Total Quality Management in Education?

احمد عمر صافي
فلسطيني الجنسية / غزة
حاصل على ماجستير ادارة تربوية من مصر.
باحث دكتوراة :  (ادارة تربوية ), جامعة القران الكريم وتأصيل العلوم / السودان
مؤلف كتاب: الاداء الاداري المدرسي وادارة الجودة الشاملة. 2023
شارك في الكثير من المؤتمرات المحلية والدولية, وله العديد من الابحاث المنشورة

Total Quality Management in Education?
 

The basic idea of this system started in the field of manufacturing, where the quality of the product was not enough to compete anymore. To please the customer, quality had to be the focus of all the departments of an organizations, including: sales, marketing, accounting, etc… “Quality” was no longer only a feature of the final product. Instead, it has become a feature of the whole process of producing this product and serving it.                                                                                                         
Then, the concept of TQM came to the light. It consists of preparing a working environment where continuous efforts towards better quality is always facilitated and encouraged. Quality is not a single goal or product but a continuous process in which all members of an organization are always trying to do better.                                                                                   
Quality education is a great concern in many societies across the world. In a highly competitive education sector, the success of academic institutions depends on the quality of education. Educationalists, policy makers, scholars, and researchers are showing their sincere interest towards the total quality management (TQM) as it is recognized as an effective management philosophy for continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and organizational excellence. Since this concept was initially developed in the manufacturing sector, therefore, there is a great deal of suspicion whether this philosophy is applicable in education. In this connection, the main objective of this study is to investigate the compatibility of TQM with education. At the same time, this study would try to identify key challenges in implementing TQM in education. It is assumed that this study would be able to draw a meaningful conclusion regarding the applicability of TQM in education as well as to create an awareness regarding those challenges which may create obstacles in implementing TQM in education.                                    
Because TQM is a vast concept that can sometimes be misinterpreted as impractical, it is useful to introduce the Japanese concept of “Kaizen”. Translated to “step-by-step improvement”, Kaizen is a strategy where small steps of improvement are planned and achieved in order to maintain the continuous improvement in quality that TQM requires. Kaizen really brings out the practical advantages of TQM in education, making it one of its most important fundamental features.                                                    
And to apply TQM in a school, each individual in that school should be involved in improving the quality of education. It is not something that the management applies or dictates to the staff, but rather a system where there is a continuous effort from each management and staff member to do everything properly and effectively.                                        
Change can never occur with a press of a button. It takes time, effort, and, most importantly, an environment that encourages this change and develops it. To achieve this environment, management should first provide teachers with the tools and the space they need in order to change their attitudes and behaviours. For teachers to be able to develop, they need resources and tools that can help them. Moreover, school management need to appreciate and encourage the development they observe. Teachers will continue to put effort when the change they are going through is acknowledged.