QUALITY ASSURANCE IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examines the issue of quality in rural primary schools in Nigeria. Quality is linked to both individual and national development and thus necessary to consider an approach that supports the practice of quality assurance in a holistic rather than individualistic oriented method. This entails a shift to a more pragmatic approach that encourages the involvement of everybody in the drive towards ensuring quality in Nigerian rural primary schools. The role of teachers in ensuring quality, the problems of achieving, and the strategies for improving and sustaining quality  in rural primary schools in Nigeria are discussed. The paper concludes that rural primary schools face many challenges that are not so prominent in urban primary schools such as dilapidated buildings, inadequate educational resources and inadequate teachers among others. It is thus recommended that governments should allocate enough funds to rural primary schools, motivate rural primary school teachers and mandate them to attend training workshops and conferences to improve their teaching skills and ensure effective monitoring and quality control  to enhance and sustain quality in Nigerian rural primary schools.