by
Milad Matta , Director of Quality Control, Research and Development , Integrated Curricula For Educational Services
This is a vague and general question. Any school reform or improvement should take into consideration:
- The school itself that needs improvement.
- The Official Education Policy of the country and its culture and environment.
Public schools in most of the Arab world don't have usually a good reputation, on both levels: education and discipline.
A school should have as a start its vision and mission taking into consideration the local culture. Then a Business and Development Plan that will explain the main structures., such as: Board, type of Curriculum, Staff, Job Descriptions, capacity of enrollment, etc,..in addition to the standards of Teaching and Learning, safety, equipment, labs, parent association and their involvement in the school policy, recruitment criteria.
The school should adhere with its Business Plan, vision and mission when it starts performing. Yet this is not enough. The school should be inspected by a qualified team appointed by the Ministry or local authority and rated in order to improve by setting an Action Plan for the next year. This is done usually in the western world and some countries in the Arab Gulf. Unfortunately it is not the case in many Arab countries.
Public Education is neglected most of the time for many reasons: unsuitable buildings, Unqualified Administration, unqualified staff, lack of safety, absence of staff training, absence of inspection, no calling to account, absence or low budget for maintenance and development,... Results: disorder and low standard in teaching and learning along with discipline problems.
Not all schools are in the same conditions. This answer is general and brief. In order to make public Education work right we need to inspect each school, in each area separately to find out and plan for the right solutions.
I hope i answered a little bit your question.
Regards,
Dr Milad Matta
