Quality Assurance Practices and Sustainability of Secondary Education System in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of quality assurance practices on the sustainability of the secondary education system in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A correlational research design was adopted, and a stratified random sampling technique was used to select 186 public secondary schools from a population of 233 schools across the Local Government Areas. Data were collected using a researcher-developed instrument, the Quality Assurance Practices and Sustainability of Secondary Education System Questionnaire (QAPSSESQ). The instrument comprised three sections covering demographic data, six quality assurance variables (30 items), and four sustainability dimensions (24 items), all measured on a four-point Likert scale. The instrument showed high reliability, with sub-scale coefficients ranging from 0.79 to 0.91 and an overall reliability index of 0.94. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, simple linear regression, and hierarchical multiple regression. The findings revealed that quality assurance practices significantly predict the sustainability of the secondary education system across social, economic, environmental, and instructional dimensions. Specifically, regular teacher quality assessment, performance evaluation, and resource adequacy were found to positively influence teaching effectiveness, infrastructure maintenance, curriculum relevance, and overall school improvement. The study concluded that enhancing quality assurance mechanisms is vital for achieving sustainable education outcomes in secondary schools. It recommended that education stakeholders institutionalize structured quality assurance frameworks, intensify teacher evaluations, and ensure adequate provision of learning resources to sustain the education system in the state.