inspection team is also very vital

Background of the Study

In recent years, the inspection of Department of Education and Training in ThanhHoa has remarkably changed For instance, it has directed educational institutions to contribute to the improvement of management efficiency Inspection has identified the targets and its responsibilities to continuously improve management performance in order to strengthen the quality of education in general and the quality of inspection activities in all high schools in particular However, inspection activities are still unreliable For example, there are inspectors and inspection team workers who are not experienced enough to perform their tasks To overcome these restrictions to meet the requirements of future inspection activities, the Department of Education and Training in ThanhHoa needs to increase the number of inspectors, especially the inspection team workers who are qualified to change the inspection management

In 2003, Mr QuangAnh and Mr Ha Dang published their book: “Some essential knowledge of inspection and examination of education and training”

to summarize some basic problems of education and training inspection {1}

In 2006, Mr Ha TheTruyen wrote “Examining-inspection and evaluating in education” an important book that highlight professional competencies for examining and inspection work in school.To do this, it is vital that ThanhHoa Province should carry out suitable measures to enhance the inspection in order to uplift the quality of all schools in the long-term stability

Moreover, a number of studies on Ph.D Educational Management that dealt about educational inspection in the training inspections course were conducted with focus on inspection, examination and providing further knowledge for the inspection staff The said topics and articles were specifically focused on the typical issues of inspection work, but the main aspect of inspection is examining the teachers, schools and the managing strategy on inspection’s work, and other valuable and useful documents However, none of them discussed the details and conducted specific research about the ways on how to train and develop inspection staff regarding the national education system in general and the education of ThanhHoa in particular In view of this, building and developing the inspection staff is really necessary; hence, there is a need to conduct a research both in theory and reality on educational inspection activities in ThanhHoa This topic, therefore,

is considered urgent to contribute ideas and strategies in developing the skills

of inspection staff, equip enough quantity of time for inspection, establish identical structure, inculcate professional skills and attain the required knowledge based on international standards, and provide positive contribution

to improve the education management in general and ThanhHoa’s education and training in particular

Based on theoretical research and assessment of the status of the professional inspection in ThanhHoa Province, the researcher proposed some measures to build and develop a team of professional inspectors for the enhancement of professional inspection activities, which may contribute to improving the educational management as well as the quality of teaching and learning in all school levels in ThanhHoa Province.For these reasons, the

researcher chose to pursue this study

Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to find out the strengths and weaknesses of educational training quality of all school levels in ThanhHoa Province during the Academic Year 2012-2013, and then offer suitable measures to improve the quality of education management

Specifically, the study sought to:

1 Determine the level of educational inspection activities as to

3.2 inspection management;

3.3 complaint management;

4 Establish the relationship between Educational qualifications of teachers and educational inspection activities;

5 Ascertain if there is a significant relationship between performance

of students and educational inspection activities; and to

6 Propose an inspection activity program that will help improve the educational inspection activities

Null Hypotheses

1 No significant difference exists between the educational inspection activities of the respondent schools

2 There is no significant relationship between educational qualification

of teachers and educational inspection activities

3 Performance of students and educational inspection activities do not significantly relate with each other

Significance of the Study

This study was carried out with the aim of finding out the weaknesses

of the educational inspection activities and propose suitable measures to improve the quality of all school levels in ThanhHoa Province

In this context, this study would be beneficial to the following:

Administrators.This study will serve as an effective tool in managing

the school educational inspection activities and will be helpful in the strategic planning activities In addition, this will provide them valued information concerning quality education management, hence, they will be able to adapt development programs for the future

Teachers.It is necessary for them to be aware of their responsibilities

in performing their duties and responsibilities for the improvement and upliftment of the education quality of the schools

Students.This study will provide them better understanding of the

importance of hard work, thus, improving their knowledge as well as the quality of learning

Researcher The researcher, as a candidate for Doctor of Philosophy

(Ph.D.) in Educational Management Degree, will have enhanced knowledge about educational management through this study

