Unit 1 Defining the Parameters of School Management

Introduction
The success of every school depends on the way it is led and managed. The need for the efficient management of schools has placed much more emphasis on the nature and quality of the work of the head as the leader of a team of professional educators and as the manager of the supply and effective use of resources (human, financial and material). The head therefore needs to gain clear understanding of all the forces and factors which contribute towards management of the school.

Throughout this module, we will often refer to the governance of schools rather than management. Although to a certain extent these terms are interchangeable, we wish at this stage to make a distinction between the two. By management we mean the day to day planning, organising, resourcing, directing and controlling the outputs of the school to enable it to reach its desired goals and mission. This is generally done by one or more people at different levels in the school, each with separate roles and responsibilities. E.g. head, DHMs, SMs, HODs etc. To a certain extent, some aspects of school management can also be external from the inputs of such bodies as the departments of education, the PTA and the community.

On the other hand, by governance we mean those areas of school management which are enshrined in law or regulation over which the head has little control; for example, the requirement to follow the directives, circulars or guidelines of the Ministry of Education which apply to all schools and are not generally negotiable. We refer to management, therefore, as all aspects of the organisation of a school, whether internal or external. Governance is a specific form of management, which is less flexible and relates to the authority of certain persons or groups who have legal responsibility for a school such as the Ministry of Education, the Regional Democratic Councils and Town Councils, the Heads of the Departments of Education and School Boards where they exist.

This, of course, is not to say that the head does not have legal responsibilities but we wish to differentiate between that in which the head has a choice of action and that in which he / she is legally obliged to act in a certain way. E.g. the admission of students, the implementation of the national curriculum etc.

Individual study time: 2 hours

Learning outcomes
After working through this unit, you should be able to:

§ define the parameters of school management
§ be aware that there are laws and regulations within which your school must operate
§ identify the various bodies which have a part to play in the management and governance of your school.

The head, even as the chief executive of the school, does not act alone or on his / her own authority, but rather carries out his / her assignments within the context of laws, regulations and circulars, administrative instructions and directives originating from the government, which, as the representative of the people, has the original authority to determine the type of education a country should provide for its citizens.

Schools, whether public or private institutions, also have a number of stakeholders in their activities. Their management is therefore done through a coalition of interests working together, but performing different functions, all aimed at enabling each school to operate and to achieve its aims and objectives. The head, who as the chief executive, is responsible for directing and overseeing the day to day activities of the school, must know which agencies, groups and individuals, constitute this coalition of interests.

Laws, regulations and instructions

Activity 1.1
Are you aware of the different types of laws, regulations and instructions within the context of which your school is run?
1) Try to list some of them and indicate whether they are part of the laws of Guyana or are regulations from outside of the school.
2) Do you think these laws and regulations make your life as a head easier or do they restrict your actions in creating an effective school? Give your reasons.

Comments
We hope that the list you have produced includes laws, regulations and instructions such as:

§ The Education Acts
§ The Education Strategic Plan
§ Education Code and amendments
§ Code of Conduct for Teachers
§ Policy Guidelines from the MOE
§ Guidelines from the Department of Education
§ Local laws and bylaws
§ Circulars from the CEO
§ Guidelines from the Principal Personnel Officer

With reference to the second question, you may have mixed views. Principally, we should accept that the Government, through its executive arm the MOE, is the legal representative of the people and, as such, has the right to make regulations which are for the most part for the greater good of the people, whether you agree with them or not. In some ways, these regulations may restrict your actions and in others, they will protect you in your role as head. On the whole, however, they will create a structure in what you do and allow you to focus on day-to-day matters without having to formulate overall policy.

It would be valuable for you to check with other heads, and with the District Education Officer, how complete your answer is. Obtain (perhaps from your DEO) a list of the laws, regulations and instructions which relate to your school. Ensure that your school has a copy of each relevant document available for reference.

We must realise that, in the first place, schools are established and operate within the context of laws, regulations and other legislative and executive instruments passed by government to give direction as to the way formal education in the country should be organised. These laws and regulations are operationalised through policy guidelines which issue from the Ministry of Education and other authorities in the form of administrative instructions, circulars and directives.

Who is involved in the governance of schools?

Activity 1.2
Consider how many individuals and groups have a part to play in the management and governance of your school.

1) First of all, look at the staff of your school and list the roles of those who have any input into its effective management.
2) Now, look at the external bodies who have an impact on the management, whether directly or indirectly, and say to what extent they have an influence on the way you operate.

