“In order for a company to achieve quality, they need quality leadership.” This was one of Philip Corsby (2001)’s philosophical contributions to the concept of Total Quality Management. In 1964, he gained recognition for his “Zero Defects” concept which stipulated continuous improvement and positive attitude in service. His counterpart, Dr. Joseph M. Juran (1991) is most renowned for coming up with the phrase, “fitness for use or purpose” “The importance of this idea is that a product or service can meet its specification and yet not be fit for its purpose” Sampson (2015: 12). In other words, a goal (in the form of a product or service) may be achieved, and yet, lack purpose.
Total Quality Management is a management model which places emphasis on the importance of each stage in the chain of production. This model speaks to both product and service oriented management systems. Though Total Quality Management is widely accepted and many people may feel as though, and in turn claim that they are part of the quality movement, “there is a huge gap between the rhetoric and real understanding.” Sampson (2015: 3). This means that; in theory, the concept is widely existent and accepted, whereas in practice, it is lacking. Suffice it to say that the concept has not been properly translated into the educational system.
Total Quality Management has been translated into education in its raw form with little regard for the uniqueness of school goers as products. According to Zelada (2013: 6), “there is no relationship between school effectiveness and input factors”. In Ghana, as it is in many other parts of the world, education is constantly faced with the challenge of wholesale approach to teaching and learning when in fact, each child has a unique ability and need. A fundamental cause of this system is the lack of adequate human resources. In the United States, the ratio of teacher to child was 1:26.8 in public schools in 2011-2012 (National Center for Education Statistics). Abubakr (2016: 718) states that “One of the weaknesses of such a perspective is in its concentration on the student as a customer whereas TQM in education should concern the customer beyond students.” These issues raised, among others which will be tackled subsequently, are among the factors undermining the total achievement of Total Quality Management in Education. This brings us to the objectives of the study.
Quality can be achieved through successful management; much of contemporary thinking on this aspect focuses on total quality management (TQM). "Total quality management is a philosophy that is driven by the constant attainment of client satisfaction through the continuous improvement of all organizational processes" (Robbins, 2003). In the school setting, students and their parents should be satisfied with educational services. The school should render bearing in mind that the students are paying for the services that. For this reason, Total Quality Management should be implemented in the education system. In a sense, the student is the teacher’s customer, as the recipient of educational services. In this case, the teacher and the school are suppliers of effective learning tools and systems to the student who is the primary customer.
The school is responsible for providing the long-term educational welfare of students by how to invest in their lifelong learning processes. Also, Total Quality Management has it that everyone in the organization must aim towards continuous improvement. Senge (2000) has suggested that those organizations which keep growing are “learning organizations” where people, processes and systems are dedicated to continuous improvement. In order to be true learning organizations, schools must have the resources needed for constant improvement and communication with their stakeholders.
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