REVIEW OF QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK IN OYO STATE EDUCATIONAL SECTOR

As part of the action points from the 24^th Executive Council (EXCO) Meeting of September 8, 2017, the Office of the Special Adviser on Education organised a roundtable discussion on Thursday, September 15, 2017 at the Western Hall of the Oyo State House of Assembly, to examine strategies to strengthen the current Quality Assurance Framework adopted by the State.

 Participants at the workshop led by Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi.

The workshop which focused on germane issues concerned with quality assurance in the State’s education sector had in attendance, the Special Adviser to Gov. Ajimobi on Education, Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi, the Special Assistant on Education, Mr Adeyemi Adekola, Executives of the Inspectorate Units of the Ministry of Education and SUBEB and the Special Adviser on Youth Development to the Governor of Kano State, Hajiya Surraya Aminu.  

Mr Oyekanmi, the Director of QA, Ministry of Education gave the current quality assurance framework used by the Ministry to uphold standards. This framework which formed the agenda for the workshop covers the: quality of teaching and learning, quality of the curriculum, quality of the learning environment, and effective leadership and management.

Mr Oyekanmi, Director of QA, Oyo State Ministry of Education. 

In her address, Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi gave the definition of Quality Assurance as improving performance and preventing problems through planning and systematic activities, including documentation. Hence, she stated that there is a need to make provision for quality assurance handbook for the process to be monitored. She also stressed the need to have minimum, average and excellent standard benchmarks of quality assurance. 

Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi giving her address. 

Dr Akin-Alabi also stressed that the revised curriculum which was birthed at the last meeting in Kano State, has the inclusion of entrepreneurial skills in the schools’ curriculum, in order to prepare the pupils for the future. She added that Oyo State Government has collaborated with private organisations in order to equip pupils with work-related skills.

The workshop resulted in the identification of some action points aimed at strengthening the quality standards in the educational sector of Oyo State. Three steering committees were also set up to oversee quality assurance at the various levels of education in the State, these are; Quality Assurance Committee for Primary and Pre-primary Schools, Quality Assurance Committee for Secondary Schools and Quality Assurance Committee for Tertiary and Lifelong Learning.