Future Researchers This can serve as reference material for future

researches similar to this

Scope and Limitations

The study was focused on the investigation of the status of educational inspection activities covering ten (10) schools in ThanhHoa Province It made use of two hundred eighty nine (289) managers and teachers

The researcher used questionnaire to determine the extent of implementation of the educational inspection activities in the ten (10) schools

It is limited to the professional inspection, inspection management and complaint management as well as educational qualification of teachers and students’ performance Further, an interview with managers and teachers as respondents was also undertaken to determine the performance of their respective schools in terms of students’ performances Then, the educational experts were requested to assess the reliability of the result of inspection activities

After finding out the factors that affect the educational inspection activities of the selected 10 schools in ThanhHoa Province, the researcher proposed suitable measures to improve the educational inspection activities The time duration of the study was from April to October 2013

Definition of Terms

For a better understanding of this study, the following terms are defined operationally and conceptually:

Complaint Managementrefers to the inspection of misbehaviors of teachers

and staff in education activities and educational management

Educational Inspection Activities aim at having more desirable and

excellent quality or condition and making something better In this study, it pertains to the attributes ofthe status of educational inspection activities of ThanhHoa Province It is concerned with the improvement

of standards and quality of education and should be an integral partof aschool improvement program

Educational Qualifications of Teachersrefers to the level of trainings

andaccomplishmentsof teachers which are considered contributory to the successfulimplementation of educational goals of the school (Vietnam Education Law, 2004) In this study, it refers to the highest educational attainment of the teacher respondents

High Level of Educational Inspection Activitiesrefers to high compliance to

the regulations of the educationalbranch in the implementation of educationlaws and schoolregulations

Inspection Activity Program refers to an organizedexamination or

formalevaluationexercise It involves the assessmentapplied to certain characteristicsregarding the performance of the school, teachers and students In thisstudy, itrefers to the program developed by the researcher for furtherimprovement of the educational inspection activities

Inspection Management refers to the supervision on how to handle

educational matters, events, problems, complaints of the school’s constituents to protect theindividuals in education (Vietnam Education Law, 2004)

LowLevel of Educational Inspection Activitiesrefers non-compliance to the

regulations of the educational branch in the implementation of education laws, and school regulations

Performance of Studentsrefers to the level of development and

accomplishments of students based on the set standards of the school

as approved by the Ministry ofEducation and Training (Vietnam Education Law, 2004).In this study, it refers to the performance of students in contest in the school level, inter-school level and regional level

Professional Inspection refers to the expertise of the educational inspector

as well as students’ performance and training (McGlynnand Stalker,

2005)

Strategies refers to plans or approaches that are applicable in addressing or

giving solutionto problems met

Chapter II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents the relevant readings and literature which bear the significance and similarities in this study This also includes the paradigm

that could help the readers to fully understand the context of this study

Educational Inspection Activities

The United States of America takes a special importance to educational development to maintain the unique position of economy, technology and science It is shown by the numerous financial development and efforts of their society and nation In the message to the US nation on 4thFebruary 1997, Pres Bill Clinton said that: “I want to give out the need for a significant contribution to take our country into 21stcentury, to maintain our economy, promote education, technology and science.” In this regard, one strategy for monitoring teaching and learning in schools and for enhancing quality and raising standards which has received a great deal of attention over the years concerns supervision by inspection to effectively respond to the needs of learners, updating of knowledge and skills, and transferring of technology

