Authors: Ing Alexander Bilčík, Doc. Ing. Roman Hrmo, Phd

Quality of School in Slovakia

Authors: Ing Alexander Bilčík, doc. Ing. Roman Hrmo, PhD.

Workplace: Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology, Institute of Engineering Pedagogy and Humanities, Department of Engineering Pedagogy and Psychology in Trnava

Address: Paulínska 16, 917 24 Trnava, Slovak Republic

e-mail: ,

Abstract

This article deals with a role and a significance of the secondary schools quality in the process of training learners to be successful in further study, in their private and professional life at labour market. Authors characterises the quality of school assessment from various point of view, describes variability and dynamism of the school environment. They show possibility of the quality of school utilization and its application in competitive environment.

Key words

quality of school, key competencies, school environment structure, continuous education, school climate, school culture, effectiveness of school.

Introduction

Slovakia has become amember of association of advanced European countries after the integration to EU. The expected adoption of asingle currency will prove with the bank rate modification and the inflation modification together with next investment and countries capital growth. As follows economic environment offers amount of job opportunities. Qualification conditions of employment are the long-term important factor at exercise of applicants for ajob on a labour market. The level of scholarship, abilities and knowledge are the next important impact factor on living standard of people.

The schools in conditions of the Slovak educational system have defined goals and tasks for growth of learner’s key competencies in the pedagogic and educational process in their works plane of the school. Weassume from practical experiences, that measuring and evaluation of the reality of fulfilling of defined goals are a significant element of school management activity. Headmasters, who are aimed at an operative management, methodical regulation of the process and along with suitable motivating, an accurate selection, an adequate care and afair-minded assessment of work of teachers, learners and others school’s workers, reach the best results. If the headmaster manages to fulfil aforementioned manager competitions, s/he will reach aresponsible approach to the fulfilling of the schoolwork plan by the staff. Weassume from pedagogic and manager practise, that the aforementioned attributes lead to gaining of quality of education and pedagogy, of school’s quality. By the quality school can help its graduates to successful application in the labour market and can help itself in the competitive environment among others schools.

Character of Quality of School

Zelina (2006) affirms, that it is possible to accept an opinion, which was already attained by Presidents of the Board of Education from 25 countries during their meeting in Paris 1984. It was defined in communiqué from this meeting, what does one mean by quality of school: „Quality of the basic education and pedagogy, mainly in relation to education to modern requirements of enlarging pluralistic societies includes such document contents, which are:

better preparation for life in adulthood

measuring of status improvement

efficiency and professional positions of teachers

organization, content and structure of education scheme and methods of assessment

effective qualitative index of school services, school management and programmes for improvement of arrangement of handicapped children.“ (Mr. Zelina, 2005, page 5)

The pedagogical practise shows, that the appraisal of school quality markedly differs in dependence on the subject, which assesses it. We recognize these points of view:

1. Alearner considers suchschool to be of high quality, which prepares him for successful application in the next study but also for both private and professional life.
2. Parents consider such school to be of high quality, where their children study with interest, s/he is safe in and parents receive positive information about school from school’senvironment.
3. Employers consider suchschool to be of high quality, which graduates are prepared for selected professions or next studies well and fulfil defined requirements from. Self-activity, activity, being creative, communicability are usually such requirements.
4. The school is presented as a subject, which requirements and expectations of the aforementioned partners carried out and can be fulfilled in. Each school already affects its environment by its position, architectural design by itself, history, level of studiedness and age structure of its present staff, used teaching technology, teaching aids and communication level with its partners. The school fulfils defined tasks and aims at the same time.
5. The state regulates character, ideological, cultural and social conviction of schoolgraduates. It also regulates the content of learner’s knowledge by means of the education curriculum scheme appropriate for a specific educational specialization or a field of study and the kind of school. Therefore it influences quality of school, too.

In our opinion current social-economic and economic transforms, which are mentioned at the beginning of this article, form the request to direct the school management system and educational process upon the school quality. Then ateacher not only teaches alearner, but s/he also leads to the development of the learner’spersonality and the application in the future. The current state and the justness of the application of school quality in competitive environment have led us to the determination to deal with this idea in our research.

Conclusion

As the environment, which the school affects and requirements on the graduates development continue, it is certain that the quality of school is the dynamic category. The quality and the effective marketing activity increase the competitiveness of the school. The school, if it wants to be successful, has to produce quality services constantly. Successful quality management is conditioned by the quality work of each teacher and schoolworker (Mr. Albert, 2001, pages 9,10).

In our opinion that fact leads towards the requirement of a continual teacher training and towards the persuasion of all workers about the importance of the school quality. From managerial view it will need exact division of tasks, point of competences and aims for all schoolworkers and their interest about rigorous fulfilling of tasks, competences and aims. The mentioned points of view on the schoolquality demand asystematic feedback, an inspection and also self-assessment, acooperation of teachers within subject commission and related professions. Their fulfilling provides the success of the school in the competitive environment.

Our work is elaborated in frame project KEGA 3/6026/08 Innovation study program teaching of technical professions subjects on Mtf STU.

References

Albert, A. TQM teória aprax vškole. Bratislava: Metodické centrum vBratislave, 2001, s. 9,10 , ISBN 80-8052-103-4.

Bilčík,A., Hrmo,R., 2008. Koncepcie systémov manažérstva kvality a ich využitie na školách. In:TRENDY VE VZDĚLÁVÁNÍ 2008: mezinárodní konference KTIV: Trendy ve vzdělávání, 1.díl. Olomouc:UP, 2008 s. 32 – 35, ISBN 978-80-7220-311-6.

Zelina, M. Kvalita školy – móda alebo nevyhnutnosť? Manažment školy vpraxi 2/2006, s. 5, IURA EDITION, spol. sr.o. Bratislava ISSN 1336-9849.