ACCOUNTABILITY IN EDUCATION PART 3

 ACCOUNTABILITY IN EDUCATION PART 3

*Dimensions of Accountability in Education* 

There are the two dimensions of accountability in the education sector. 

(i) Accountability for Achieving Institutional Objectives: An educational system exists to achieve the diverse objectives of education. The school administrator is usually accountable for the quality and clarity of the school’s objectives and priorities. The school administrator is accountable for the quality of the teaching learning process in the school and also expected to ensure that proper assessment procedures take place in the school.

(ii) Accountable to Superior Officers: Regardless of whether the educational administrator is a headmaster, principal, provost, rector or vice-chancellor, he is an employee of the Ministry of education and State school Board officials representing his employers. Employees are accountable to the employers in the following areas; the pupils, the staff, the community, the facilities and the finances, which have been entrusted into their care. 

Furthermore, the school administrators, apart from being accountable to his employers, is also accountable to the parents who have entrusted their children into their care to be trained/educated.

In accounting for the progress of educational system each individual is responsible to someone and for specific activities that facilitate goal achievement. Accountability starts with the classroom teacher. He is accountable for the expected outcome of his job as a teacher. The teacher is directly accountable to the school administrator who may be Headmaster, Principal, Provost, Rector or Vice-chancellor. School administrators are accountable directly to the various statutory organs set up by government to co-ordinate their affairs.

 *Factors hindering Accountability in the Education system.* 

Accountability in education is faced with a number of problems including:

1) vague definition of educational goals, which makes implementation and goal attainment difficult. Inability of the school system to keep up with the innovations dictated by the needs of the changing society. The sub-groups in every society with their varied needs, values, interests, desires, aspirations and cultures which often tend to conflict with one another thereby make the enforcement of accountability in the school system ineffective. 

2) School administrators are unable to command absolute leadership responsiveness from their administrative subordinates and this constitutes a hindrance to the practice of accountability. Education policies have been observed to change with changes in the political leadership. 

3) The inconsistencies in educational policies have been argued to be responsible for lack of accountability and poor service delivery in the system. School supervisors, school heads and the teachers do not receive corresponding incentive to enable them to be totally committed to their jobs. It is difficult for personnel with such mindset to accept a tedious task and render account. 

4) Shortage of Funds could account for the poor performance of administrators of academic institutions. At all levels of institution in Nigeria funds have always been inadequate and consequently there has been gap between the expected level and the actual attainment. Politicization of appointments in the education sector where non professional are appointed as heads of education institutions either due to party, ethnic, regional or religious affiliation constitutes an obstacle to accountability in the education system of Nigeria.

 *Strategies for Improving Accountability in the School System* 

To improve accountability for better goal achievement the following strategies will play a vital role,

1) Regular Supervision is a technique that assists educational administrators to foster the professional growth of workers in the educational system. Supervision enhances the development of appropriate educational goals and facilitates the selection of appropriate teaching procedures and facilities. 

2) Staff Motivation is the energizing force behind all other activities of educational managers. Managers should know how to keep good morals of their workers in order to obtain maximum efficiency and effectiveness from them.

3) Effective communication also helps educational administrators to fulfil their executive functions of planning, organizing, motivating, resolving conflicts and controlling activities which are linked to accountability. This can enhance job satisfaction and create in employees a high sense of belongingness and loyalty to the organization. There is no doubt; effective communication can be an effective parameter for future accountability. Evaluation is a formal process carried out within a school setting to improve on the present level of performance. It is the last phase of management function and helps to monitor the effectiveness of a school system.

4) Proper evaluation of instructional process, school administrative procedure and educational outcomes aids in improving accountability in the education system through quality control system. Operators in the education sector should be availed the opportunity to attend career development and capacity building workshops, seminars and in-service trainings to put them up to date with current events in the education sector, improve their productivity and build in them the required Leaderships skills to assume responsibility.

Thank you and have a great weekend ahead.

The Men That Lead

Building Manhood