In the United Kingdom, Clegg and Billington (2004) stated that in reflecting on the practice of inspection by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), Britain, a major purpose of inspection is “to collect a range of evidence, mark the evidence against a statutory set of criteria, arrive

at judgments and make those judgments known to the public” Moreover, reflecting on the British Education (Schools) Act 1992, they noted that the role

of inspection in Britain is to monitor the standards, quality, efficiency, and ethos of the schools and to inform the government and the general public on these matters Further to this, McGlynn and Stalker (2005), who wrote about the process of school inspection in Scotland, cited the following three reasons for conducting school inspection These are to: (a) report on the effectiveness

of education in schools and other educational institutions and to recommend action for improvement; (b) evaluate the arrangements for assuring quality in schools; and (c) provide frank and objective advice to the higher education authorities and to ensure that educational initiatives are implemented effectively Additionally, Wilcox and Gray (1994), in a study that explored the reactions of primary teachers, headteachers, and inspectors to school inspection in three Local Education Authorities (LEA) in Britain, reported that both inspectors and the school staff agreed that inspection had been valuable

in reviewing the position of the school and indicating its way forward

According to McGlynn and Stalker (2005), Educational Inspection is concerned with the improvement of standards and quality of education and should be an integral part of a school improvement program The rationale for this improvement is composed of three folds: (a) the universal recognition of the right of every child in every classroom, in every school to receive a high quality education appropriate to their needs and aptitudes; (b) the effectiveness in education system is a key influence on economic well-being

of every nation; and (c) the recognition of the need to equip students with the kind of education that will enable them to contribute to increasingly complex and changing society

In many countries where inspectoral system of supervision of schools

is conducted, the responsibility for school inspection lies with the Inspectorates For example, in Scotland, as explained by McGlynn and Stalker (2005), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate (HMI) is in-charge with the following major inspectoral responsibilities: (a) to undertake a program of inspections of individual schools and colleges and of key aspects of education; (b) to monitor arrangements for quality assurance in education through the Inspectorate’s Audit Unit; (c) to provide frank and objective advice through the Inspectorate’s Chief Inspector of Schools to the Secretary of State; and (d) to ensure that educational initiatives are implemented effectively

Similarly, in South Africa, as noted by Chetty, Chisholm, Gardiner, Magan, and Vinjevold (2009), the Inspectorate is primarily concerned with and

is divided into management functions and advisory services However, they argued, the functional effectiveness in terms of quality of teaching and learning and the instruments used to assess teacher competencies are highly limited

According to Wilcox and Gray (2011), inspection, as a mode of monitoring education, offers the following major benefits: it gives inspectors

an opportunity to observe classrooms and, thereby, a better basis for discussing the development of the school with head teachers; it gives school inspectors an opportunity to learn about the schools, the head teachers, the teachers, the curriculum, and the students and indicates which way forward; it can be a potential learning experience for those involved; it should provide useful information for parents in their choice of schools; it leads to a better

understanding of schools; it enhances staff cooperation and public recognition that the school is basically on the right track; and it boosts staff morale

According to Hargreaves (2010), the following four basic assumptions underlie school inspection:1 Inspection is an effective and cost-effective method for improving schools;2 The inspection process leads to a set of recommendations which describe the main areas requiring improvement; 3 Improvement of schools through inspection can be gauged from the extent to which the recommendations are implemented; and, 4 Those in authority know and understand the objectives and goals of the school so well that they can assume superior academic and professional roles over teachers and

pupils

Kipkulei (2010) stated that in Kenya, the responsibility for the education system is vested in the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology Supervision by inspection has long been and still is a major device employed

by the Ministry of Education to monitor education quality in the country The Kenyan philosophy of education embraces “the inculcation of a high quality instruction” (Republic of Kenya, 1999) Accordingly, this quality has been equated with high standards, namely, a set of criteria against which an institution or system is judged Among the determinants of quality on education, Republic of Kenya noted the availability of qualified and motivated teachers, a conducive environment for teaching and learning, including the curriculum, facilities, the resources available for their provision, and the tools for evaluation should be given attention

