The concepts formulated by Total Quality Management (TQM) founder, W.

Edwards Deming, have been suggested as a basis for achieving excellence in schools. It is an opportunity to conceptualize a systematic change for schools. In this article, the framework for transforming schools using Demings 14 TQM principles are discussed with Puan Yasmin a/p Abdul Gafor, Senior Assistant for Student Affairs in SMK Sentosa, Kampar, Perak.

Total Quality Management as a necessary element always has a direct

influence on the human improvement. It can also lead to high commitment and sprit in work environment. What is the general perception of you and teachers in this school towards Total Quality Management in schools? According to Puan Yasmin where the terminology TQM is concerned, only a handful of the teachers really understand the principles behind it. Most of the staff and management would say that they have not formally integrated the philosophy of TQM in their working environment. But Puan Yasmin adds that as far as embracing quality into their daily routines is concerned, she believes that TQM or simply quality has been widely embraced. She added that generally the teachers and specifically the administration of the school management would agree that quality is a major daily issue and almost everybody would agree that the schools quest for quality is a better way to do what we are doing already."

What does the school do in terms of creating constancy of purpose

toward improvement of Total Quality in Education where teachers, parents, community members and students are the customers?

The Ministry of Education has clearly stated a vision to make Malaysia a center of learning and educational excellence by the year 2020. Hence, the management of quality in education institutions has gained momentum very rapidly in the last few years. Puan Yasmin points out that customer needs must be the focus in establishing educational aims. The aim of this school, like any other, is to improve the quality of education for all students. This vision is very clear and she declares the administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, community, and students are all aware of it.

In what ways is the management making changes in adopting the new

philosophy? Are new ways of working replacing the old ways in this school? This school is undergoing transformation in keeping up with the current world. The mission statement is new and agreed upon by all stakeholders. New strategies and working processes are always being implemented. New Ways of teaching, new programs and untried strategies are tried upon. Puan Yasmin further adds that new ways are constantly replacing old ways of working. Most of these new processes are a direct result of the policies of the Ministry of Education itself.

What are some of the interventions that this school carries out to

improve quality. Most interventions are in the ares of classroom teaching and learning. Puan Yasmins said that these are early intervention ideas to keep declining student

performance in check.

Some of these programs are Headcount, Quality P&P,

Planned Homework, Guidance Classes, Generic Skills and so on.

TQM requires modern methods of training and education for all. What

do you do in this school? In SMK Sentosa, Kampar, this means providing continuous professional development activities for all school administrators, teachers, and support staff. This is a ongoing process. All staff have to attend a minimum of seven days inhouse training in the school itself. Most of these sessions are centered on new teaching and learning processes, use of new assessment strategies and exposure to new management systems. Many other relevant topics are also covered.

What methods of supervision does the management have to ensure

that better teaching and learning takes place? Supervision in school takes several forms both formal and informal. There are specific instruments used to observe teacher teaching ang and student leaning, Formal observations are carried out periodically. The goals as emphasized by the school management are to ensure learning takes place for all students. Formal

observations are carried put using the SKPM kit developed by the school inspectorate (Jemaah Nazir Sekolah). Puan Yasmin proudly disclosed that this school received a Band 5 rating which carries a Sekolah Harapan tag.

What does the management in this school do to enable everybody to

be part of change, and to belong to it on the way to improvement? Are there

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mechanisms in place to drive out the fear of change by encouraging effective two-way communication? Puan Yasmin admitted that this was a constant challenge facing the management of this school. The fear of change could often be found at many levels in the school. The staff is always at ease in their comfort zones. Still she

believed that the staff has always given their best at all times. Sometimes it is the system that is the reason for the faults and weaknesses. The management at this school has always done their best by constantly improving the system in which they work. Feedback from the staff and students is always encouraged. Students can give feedback by meeting the management team at any time and also through a suggestion box. Likewise the staff can There is a suggestion box ready. There are regular briefings. Meetings and contact times are weekly happenings where issues are trashed out in the open.

