Towards Effective Management in Education: The Case of School Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (QASO) In Kenya

Abstract

The management of Education like the other sectors of national development is crucial particularly in this era of inadequate resources and competing dynamics in politics, social and economic arena. There are specifically designed levels and institutions charged with the responsibilities and duties of managing education. Among these institutions is the Inspectorate and the officers (QASO) working in it as professionals and educational managers. At national level, the school QASO are viewed as watchdogs, semi-administrators and professionals to advise and manage schools comprising the teachers, parents, students and the wider community (nation) served by these institutions. This paper attempts to define effective management in education and focuses on the role of school QASO in the management scene. The conceptualization of the pre-requisites in terms of skills and competencies expected from the QASO are highlighted. Consequently, the prevailing mismatches between their advisory and assessment roles are explained. As one scholar rightly questions: Are school QASO Friends or Foes? (Godia: 1984). This question is not resolved because school QASO are involved in managing education within multi-faceted professional conflicts identified in the paper. The recommendation from this study is that these professional conflicts should not be ignored but should be effectively managed.