Commenting on the government’s commitment to ensuring quality through inspection, Kipkulei (2010) stated that the government must be

committed to provide sound and effective management and professional services in the administration, supervision, and inspection of education and training programmes, the development and implementation of various curricula, and the production of education materials Moreover, Kipkulei (2010) stated that in Kenya the legal basis of inspection has been entrusted to the Ministry of Education which empowers the Minister of Education to promote the education of the people of Kenya According to this Act, the management and general control of the school system, in particular, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology The Education Act gives the Minister of Education the power to appoint school inspectors with authority to enter and inspect any school or any place at which

it is reasonably suspected that a school is being conducted at any time, with

or without notice, and to report to [the Minister] with respect to the school or any aspect thereof

According to Wanga (2008), the main purpose of legal provision for school inspection is to enable the Education Inspector as representative of the government and the people to satisfy themselves that educational standards are being maintained or improved, and that the schools and colleges are being conducted in accordance with national aims and policies Seen from a legal standpoint, therefore, inspection is an instrument with which the political and administrative authorities maintain a necessary contact with schools, teachers, and the community

According to Okumbe (2004), in some countries, school inspection seems to be viewed as a process of checking other people’s work to ensure that bureaucratic regulations and procedures are followed and that loyalty to

the higher authorities are maintained This view of inspection overlooks the professional interests and needs of the teaching personnel Inspection process conducted with this view in mind, may not be effective in facilitating educational quality or in improving teaching and learning in educational institutions

Based on the survey conducted by Kamuyu (2006) in Kenya, he stated that school inspection is conducted for the following six major reasons: (1) To have an overview of the quality of education, based performance indicators of the performance of an educational institution (benchmarks) and to report back

to the educational institutions to enable them to plan improvement strategies; (2) To supervise the implementation of school curriculum; (3) To help diagnose the problems and shortcomings in the implementation of the curriculum; (4) To identify some of the discipline problems encountered in schools; (5) To monitor and to improve teaching and learning in schools; and (6) To provide guidance to schools on how they can improve

Moreover, the purposes of inspection may be prompted by the following four major factors : a) agreed inspection plans and work programs

at national, provincial, district, divisional, or zonal levels; (b) inspectors’ personal initiatives; (c) adverse reports or anonymous correspondence from the stakeholders and school managers asking for inspection; and (d) follow-up inspection from concerns indicated in the previous inspection report

In most countries in the world, inspection services and report-writing is the responsibility of the Inspectorate, the professional and consultancy arm of the Ministry of Education The Inspectorate is in charge with the responsibility

of maintaining and improving educational standards in schools and colleges

and, as a result, acts as the Ministry’s intelligence wing, gathering the necessary information to feed the Ministry on the trends in standards obtained

in the learning institutions In this regard, the custodian of standards or the Inspectorate must play two major roles: (a) a supervisory role by ensuring on behalf of the Ministry that the laid down procedures and set goals are followed and attained and (b) an advisory or professional role by liaising closely with classroom teachers to attain the required educational standards

The Inspectorate must perform the following two major complementary objectives: (a) quality assurance, achieved through the inspections of institutions and reporting on these inspections to the institutions and to the Ministry and (b) quality development, achieved through the work of the advisory services, the provision of staff development opportunities, and the development of learning and teaching materials, by thy advisory wing of the Inspectorate The education inspectors (or school inspectors) are officials of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology charged with the responsibility of identifying and providing feedback on strengths and weaknesses in educational institutions, so that these institutions can improve the quality of education provided and the achievements of their pupils, and who may inspect any educational institution – pre-school, primary, secondary

or college, public or private

Chabala (2004) explained that to achieve its inspectoral functions in particular, the Inspectorate endeavors to arrange some visitations to schools

by inspectors to carry out general supervision or inspection, including the following activities: (a) checking on educational facilities; (b), monitoring, reviewing, and assessing how well educational standards are being

maintained and implemented by teachers and school administrators; and (c) observing classroom teaching by individual teachers to assess their professional competence for promotion on merit and professional guidance Arising from inspection, in-service training needs for teachers and headteachers are expected to be identified