In TQM the breaking down of barriers between departments and staff

areas is of great importance. People in different departments and units must work in teams to tackle problems that may be encountered. Can you comment on this? Collaboration is always encouraged by the management in SMK Sentosa, Kampar. It is second nature to the way the different subject panels work between and amongst themselves. Indeed the different units are all involved in the regular meetings to discuss ways and areas where quality can be maximized. Puan

Yasmin added that the most important area where collaboration could be seen was in students academic performance. Problems still existed amongst various units of
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the schools but these have always been addressed continually by the management. The principal has always emphasized the importance of initiating and maintaining a professional learning community. As an example, the most

recent strategy implemented was team teaching and having two form teachers to a class.

TQM proposes that management eliminate the use of slogans, posters

and exhortations for the workforce, demanding zero defects and new levels of productivity without providing methods. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships. Puan Yasmin was not in total agreemenet with this statement. She countered that this may be true for business organizations, but schools tend to use a lot of slogans as a general practice. In fact slogans are the norm in many schools, just like in this one. They can be found almost everymhere. One typical slogans used in this school is All children can learn, though not in the same way. Slogans, such as these serve as targets in school organizations. The aim of such slogans, according to Puan Yasmin , are to encourage staff and students to do better. All they need to do is try harder. 10 There are many practices in education that constrain our ability to tap

intrinsic motivation and falsely assume the benefits of extrinsic rewards. They include rigorous and systematic teacher evaluation systems, merit pay, management by objectives, grades, and quantitative goals and quotas. In TQM, these are referred to as forces of destruction. Such approaches are counterproductive for several reasons: setting goals leads to marginal
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performance; merit pay destroys teamwork; and appraisal of individual performance nourishes fear and increases variability in desired performance. As far as this school is concerned, do you agree? Puan Yasmin refused comments stating that these were policy matters.

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Has the annual appraisal of performance been a barrier in any way of

the staffs and managements right to pride and satisfaction in their work? Puan Yasmin agreed that like in any other school, the annual appraisal of performance has always been a contentious issue in this school too. She

explained that the top management are appraised by the Local Education Office (PPD) while the staff appraisement is carried out by the top management in the school. In this respect, the scool management tries its level best to be fair and subjective in the appraisals done. Still, she adds, there is bound to be criticism every year. The headmaster always uses effective communication and tries to motivate the affected teachers. The number of demotivated cases in this school is very minimal.

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What does the school do in terms of educating and encouraging self-

improvement for everyone? Does the management see the need for good people, and people that are improving with education. The principal and the senior assistants are constantly trained and retrained in new methods of school based management. There are many courses that they attend. These are organized by the Ministry, State Education Department,

Aminuddin Baki Institute (IAB), a training institute on management and educational leadership amongst many others. For example, the areas recently exposed include Strategic Planning, and School Based Teacher Professional Development, X-Plus Working Principles, Live Long Learning. The staff then are exposed to these through in house courses and training sessions.

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What in your view are the top management's permanent commitment to

ever-improving quality and productivity in the educational sense? The permanancy of the managements commitment to improving quality is ever so evident in so many things. The school head and management have decided on a well thought out and planned vision, that is to make the school a high prestige school by the 2015 (SMK Sentosa sekolah berprestasi tinggi tahun 2015). This mission has been internalized by all members of the school organization. transformation is everybody's job. To spearhead this initiative the school has set up a special committee known as the Jawatankuasa Pemajuan Sekolah Sekolah SBT 2015. This committee is akin to a think tank and meets regularly to identify areas lacking strength. The outcomes from this committee are implemented to seek improvement. In this respect, The School Improvement Program Puan Yasmin explained that the School Improvement Programme The

implemented in 2010 as an initiative under the Government Transformation Programme is the guiding principle for all these improvement measures.
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