Education stakeholders call on Governor Aiyedatiwa to re-establish Education Quality Assurance Agency*

Stakeholders in the education sector have called on the Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucy Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to re-establish the Education Quality Assurance Agency to ensure quality and high standard teaching and learning in schools below tertiary level throughout the state

The Ondo State Education Quality Assurance Agency was established through an executive order on September 13th, 2013  by the administration of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, although it became operational on March 2nd, 2015. 

However, the Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu's administration scrapped the agency for what stateholders described as duplication and overlapping of duties, resulting in low productivity.

At a One-Day Stakeholders Engagement Meeting on the Implementation of National Quality Assurance Policy in Akure, stakeholders said the re-establishment of the agency would enhance co-ordination, effective monitoring and proper implementation of government policies on education.

A former Permanent Secretary in the Ondo State Civil Service, Mr. D K Oriola said lack of co-ordination and synergy among agencies and parastatals under the state ministry of education are hindering the proper implementation of the National Quality Assurance Policy of the Federal Government.

He said the  re-establishment of the Quality Assurance Agency in Ondo State would ensure proper implementation of government policies, and enhance standard and quality in the education sector of the state.

An official of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, who is also the Coordinating Evaluator for Ondo State, Mrs Oluyemisi Kolaru, said the quality assurance policy aims at achieving highest standard of quality through continuous monitoring, supportive supervision, evaluation and collaboration to create learning environment where learners can thrive and reach their full potentials.

According to her, the Federal Government adopted the Education Quality Assurance approach to inspection in Nigeria after the 54th session of the National Council on Education in Katsina State in 2007, and since then, it had because a process for collecting and utilizing education information to ensure that the predetermined standards are achieved optimally.

The Director, Inspectorate and Quality Assurance in the Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Florence Arowoshade said the National Education Quality Assurance Policy, has boldly addressed the shortcomings and challenges that had long impeded effective monitoring and evaluation of teaching/learning process and feedback mechanisms for enhancing the quality of education.

An educationist with the Department of Educational Management, Adekunle Ajasin University, Professor Adeolu Ayeni  described quality assurance in education as a specialized service driven by professionally trained quality experts, distinct from the normal traditional inspectors being regarded as fault-finders.

While pronouncing quality assurance as preventive rather than corrective, Professor Ayeni said it is a process by which an institution plan and systematically review it's educational programmes to ensure that the acceptable standard of education resource inputs, process and output are being monitored with minimal or no wastege.

According to him, Ondo State was fortunate to have the best quality assurance model between 2010 and 2017 when the Education Quality Assurance Agency was in operation, prompting the Federal Government to adjudge it as the state with best quality assurance outfit in Nigeria

He added that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa could surpass the feat by re-establishing the Education Quality Assurance Agency in the state.

Stakeholders at the meeting however frowned at some private schools adopting the curriculum of the National Association of Proprietors Private Schools, NAPPS, instead of that of the Federal Government.

They agreed that if private schools must adopt NAPPS curriculum, it must be in addition to that of the federal government.

The meeting drew participants from both public and private subsector, including officials from the Federal Ministry of Education, and was declared open by the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Folasade Adegoke.