Mwanzia (2005) said thatbased on the findings of his study,there are

problems with the current inspection practices, as follows:Numerous problems are associated with the present system of school inspection The problems are those associated with the following major areas: (1) professionalism; (2) attitudes and commitment; (3) feedback and follow-up; (4) collaboration; (5) pre-service and in-service training; (6) foci of inspection; (7) Inspectorate autonomy; (8) transport; (9) planning inspection; (10) Inspectorate-university Partnerships; (11) education system; (12) cost of inspection; (13) inspector recruitment, selection, and deployment; (14) adequacy of inspection; (15) resourcing; (16) inspection reports; (17) post-inspection evaluation; (18)

Inspectorate titles

Over the years, the behavior of some school inspectors, especially toward teachers has been criticized by some teachers The major concerns are those associated with unprofessional conduct of school inspectors which,

as Sitima (2004) noted, has had serious implications for teaching and learning

to the extent that “a private cold war” has developed between teachers and inspectors Some school inspectors have been criticized for being harsh to teachers and for harassing teachers even in front of their pupils

According to Isolo (2005), many school inspectors have developed the following questionable habits: (a) they look down upon teachers with

resentment and suspicion; (b) they demand bribes from teachers in order to make favorable reports; (c) they are dictatorial and have taken the attitude of

“do as I say or get in trouble” and (d) they work with unsmiling determination Describing unprofessional conduct of school inspectors, Kamuyu (2006) noted that some inspectors reportedly visit schools to boss and to harass teachers instead of helping them solve professional problems

In the study conducted by Wicox and Gray (2011), they revealed that the unprofessional behavior of some school inspectors has had the following serious negative consequences: (1) Poor relationship between inspectors and teachers; (2) The tendency of teachers to mistrust school inspectors; (3) Teachers have regarded inspection as a stressful experience due to fear of the unknown; (4) Education standards have been compromised because teachers are not given a chance to disapprove inappropriate policies forced

on them by inspectors; (5) A harsh and unfriendly teacher-inspector relationship; (6) Lack of sufficient teacher support ; (7) There is no guarantee that teachers will recognize and accept any shortcomings identified by inspectors; (8) Many teachers and head teachers when advised on impending inspection, are likely to be apprehensive and, consequently, they may decide to put something of a show to impress inspectors; (9) Fear among school personnel; and, (10) Lack of professional commitment on the part of teachers

Furthermore, Kamuyu (2006), commenting about the problem of school inspectors, stated that headteachers and teachers are normally thrown into a panic any time school inspectors are mentioned Maranga (2005), in a study analyzed school inspectors’ perceptions of teacher-inspector relationship

Hereported that 75% of the inspectors studied felt that most inspectors portrayed themselves to teachers in such a manner that teachers perceived them as a potential danger to their work and a threat to them

Over the years, school inspectors have had general negative attitude toward inspection and a decided lack of commitment and positive approach to inspection Nakitare’s (2005) In his critical study of supervisory practices, he reported that 5% of the teachers studied believed that some inspectors were not dedicated to their inspectoral duties

The general negativity toward and the lack of commitment to inspection may be attributed to the lack of appropriate incentives associated with inspectoral role of school inspectors As noted by Wanga (2008), there seems to be a lack of recognition for inspectoral role by the higher government authorities Because of apparent lack of incentives, she noted, there is a lack of commitment and initiatives on the part of school inspectors

to their inspectoral roles which has further led to the inspectors performing inadequately

Productive feedback and follow-up initiatives relative to inspection are lacking in the Kenyan inspection system (Wanga 2008) As Wanga noted, opportunities for follow-up regarding recommendations based on inspection, such as the need for in-service training of teachers are badly lacking

In a study that examined primary and secondary teachers’ and head teachers’ perceptions of inspection in 5 local authorities in UK, Dean (2004) reported a lack of feedback to teachers who, as a result, were frustrated Also, teachers in this study agreed that they were disturbed whenever an inspector simply left the lesson without saying anything

