Enhancing Elementary Education Management: Insights on Institutional Development

1. Transforming Elementary Education Management : a perspective on institutional development Dr Pramila Menon NUEPA, New Delhi

2. Defining an institution • An organization is basically a structure of people, processes and policies created to serve a purpose or mission. It becomes an institution when it has the capability to define its direction for meeting the purpose, develop a futuristic vision towards the achievement of goals.

3. SSA – Conceptual Contours • Universal Access • Universal Retention • Improvement in Quality • Improved quality of school provision • Focus on learning outcomes • Teacher capacity building

4. SSA – Defining Aspects • A programme with a clear time frame • A response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country • A partnership between the Central, State and Local government • An opportunity for States to develop their own vision of elementary education

5. Goals of SSA • All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, Back-school-camp by 2005 • Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010 • Universal retention by 2010 • Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life

6. Teacher Education : the Mandate • Teacher education is a continuous process • Its pre-service and in-service components are inseparable • Teachers will continue to play a crucial role in implementation of educational programmes

7. Tenth Plan : Focus Areas • Institutional development • Qualitative improvements in teacher training • Professional development of teacher educators • Increased involvement of resource institutions

8. Tenth Plan : Focus on planning for institutional development • Development of DIET’s as institutions • Faculty development • Development of libraries and computer facilities to enable increased access to information • Exposure visits • Networking and sharing among DIET’s

9. The Context of teacher development • Teacher development is broader than teacher training • Teacher development centers around three broad categories of teacher functions • Instructional functions • Managerial functions • Community related functions

10. Components of teacher development • Personal development • Academic development • Professional development

11. Framework for institutional development • Vision for the Institute • Leadership • Organizational Structure, capacities and Culture • Processes • Management Tools and Techniques

12. Institutional Development Model • Vision and Leadership • Organizing people • Organizational Structure (reporting relations and management responsibilities) • Organizational culture • Processes (planning, decision making, information management, financial management internal support and monitoring • Benchmarking and Networking

13. Approach and Generic Strategies • Vision Building • Participatory exercise of vision building • Development of a long term plan and identification of strategies • Plan for Capacity building • Defined milestones for intermediate periods • Continuous appraisal, evaluation and integration

14. Guiding Principles • Viewing all interventions from the perspective of school functioning • Using teachers and community as resource • Creating an organizational climate • Agenda-building based on accountability to stakeholders/people/community • Transparent, simple and suitable processes

15. Guiding Principles • Creation of sharing mechanisms for all types of functionaries • Suitable capacity building measures • Documentation, dissemination and use • Enabling the use of information as a resource

16. Understanding the school as an Organization • Consisting of a Physical Establishment • Consisting of People – Learners and Teachers • Involving Curriculum transaction processes • Is accountable to the Public for meeting Social Expectations

17. School as a critical institution for elementary education • Viewing all interventions from the perspective of school functioning • Improvement in school functioning • Clarity about requirements for improved school functioning • Planning all interventions towards school improvement

18. Using teachers and community as resource • Utilizing the experiences of teachers of classroom as well as school management practices • Acknowledging and using the traditional knowledge within communities • Planning for small action research experiments in the ‘lab-area’ for gaining more valuable insights

19. Creating an organizational climate • Generating a sense of belonging and responsibility among its employees • Redefining the roles and functions to meet the changing expectations of the elementary education system • Revisiting the existing unit arrangements and staff structure to facilitate them to play this role

20. Agenda Building • Important for building and sustaining the organizational/ group identity • Organizations with a clear agenda work more easily • Institutionalising the Programme Advisory Committee as a mechanism to advise the DIET on its activities from time to time

21. Transparent, simple and suitable processes • Bringing about transparency within the organization • Encouraging the sharing of experiences for generating ideas providing insights and enhancing capacities • Sharing mechanisms are particularly important in academic support organizations

22. Strengthening capacity building measures • Present system of induction orientation • Faculty development • Periodic revision of teacher education programmes to incorporate emerging areas of teacher development • Exposure visits • Networking and sharing among DIET’s

23. Documentation, dissemination and use • Encouraging the appropriate use of experiences and good practices for capacity building and sharing • Cultural factors to be kept in mind • Streamlining the process of information collection and availability at all levels

24. Critical enabling factors for facilitating change • Providing a broad frame and direction for vision to each organization • Consensus building • Creating a suitable environment • Arranging technical and financial resource support • Providing information support

25. Implications for Action • View the human resources in DIET in a holistic manner • Function as lead institutions and think tanks for school improvement programmes • Provide support to district authorities in planning for UEE • Have a long term unified institutional development perspective

26. Thank you