Total Quality Management in Education

Total Quality Management in Curriculum

• Total Quality Management (TQM) is a popular concept used to comprehensively manage the quality of products and services.
• TQM is a structured effort by employees to continually improve the quality of products and services through feedback and research.
• Quality of products or services is not the sole responsibility of a single individual. It's a collaborative effort.
• TQM in education is a continuous improvement process, not a project with a specific start and end date, aiming for a permanent strategy.

Kaizen

• Kaizen, translated to "step-by-step improvement," is a Japanese concept integral to TQM.
• It's a practical strategy for achieving continuous improvement in quality by implementing small, planned improvements.
• Applying Kaizen in education makes TQM more practical and addresses its complexities.

Changing Cultures

• Educational changes require time, effort, and a conducive environment.
• Management plays a critical role in instilling a change-embracing atmosphere and providing teachers with the tools and resources needed.
• Management should appreciate and encourage the developments they observe.

Upside-down Organization

• Effective TQM in education necessitates a shift in the traditional management hierarchy.
• Focuses on empowering every staff member to improve their practice and contribute to institution-wide improvement, instead of strict top-down direction.
• The role of management transitions to guiding and leading by example.

Focusing on Customers

• In the context of education, the key customers are students and their parents, and quality education is the core service.
• Active listening to the student and parent concerns is essential to ensure satisfaction.
• An educator should proactively communicate with them to avoid assuming satisfaction.

Philippine Qualification Framework (PQF)

• PQF represents the formal recognition of specific learning outcomes connected with academic, industry, or community needs.
• It's a national quality-assured system that establishes benchmarks for qualifying learning outcomes.
• The PQF's objective involves developing, recognizing, and awarding qualifications based on demonstrated knowledge, skills, and values.
• Specific learning outcomes include knowledge, skills, degree of independence, application, and values.
• The PQF is a collaborative effort involving multiple governmental bodies in the Philippines..
• Objectives include aligning domestic standards with international frameworks, supporting access to qualifications, assisting in the mobility of individuals between education and training sectors, and addressing any labor market mismatches.

The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST)

• PPST is a public statement outlining the knowledge, values, and practice skills required for teachers.
• Teachers progress through four career stages: Beginning, Proficient, Highly Proficient, and Distinguished.
• It's underpinned by the National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS).

Domains and Strands of PPST

• PPST comprises seven domains related to teacher practice.

  • Domain 1, Content Knowledge and Pedagogy: involves curricular area knowledge, teaching and learning strategies, effective ICT use, literacy and numeracy promotion, higher-order thinking skills, and multilingual instruction.
  • Domain 2, Learning Environment: focuses on learner safety and security, a fair and supportive learning environment, handling classroom structure and activities, learner participation encouragement, purposive learning, and learner behavior management.
  • Domain 3, Diversity of Learners: emphasizes addressing learner diversity in terms of gender, needs, strengths, interests, experiences, cultural background, socio-economic background, religious background, disabilities, giftedness, challenging circumstances, and indigenous groups.
  • Domain 4, Curriculum and Planning: focuses on the design and management of teaching and learning processes, alignment of learning outcomes with competencies, curriculum relevance, professional collaboration, and using ICT in teaching and learning.
  • Domain 5, Assessment and Reporting: highlights assessment methodologies, monitoring learner progress and achievement, feedback strategies for learning improvement, communicating learner data to stakeholders, and using assessment data to enhance teaching and learning.
  • Domain 6, Community Linkages and Professional Engagement: stresses creating responsive learning environments, engaging community stakeholders, adherence to professional ethics, and effective school policies.
  • Domain 7, Personal Growth and Professional Development: includes teacher philosophies, recognizing teaching as a profession, professional links, professional reflection to enhance practice, and professional development goals.

International Educational Landscape (Asian Countries)

• The landscape encompasses the global education system, trends, challenges, and opportunities.
• It includes analysing culture's role in education and how to prepare students for a globally connected world.
• Growth in Asian countries fuels the need for high-quality education to produce graduates with skills for the globalized economy.
• Trends in Asian education include integrating technology, online learning, massive open online courses (MOOCs), focusing on vocational and life skills training, and fostering cross-cultural exchange and international collaboration.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Key challenges in Asian education include inequalities in access, high dropout rates, and focusing only on rote learning.
• Opportunities exist in the rise of technology in education, 21st-century skill development, international collaboration and teacher development, and philanthropic support.