Comments
The list you have put down probably includes:

1) Internal organisation – all post holders including head, deputy head(s), SMs, HODs and level heads, student government
2) External bodies – all those working outside of the school from the highest level including:-

§ the National Assembly
§ the Ministry of Education
§ the Regional Administration including REXO, Regional Chairperson and Chairperson of the Education Committee.
§ the Regional Department of Education including REDO and DEOs
§ the PTA
§ former pupils and Alumni Associations
§ the immediate community, including employers, religious and community leaders, etc.

The influence they have over your school and your decisions largely depends on the authority they hold to affect your decisions e.g. MOE etc and the extent to which you create a partnership with them and allow them to have a role e.g. PTA and the local community.

Again, it is important to realise that the Government of Guyana exercises its responsibility for providing education for its people through the Ministry of Education and other bodies at the state, regional and district levels. e.g. the Regional Democratic Councils. These different bodies, units and agencies all have a part to play in the management and governance of schools.

Also, schools, as public institutions in which there are a number of stakeholders, cannot be allowed to be run only by the paid staff led by the head according to their own inclinations. Yet it is not possible for all the stakeholders and the public to be there to oversee the running of a school. This is why the role of the head is so crucial in bringing all of these people together to ensure that all of their reasonable aspirations for the education of the children are met.

The school community itself, comprising the staff and pupils, constitutes the immediate group of people with whom the head is in constant touch. For the efficient and effective management of a school, these members of the immediate community must participate in its management. Thus, the staff and pupils of each school have a part to play in this through various mechanisms.

Furthermore, the influence of the larger community in which the school is situated, is becoming increasingly important in the way a school is operated. This larger community is itself made up of different components, such as employers, religious and community leaders and these groups in their different ways may play important parts in supporting the school. They, therefore, should be included in its future direction. That is not to say that they deal with the day-to-day running of the school but will have an influence on the course the school will take to satisfy community needs.

Activity 1.3
Try to conceptualise for a moment the varying roles that individuals have in the management of your school. Consider also briefly the issues of accountability and professionalism that we discussed in Unit 6 Monitoring of School Effectiveness.

1) To what extent do you hold those for whom you are responsible in your school accountable for their share of the management activities of the school? Give examples.
2) Given that external persons and organisations also have an influence on school management and policy, to what degree do you think they also can be held accountable for their actions?
3) How would you describe the professional relationship that you would have:
§ with those who work with you in the school?
§ with those who are not part of the immediate school community?
4) Since you are accountable for all that goes on in your school, to yourself and to everyone else, how would you attempt to deal with an external organisation which held views with which you did not agree?

Comments
You may find that some staff do not want to be held accountable and that they may not be motivated to take on that responsibility. They may tell you that they are not paid enough or their conditions of service are not good enough to be held accountable. The simple fact, however, is that they have chosen to do this job, especially if they have responsibilities such as a middle or senior leader, and therefore, it is not negotiable that they will not be held accountable for their actions and management decisions. What they do will have a positive or negative effect on pupil learning. The latter is unacceptable and therefore they must be responsible for what they do. The test you face is to support them and motivate them in the challenge.

All official organisations, especially those with a constitution such as a governing body or the PTA, must be held accountable for their actions because of the impact it will have on the children. All departments set up by the government, such as the MOE and the Departments of Education, are automatically accountable for their actions because they are the executive arm of the government and doing the work of the people of Guyana.

Look back again on the definition of professionalism given in Module 6. Follow this description of professional actions and you will not go far wrong. However, you are legally responsible, as head, for your school staff and it is your duty to behave in a professional manner with them even if sometimes their actions do not make you feel inclined to do so. However, in the case of the local community, it is more a case of negotiation and listening to their needs and trying to address them rather than their dictating the way you will run your school. Ultimately, if you do not do a good job, you will be held accountable by them, so you must listen to their needs and concerns.

And finally, since you are answerable for your actions, unless the organisation with which you disagree is responsible for the supervision of your school, such as the MOE or Department of Education, you must make the final decision about school policy. However, remember to be tactful about the way you do it.

Summary
In this introductory unit, we have looked broadly at what the concept of school management embraces and the distinction between management and governance. We have touched upon the laws and regulations within whose context schools operate and the various bodies, agencies and groups who all bear a part in the governance of schools. These relationships are summarised in the diagram below and are explored more fully in the units which follow.

Thus, in later units we will look at the way the head is the coordinator of all management activities in the school through the school staff, the students, the Ministry, the parents and the local community.

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

National Assembly
Ministry of Education
Regional Administration
Boards of Governors or Management Committees
Education Departments
Staff and pupils
Wider Community

Parent Teacher Associations
Religious Leaders
Employers’ Organisations
Community Leaders

Well-managed schools