QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN ADDIS ABABA PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS: THE CASE OF EL-BETHEL AND OLIVE ACADEMY

Abstract

This paper examinesthe quality management practices of two private primary schools in Addis Ababa from the perspective of regional educational bureau’s standard and the stakeholders’ point of view through a case study of El-bethel and Olive Academy. The research focused on the stakeholder’s current awareness of quality, how quality management is practiced on educational input and processes, the existing contributions of the partakers in the schools. The study further examines the quality of the output of the schools or the acquired behavioral changes of students. Findings from the study indicate that effective quality management practice of private primary schools should mobilize all the stakeholders and it must involve all the processes in the schools which mainly include the teaching learning process. For this reason, total quality management, which is effective for people based organizations with a demand for the participation of all involved on all the processes, should be applied. The role of the administration in executing this practice is also underlined in the study.The challenges of the practice are identified to be less attention to motivating teachers, lack of creativity, and fear in facilitating parents’ participation on the side of the management as well as lack of qualified and committed teachers which is manifested in high turnover rate. The results of the research in the case of the two private primary schools: El-bethel Academy and Olive Academy indicate the presence of the quality awareness and the craving of the administrations for its achievement, but shortcomings in acquiring qualified and committed teachers, providing sufficient and relevant teaching materials, mobilizing all the stakeholders toward the achievement of the quality objectives.