TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ILORIN METROPOLIS SECONDARY SCHOOLS, NIGERIA

This study was carried out to examine the relationship between total quality management and students’ academic performance in Ilorin metropolis secondary schools, Kwara State, Nigeria. This is to find solutions to the problems of quality management in relation to negative effect of academic performance of students in senior secondary schools. The study examined the principles and component of total quality management as it is applicable to educational settings. The researchers adopted a descriptive survey design. Both stratified and simple sampling techniques were used to select fifteen out of twenty-five public secondary schools and 120 respondents respectively. An instrument titled Total Quality Management Questionnaire (TQMQ) and Student Academic Performance Checklist (SAPC) were used to collect relevant data. Seven research questions were raised and seven hypotheses were formulated including one main hypothesis to guide the study. Both simple percentage and Pearson product moment correlation statistics were used to analyze the data at 0.05 levels of significance. The findings revealed that there is no universal standard of achievement for all students before permitting them to move to the next class; there is effective communication in the schools; principal and staff are not re-trained on new methods of school-based management and there is significant relationship between total quality management and student academic performance in Ilorin metropolis secondary schools. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made which include; the state ministry of education should set a minimum and universal standard of achievement for all secondary school in the state and there is need to regularly organize re-training programs on new methods of school based management for the principals and staff in Kwara State secondary schools.