Because school inspectors have tended to evaluate teachers based on their own perceptions of teacher performance, teacher involvement on matters regarding school inspection has been very minimal (Wanga, 2008) Opportunities for meaningful dialogue between teachers and inspectors, especially after inspections, are also highly limited

In a critical study of supervisory practices in some schools in Britain,Gray and Gardner (2007) reported that teachers believed that the time spent by inspectors to offer professional support to teachers in schools was usually negligible and ranged between 2 minutes to 5 minutes, that inspectors spent most of their time solving administrative problems with headteachers, and that teachers were never helped as adequately as they should Due to paucity of time at the disposal of school inspectors, the school inspections, wherever held, have become superficial and a mere formality Also, because

of inadequate time, the inspectors experience the following two major constraints: (a) they hardly devote their attention to the follow-up action of the inspection reports with the result that the very purpose of the inspection gets defeated and (b) they find it difficult to maintain themselves abreast with the

latest development in their subject areas

Thomas (2006) suggested that several strategies may be employed to

improve the system of school inspection in most developing countries These are presented in this section in the following major themes: (1) professionalism; (2) attitudes and commitment; (3) feedback and follow-up; (4) collaboration; (5) pre-service and in-service training; (6) foci of inspection; (7) transport; (8) planning inspection; (9) Inspectorate-university partnerships; (10) education system; (11) incentives and motivation; (12) inspector

recruitment, selection, and deployment; (13) adequacy of inspection; (14) resourcing; (15) inspection reports; (16) evaluating inspection; and (17) alternative terms

School inspectors should endeavor to be as professional as possible in their inspection practices (Olembo, et.al 2004) This includes an attempt to: (a) provide objective judgments of teacher and headteacher performance; (b) establish a friendly and interactive atmosphere with teachers and headteachers; and (c) cultivate a harmonious working relationship with teachers and headteachers

Also, in advocating for professional inspection, Bowen (2009) suggested that school inspectors must change with the times, shift from their traditional crude image and do their work objectively, professionally, and with courtesy Related to this, in a critical study of supervisory practices in Kimilili Division of Bungoma District, Nakitare (2005) reported that 45% of the teachers studied suggested that supervisors should be friendlier in their approach to inspection than they were at the time of the study Professionalization of the Inspectorate, thus, is an urgent need of the present day in order to give a new turn to the inspection system prevailing in Kenya

The provision of feedback regarding findings of inspection (Kamuyu, 2006), especially to schools inspected, should be ongoing during the process

of inspection This should include providing oral feedback to head teachers,

to teachers, and to other school personnel, with opportunities for discussions and reflections with the key stakeholders, such as boards of governors, school committees, and sponsors

As Olembo, et al (2004) suggested, teachers should be part and parcel of inspectoral activities and should be informed about the following six major aspects of inspection: (a) when to expect an inspection; (b) the nature, type, and purpose of inspection; (c) evaluation format; (d) inspection results; (e) commendable aspects of the teachers’ performance; and (f) areas of improvement and strategies for making the improvements In this collaboration, Olembo, et al noted, teachers’ feelings, aspirations, and attitude toward inspection results should be considered

Bowen (2009) suggested that in-service training is important in creating awareness on the part of inspectors and teachers regarding their respective roles in inspection and in facilitating healthy human relations Similarly, the training and development of the school inspectors on a systematic basis is critical so that they are able to meet effectively the new challenges of education and shoulder with confidence new responsibilities they are required

to perform in a developing country Furthermore, Bowen (2004) suggested that collaboration with other agencies that are involved in teacher education is necessary, with a view to facilitating in-service training

Findings of a few local studies have also expressed the need for service training, especially of headteachers For example, Nakitare (1980), in

in-a criticin-al study of supervisory prin-actices in Kimilili Division of Bungomin-a District, Kenya, reported that 18% of the teachers studied felt that head teachers should be in serviced in order to update their knowledge of all the subjects taught in schools This training would perhaps facilitate the head teachers’ roles relative to school inspection by enabling them to provide objective and realistic feedback to external school inspectors