FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROVISION OF QUALITY EDUCATION IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN CENTRAL EQUATORIA STATE, JUBA COUNTY SOUTH SUDAN

Abstract

Quality has become the concern of educational policy-makers around the world as the heart of education. Lack of quality means basic educational needs go unsatisfied. This would create inability in learners‟ lives and compromise their overall experience of living socially, culturally and economically. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting the provision of quality education in public and private secondary schools in Central equatorial State, Juba County South Sudan. The study was guided by six research questions which were extracted from the review of related literature. These included: what is the role of a teacher in providing quality education? How does school leadership style influence the provision of quality education? To what extent do school physical environment, facilities and resources affect the provision of quality education? What is the role of parents/guardians and community members/ leaders in the provision of quality education in schools? What are the challenges facing the provision of quality education in public and private secondary schools in Central Equatoria State? What are possible effective ways to improve the provision of quality education in Central equatorial State? The study employed both descriptive survey and naturalistic designs and the target population was all students, teachers, head teachers, parents/guardians and community members/leaders. Stratified, simple random and snow ball sampling techniques were used to select respondents for the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used to quantitative and qualitative data. Besides, direct observation checklist and document analysis guide were also used to collect qualitative data information in school settings. The collected data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics involving frequencies and percentages to summarize data and it was presented using frequency distribution tables, pie charts and bar graphs. Meanwhile qualitative data was organized into themes and analyzed using narratives and direct quotations of the respondents‟ views, experiences and information. The findings showed that there was lack of enough and professionally qualified and trained teachers, teaching and learning materials and teachers were not motivated due to low remuneration. The study concluded that the government of South Sudan should employ more professionally qualified and trained teachers to curb the problem of scarcity of teachers. It recommended that in order to solve the problem of teachers, the government should construct a Teacher Training College in the country to train teachers on various teaching subjects; it should motivate teachers by paying them reasonable salaries in order to raise their status in the country.