An insight into School Management Practices

Vinod Kakumanu
Jan. 31, 2019, 11:53 a.m.

Of all the enterprises, managing a school comes with its own challenges and demands. It is not logistics that define school management, it is the abstract understanding of growth and progression of human potential. While administration of a school is a superset of school management it is significant in its own right. The scope and span of any incumbent management of the school are incredibly wide. The exercise of authority, delegation, being a nodal point of contact with the board of affiliation, taking calls on the efficacy of teachers, the implementation of the curriculum or even the choice of curriculum, seen to it that the school unwaveringly follows the state regulations, standards, periodic circulars, keeping tab on the finances and organizational relationship.

Some of the tasks that are distasteful, like taking final and definitive calls on suspension or dismissal of teachers and arranging frequent recruitment drives are also in the brief of school management.

It is pertinent to notice and remark upon that the boards of education mandate the establishment of ‘Managers’ office. A channel without meanders is thus put in place for subsequent correspondence with the board of education.

What defines efficacious school management?

There are theoretical benchmarks and practical examples for school management. Rule of the order and checking the chaos without arresting the interactions is challenging and requires experience to handle. The school management is looked after by the School Management Committee. Keeping things updated, broadcasting feedbacks, design and schedule of events also fall in the purview of school management.

If the school management committee is committed to maximizing learning outcomes, it is essential to have as members of committee academicians, educationists, psychologist (preferably child psychologist), accountant and person with management skills and knowledge, if not absolute proficiency, of the electronic media. Interpersonal understanding is a factor that has a profound effect on school management.

School Improvement

The school management committee monitors the advocacy, media campaigns, infrastructural remodeling and digitalization of the classroom. To be precise, there is hardly any field of schooling where the school management is barred to intervene. Competition has been an accelerant as far as the search for innovation in teaching-learning is concerned.

Constant assessment of the learning outcomes and academic redress is also directed by the school management. School supplies are selected, vetted and compared with other brands by the school management.

If we observe the establishment of a new school, we shall find the all-pervading management decisions and deliberations about the suitability of the status quo and change is the charges of school administration. From the selection of school infrastructure, interior design options’ and selection of the school consultant falls in the purview of school management.

Introduction of International academics through a dedicated curriculum or the framework implemented is the duty of school administration. Training the teachers and sharing the developments makes them more compliant and a sense of belongingness is cultivated and harnessed by the school management.

Recruitment of teachers and curtailing teacher turnover is a typical problem that the school management is obliged to assess and remedy.

Irrespective of the academic achievements of the school the school administration is hard-pressed to improve the schools. The school management requires rather frequent exchanges with the department of education and the municipal corporation/municipality.

The skill of the management is to present the positives in a way that the shortcomings are veiled and convinced that their nature is ephemeral.

Devoid of insightful and imaginative school management, the school lose out on innovation in education and develop a psyche where they correlate. Management is an exercise in manipulation through authority, disconnect and compartmentalization. Therefore, it is an absolute that the management is efficacious, democratic and affable.