INTRODUCTION –

Education is universally acknowledged in a vast body of literature as an essential element in the process of national development. (UNESCO, 2005; GEC, 2000: UNESCO, 1997; TGE, 1993) Lockheed and Verspoor, 1991; Psacharopoulos, 1985). Today, with a greater understanding of the junction that education has in society and in the nation as a whole, the world is striving to deliver primary education to every child. This goal has been on the international agenda since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Affirmed in 1948 that elementary education was to be made freely available and compulsory for all Children in all nations. This call was recently renewed by Jomtien and Dakar framework for action Education for All (EPA) Conferences and declarations. Accordingly, all nations, both developed and developing ones, are to prioritize the delivery of universal primary educatin.

Good Quality Primary education is increasingly recognized as an important foundation for economic growth and as instrumental in the attainment of other development objectives. As the proverb goes, given a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat for life’. People who have received quality education can not only fulfill their potential, but also contribute to their communities. Quality education is of critical importance and very demanding in the 21^st Century, where countries are confronted with economic, social and cultural challenges in which knowledge, skills, values and attitudes will play a central role.

Superiority of Quality Education –

Quality has become a controversial issue internationally and is interpreted differently by individuals, institutions and organizations. It is an elusive concept that has many definitions as there are categories of stakeholders. This is mainly due to the fact that quality in education is a complex and multifaceted concept embedded in political, cultural and economic contexts. (Reddy, 2007; Mirza, 2003).

According to Harvey and Green (1993), Quality can be viewed as exceptional, as perfection (or consistency), as fitness for purpose, as value for money and as transformative.

Database and Methods –

Social Science research is complex diverse and pluralistic. However, there is no single, best research approach that fits all research problems. Each research approval has its relative strength and weakness (Dawson, 2002) and no single approach is necessarily ideal. (Hamersley, as cited in Lloyd – Jones, 2003). The selection usually depends on the researcher’s perception regarding the concentration and production of knowledge and the suitability of a research approach for a particular context.

The target population for the study consisted of school head teacher and teacher-in-charge coming from all parts of Jhargram sub-division to attend in service teachers program for development their professional competency at the Pratap Chandra College of Education and Jhargram Bani Bhaban Primary Teacher’s Training Institute for Girls.

The Study involved a total of 52 participants, 13 of whom were female head teacher and teacher-in-charge. The qualitative research method was selected in order to generate data rich in details. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Validation of the study was achieved through a triangulation of data (i.e. the data was collected through multiple sources, interviews and FGD).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

To identify the main problem threatening the quality of primary education, discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews were conducted with all Head Teachers and Teachers-in-Charge attending in service training at Jhargram sub-division. The analysis in this section attempts to describe their perception of barriers to the delivery of quality education. To this end, the issue can be categorized into different themes and examined in details.

School Leadership –

Although school leadership play a paramount role in enabling students to learn, achieve and develop (Susi, Domenici and Moretti, 2011), all the participants remarked that it was best by many problems. They further stated that it was one of the causes of the decline in quality education.

The assignment of principal was not based on merit, but on the political view of that person (i.e. a matter of political affiliation). This in turn led to the perception of school as a servant of a political on the part of students, teachers and the community, and resulted in a lack of trust among teachers, students and school administrators. There was also unnecessary interference from local administrators.

Financial Milieu –

The expansion and delivery of quality education requires a sufficient amount of money to build schools. However, the participants remarked that the weak economic environment harms the quality of education delivered to citizens. Although, it was believed that communities play a variety of roles in the provision and management of learning, the current state of the economy hinders this. Since the majority of the Jhargram Population is on a low income, the struggle was to the basic needs (i.e. food, shelter) of survival.

Teacher Related Issues –

The importance of teachers in educational change and school improvement was by many scholars. (Mohammad, 2006; Goldhaber and Anthony, 2004; UNESCO IBE, 2003; Darling Hammond and Berry, 1998; London, 1991). It is what teachers think, believe and do in classroom that eventually shapes the learning of young people. The insightful responses of the participants about the major barriers of quality education revealed that the way teachers trained, the salary they were paid and their professional developments were major problem that threatened the delivery of quality education.

In comparison with other Government workers, teachers have a low salary. The other benefits and incentives teachers receive are also either poor or nonexistent.

Parents Partaking –

The role of parents in managing Children’s Educational experiences at home and at school has been considered critical for success. Indeed, Desforges and Abouchaar (2003) assert that if pupil are to maximize their potential from schooling, they will needful support of their parents.

A number of research studies show that parental involvement in children’s learning activities positively influences their levels of achievement and their motivation to teach (Epstein, 1992). However, the findings of this study indicated that the parental involvement is low, they did not support the school system improve student learning.

Commercialization of the Teacher Training Program:

Although the expansion of teacher training institute is considered an opportunity for the Government to address the shortage of qualified teachers, all the participant agreed that it significantly harmed the quality of education.

Using the critical shortage of teachers, as an opportunity, private institutions were opened in every corner of the country with poor resources, ill equipped library, no ICT center, no sport facilities, unqualified teaching staff and improper classroom mainly constructed for other purposes (not a class room). Their major concerns were the profit they made out of this.

CONCLUSION AND PRACTICES FOR IMPLICATION:

1. The first implication of this research study is the need to improve school leadership, which is the greatest determinant of an organization’s success.

2. The second implication of the results was the need to balance the quantitative and qualitative development of education.

3. The third implication of the results was the need to provide adequate funds for schools. As the findings of the study revealed schools were suffering from lack of resources.

4. The fourth implication of the results of this study was resolving teachers problems as teachers constitute a very prominent component of the educational system.

5. Ensure that teachers receives proper, adequate and relevant initial and in service training/ education at university level to prepare them for work as teachers.

6. The fifth implication of the findings of the study was the need to design effective professional development opportunities.

7. The final implication of the findings of the study was that of strengthening the relationship between parents and school.

REFERENCES:

1. Mrityunjay Jana, Ansar Khan, Somendu Chatterjee (2014) Issue in Quality of Primary Education in Backward areas of Jhargram sub- division : An exploration of Policy options for adjustment, revitalization and expansion, Journal of Research and Method in Education, Volume 4, Issue 6 Ver. III, pp. 58-67.

2. Harvey, L. and Green D (1993) Defining Quality Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 18(1), 9-34.

3. Louden, W. (1991), Understanding teaching continuity and change in teachers’ knowledge, London Cassell.

Received on 02.12.2016 Modified on 15.12.2016

Int. J. Ad. Social Sciences. 2016; 4(4):193-195