It is the one thing that appears not to have been tried. Inspection! Not inspection to police but inspection to support teachers and school managers to improve performance.
There seem to be no standards developed and no measurable indicators for school performance either. Teachers need help to plan instruction, they need help to deliver instruction and to undertake formative assessments to monitor learning. School managers have no idea about curriculum planning and issues like failities management performance management etc remain a mystery. It is amazing how unaware and fearful of innovation staff and managers in the education sector are! This in spite of advance degrees.
A comprehensive framework for carrying out inspection of schools could help to address these issues and gradually build requisite skills that will help the transition from teacher centred instruction to learner centred instruction and help to improve school and student performance.
Inspectors do not have to be on the pay roll of government either, they will be hired based on professional expertise and paid per visit. They would need to be regulated of course.
Schools would be required to budget for a mandatory number of visits per year. Private schools would pay more naturally. And a mechanism for ensuring compliance with recommendations by inspectors put in place.
Standards drawn up to guide inspection would be a uniform minimum that will be periodically reviewed to ensure gradual improvement of schools and of the education system.