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Quality Assurance in Pre-Primary Education Teacher Preparation
Quality Assurance in Pre-Primary Education Teacher Preparation
225-236
Ugwu G.C
Department of Education Educational Foundations
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Abstract
The study, a survey investigated the issue of quality assurance in pre-
primary education teacher preparation. The sample was made up of 240 head
teachers and proprietors of government approved public and private pre-
primary schools within Nsukka Education Zone. Three research questions
were formulated for the study. The researcher developed a 28 item
questionnaire which was used for data collection. For data analysis, means
and standard deviation were used. From the results, it was observed that
government is yet to fulfill its obligations towards early childhood education
as regards teacher preparation. It was also discovered that pre-primary
school teacher preparation is beset by a lot of obstacles. The strategies
currently used in pre-primary education were highlighted. Recommendations
were made based on the findings.
improve the ability of the citizenry to
Introduction compete effectively in the global
It has been noted that without village. In pursuance of this quality in
a formidable intellectual base, it is education, government set up
not possible for any society to move minimum standards to be attained in
forward. Education determines not all schools with respect to staffing,
only earning capacity but also the infrastructure, library, instructional
quality of human life. It is the best materials, teaching and learning
long term investment any society can activities, quality control and
have. As a country we cannot reach assessment of instructional materials,
our maximum potential without co-curricular activities among others
education. The National Policy on (FGN 2004).
Education (NPE) has not only Quality refers to standards. It
defined the goals of education but means what is of value to us or
also enumerated the tools for the achievable goals .It could be seen as
achievement of these goals. In line a measure of extent, quality, value ,
with those objectives, education can among others established as an
only act as an empowerment tool example or criterion for
when the quality is such that it will others(Kirkpatrick 1994).In order
Ugwu G.C. Review of Education Institute of Education Journal, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Vol. 23. No.1. 225-236
teacher preparation in early point likert type scale was used for
childhood education as outlined data collection. The questionnaire
in the National Policy on items were generated from the three
Education? research questions and organized in
2. What are the constraints to three sections. Section A sought
effective pre-school teacher information on the extent of
preparation? government’s fulfillment of its
3. What teaching strategies are obligations in ensuring quality
employed by pre-primary school teacher preparation in early
teachers to ensure quality childhood education. Sections B and
teaching and learning? C sought information on constraints
to effective teacher preparation and
Method strategies employed by the pre-
Survey design was used for this primary school teachers to ensure
study. The study was carried out in quality respectively. The sections
Nsukka Education Zone which has were scaled Very Great Extent
three Education Authorities . The (VGE), Great Extent (GE) Moderate
population comprised all the 1308 Extent (ME) and Little Extent (LE)
head teachers and proprietors of and were weighted 4, 3, 2 and 1
government approved public and respectively. The instrument was face
private pre-primary schools within validated by an expert each in Early
the zone. Childhood Education Curriculum
The random sampling Studies respectively from the
technique by balloting was used to University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
select the sample of 240 which is Analysis of the data was done using
made up of 80 respondents from each means and standard derivation. Mean
of the three local education scores below 2.50 were considered
authorities that make up the zone. negative while those above 2.50 were
A 29 item structured deemed positive and accepted.
questionnaire constructed on a four
Results
Table 1
Mean Rating on Extent of Government’s Fulfillment of its Obligations to Pre-
primary Education with respect to Teacher Preparation.
Section A
S/N Items N X SD Decision
1. Government has established 240 2.0 1.37 Rejected
enough colleges of education
and teacher training colleges
Ugwu G.C. Review of Education Institute of Education Journal, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Vol. 23. No.1. 225-236
Table 2:
Mean Ratings on constraints to effective Pre-primary Teacher Preparation
S/N Items N X SD Decision
10. Limited number of teacher 240 3.8 0.67 Accepted
training colleges and colleges of
education exist
11 There is a lack of specialist 240 3.6 0.69 Accepted
teachers in the existing teacher
training colleges
Ugwu G.C. Review of Education Institute of Education Journal, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Vol. 23. No.1. 225-236
Table 3
Mean Rating on the Strategies adopted by pre-primary school teachers to
ensure quality teaching.
