Ensuring standards, quality in education: Role, National Schools Inpectorate Authority
The role of education in Ghana, particularly at the pre-tertiary level, in building the human resource base for national development cannot be overemphasised.
Central to this objective is the need to ensure that standards and quality are consistently maintained across schools.
In 2011, the Education Act, 778 of 2008, Education reforms established the National Inspectorate Board (NIB) as one of the agencies under the Ministry of Education.
The board was charged with the responsibility for the periodic inspection, evaluation, and enforcement of standards at the pre-tertiary level.
In addition to these core functions, the NIB was also responsible for the registration and certification of both private and public pre-tertiary schools across the country.
Over the years, the Board underwent significant reforms, including the digitisation of its operations, to enhance its capacity to effectively deliver on its mandate.
For many, memories of school inspections in earlier years evoke a sense of anxiety. We dreaded those years because the inspectors often arrived unannounced, positioning themselves quietly at the back of classrooms to observe teaching and learning processes.
While the intent was to assess instructional delivery, we were too young to understand the import; such visits frequently unsettled teachers, sometimes resulting in undue pressure that unfortunately trickled down to pupils.
In contrast, the current approach adopted by the reformed inspectorate system reflects a more progressive and supportive outlook.
Inspection visits are now communicated in advance, fostering preparedness and collaboration between inspectors and schools.
This shift underscores a broader commitment to improving teaching and learning outcomes rather than instilling fear.
Recognising certain limitations in its operations after nearly a decade, the NIB was reconstituted in 2019 into the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA).
This transformation, backed by an Act of Parliament, strengthened its mandate to provide independent external evaluation of quality and standards in both basic and second-cycle institutions nationwide.
Further legislative backing came on June 3, 2020, when Parliament unanimously passed the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), which formally elevated the NIB to NaSIA, granting it enhanced enforcement powers and greater autonomy.
Under its expanded mandate, NaSIA is tasked with setting and enforcing standards across all pre-tertiary institutions, from kindergarten to senior high school.
Its core services now include school establishment, licensing, inspection, monitoring and evaluation, as well as school ownership transition arrangements.
Regular inspections are conducted to ensure that pupils are educated in safe environments and are achieving expected learning outcomes.
The Authority also oversees a School Ownership Transition framework, which allows private school proprietors who lack the resources to continue operations to transfer management to the government, provided the necessary infrastructure is in place.
Additionally, NaSIA facilitates transitions in school ownership between private entities, ensuring that outgoing proprietors are absolved of future liabilities in accordance with established guidelines.
A notable advancement in NaSIA’s operations is its embrace of digital technology.
The Authority has transitioned from manual data collection methods to the use of tablets equipped with KoboCollect software, enabling real-time transmission of field data for prompt analysis.
More recently, the introduction of the NaSIA Schools Inspector application has further enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of data collection.
This digitised approach not only expands the operational reach of the Authority but also minimises errors associated with manual processes.
Complementing this is the regular updating of NaSIA’s website, where inspection findings are published to inform the public about the performance of schools nationwide.
Visibility
During inspections, various Inspection Panels (IPs) are dispatched concurrently in NaSIA-branded vehicles to schools in all districts in the country.
It is worthy of note that teamwork and a happy work environment contribute to the achievement of success, and this is what is already being experienced under the leadership of Prof.Tahiru Salifu Azeko, the current Inspector-General of Schools.
With the improvement in software applications for the data collection process, periodic learning workshops for school inspectors and an open-door policy towards leadership of school associations, NaSIA stands to benefit from a mutually beneficial relationship with all schools, and this is likely to have a positive impact on teaching and improve learning outcomes in schools in Ghana.
The writer is a former PRO of the Ministry of Education
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