S/N Items N X SD Decision
18. The teachers use the play way 240 2.9 0.98 Accepted
method in all the classroom
activities
19 The mother tongue is the 240 2.0 1.37 Rejected
language of instruction.
20 Student teachers teach using 240 3.6 0.69 Accepted
drills
Ugwu G.C. Review of Education Institute of Education Journal, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Vol. 23. No.1. 225-236
Table 3 presents data on the appropriate strategies adopted by pre-primary school teachers to
ensure quality teaching and learning. Three out of the eleven items were rejected. Items 19,23and
24 were rejected as strategies employed in teaching pre-primary school children. The implication
is that the teachers adopt to a great extent the appropriate strategies.
Discussion
Results from table one indicate that all the items were rejected since they all had mean
responses below 2.5. This suggests that the government is yet to put policy into practice. It
means that all the beautiful policy objectives and programmes are still on paper. The National
Policy of Education outlined the responsibilities of the government to the realization of the
objectives of the Early Childhood Education policy. These include the provision in teacher
education programmes for specialists in Early Childhood Education, to promote the training of
teachers and ensure monitoring and supervision of these teacher training colleges. From the
result, it seems that the government has not been active in its responsibilities to Early Childhood
Education. The finding supports the view of Eyengho (2008) that inspite of the importance of
Early Childhood Education, government at all levels have not given this sector the serious
attention it needs.
Table two results show that no item was rejected since they all got mean ratings above
2.5. The indication of this result is that a lot of constraints hinder effective pre-primary school
teacher preparation. Some of these constraints include limited number of teacher training
colleges, lack of specialist teachers in existing ones, ineffective utilization of Early Childhood
Education curriculum in teacher training colleges, inadequate funding and inability to retrain
teachers to update their knowledge, among others. The result is that half-baked and unqualified
teachers flood the pre-primary education sector thereby making for poor quality education. Since
no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers, the implication is that our products
are substandard and of low quality. This supports the opinion of Agiobu-Kemme (2001) that
many proprietors and pre-school teachers do not have the pre-requisite knowledge or
qualifications in the area of early childhood neither do they have the skills for this all important
foundation laying aspect of education. Achi (2004) summarizes the finding with his view that to
improve the standard of education in Nigeria, the society has to first educate the educators and
motivate them to perform their duties well. It also supports the views of Maduewesi (2005) that
the quality and quantity of teachers produced in Nigeria fall far short of national expectations
and needs and inadequate teacher preparation and dwindling enrolment of pre-service teachers
remains a major problem.
From the results of Table three, it can be seen that only three items were rejected as
strategies used in the pre-primary school to ensure quality. Those items focus on the mother
tongue being used as the language of instruction, teachers teaching with drills and teaching being
mostly teacher centred. Of all the other items, the item on teaching to use the play way method in
all classroom activities had the highest score. It can be deduced therefore that at this level, all
children’s learning, irrespective of what it is, should be done through play. This will be
incompliance with the policy statement that government should ensure that the main method of
teaching at this level shall be through play (FGN, 2004).
under gone adequate preparation. Unfortunately, results from the study have revealed that the
machinery for effective teacher preparation is still not on ground. The government has laudable
objectives for pre-primary education in Nigeria. Unfortunately too, these objectives and the
attendant quality control measures are mostly on paper. In line with the above, this study
recommends that;
Government should ensure that teacher education programmes are actually included in
colleges of education and universities to ensure the production of quality teachers.
Government should also supervise and monitor, on a regular basis, pre-primary education
centres to ensure they meet minimum standards.
Periodically, workshops and seminars should be organized for proprietors and teachers of
pre-primary education to update their knowledge and skills.
Government should enforce the effective training of teachers using the Early Childhood
Education curriculum for teacher training colleges.
It is the believe of this researcher that if these recommendations are implemented, the
pre-primary education sector will be such that can make for the desired quality both in teacher
preparation and service delivery.
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