13 Educational Administration: structure, functions and processes at the district and sub-district level

Dr. Satnam Kaur

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Introduction
  2. Learning outcomes
  3. Nature of Educational Administration
  4. Objectives of Educational Administration
  5. Basic Functions of Educational Administration
  6. Structure of Educational Administration at district and sub-district level
  7. Major Acade mic functions of BRCs and CRCs
  8. Structure, Functions and Processes of BRCs and CRC
  9. Structure, Functions and Processes of DIETs
  10. Educational Administration at urban leve
  11. Conclusion

 

1. Introduction

The concept of educational administration is applicable in case of an educational organization which has certain purposes or goals to fulfill. Educational Administration means the capacity of an individual or organization to manage all the activities of that educational institute. It is also defined as, the activity of a government or state in the exercise of its powers and duties. It is concerned with formulating general plans and policies for education. It is a discipline within the study of education that examines the administrative theory and practice of education in general and educational institutions and educators in particular. Therefore, Educational Administration is regarded as the process of integrating the appropriate human and material resources that are made available and made effective for achieving the purposes of a programme of an educational institution.

 

 

2. Learning Outcomes

After discussing this topic the students will be able to:

  1. Explain the meaning of the term Educational Administration
  2. Describe the structure of educational administration at the district and sub-district level
  3. Understand the functions of various educational administrative agencies at the district and sub-district level
  4. Elucidate the processes involved in efficient educational administration at the district and sub-district level

 

3.Nature of Educational Administration

Nature of Educational Administration can be understood in following manner:

  •  Educational administration doesn’t refer to any single process rather includes different processes or aspects which constitute administration.
  •  Educational administration is a non-profit making task.
  • Educational administration is primarily a social enterprise as it is more concerned with human resources than with material resources.
  • Educational administration is more an art than a Science. The reason is that human relationships prevailed here can’t be maintained by any set of formulae.
  • Educational administration is similar to general administration in many ways, but it is also dissimilar to general administration in many more ways.
  • Educational administration is a complex affair.

 

4.  Objectives of Educational Administration

As we know the very fact that educational administration needs integration and coordination of all the physical and human resources and educational elements. Besides this, it requires a great efficiency as it is based on human sympathy, understanding, knowledge and skill. The physical resources mainly contribute building equipments and instructional materials. The human resources include pupils, teachers, supervisors, administrators and parents. The additional elements comprise the various aspects of educational theory and practice including philosophy of education, objectives of education, curriculum, method of teaching, discipline, role of the teacher, rules and regulations etc. These elements are “parts, made into whole” and are components brought into harmonious relationship. So the purpose of doing such vital task is to fulfil different purposes which are known as the objectives of educational administration and these are:

  • To provide proper education to students
  • To ensure adequate utilization of all resources
  • To ensure professional ethics and professional development among teachers
  •  To organize educational programmes for acquainting students with the art of democratic living and giving them excellent training in democratic citizenship
  • To mobilize the community
  • To organize co-curricular activities effectively for developing talent of students and work efficiency of teachers
  • To get the work done effectively, efficiently and with satisfaction among the individuals and benefits to the society
  • To prepare students for taking appropriate places in various vocations and avenues of life
  • To train the students in developing scientific attitude and objective outlook towards all aspects and activities of life
  • To ensure qualitative improvement of education

    5. Basic Functions of Educational Administration

 

6. Structure, Functions and Processes of BRCs and CRCs

The structure of educational administration at the district and sub district level includes the structure, both at rural as well as urban level. Every district has panchayat standing committee which includes panchayat representatives of block panchayats which further include members of village panchayats. The district panchayat committee is sub-coordinated by the district education officer (DEO) which is further coordinated by the district project coordinator for project management at district level. Each district is divided into small blocks. Block is a group of villages. Each block has its own block panchayat standing committee further coordinated by the block education officer and the projects related to education are managed by the block resource centre. At the village level structure of educational administration includes village panchayat sub coordinated by assistant education officer which further has cluster coordinator to manage projects.

At village level, village education committee has mother teacher council. A host of institutional structures between the district level and the schools have been set up in the last one decade to strengthen the schools as well as the curriculum framework, namely:

  • Block Resource Centres
  • Cluster Resource Centres
  • District Institutes of Education and Training

Block Resource Centres (BRCs) and Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) were established in each block of every district under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan to conduct in- service teacher training and to provide academic support to teachers and schools on a regular basis as well as to help in community mobilization activities.

 

7. Major Acade mic functions of BRCs and CRCs

Block Resource centres and Cluster Resource Centres perform many important academic functions:

  • Development of the centre as a rich academic resource with ample reference materials for the teachers.
  • Development of strong human resource pools (by inviting resource persons) including nearby teacher education institutions, NGOs, Colleges/ Universities and resourceful individuals and to form Resource Groups in different subject areas for primary and upper primary level.
  • Regular school visits for addressing emerging development and pedagogic issues of school.
  • Organization of teacher training and monthly meetings to discuss academic issues and design strategies for better school performance.
  • Setting up of performance indicators to track and enhance school performance.
  • Consultation with community members and Panchayati Raj Institutions to strive for school improvement.
  • Designing a Quality Improvement Plan for the block/ cluster as per the SSA goals and strive to achieve that in a time bound manner.
  • Monitoring the progress of quality using Quality Monitoring Tools in collaboration with, DEO’s DIET’s.

 

8. Structure, Functions and Processes of BRCs and CRCs

In each block there are several CRCs and each CRC covers a small number of schools within easy reach. BRCs are headed by Block Resource Centre Co-coordinators and CRCs by Cluster Resource Centre Co-coordinators (CRCC). The BRC Co-coordinator is academic coordinator / facilitator at block level who is responsible for in-service training of teachers and providing guidance to the CRC Co-coordinators (CRCC). They also organize training programmes for members of Village Education Committees (VEC) and School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs). BRC coordinators also collect material from the District Project Office for distribution among the teachers, SDMCs, etc. through CRCs and provide continuous support to teachers while monitoring implementation of pedagogical and other interventions at school level. The tasks of CRC coordinators include providing constant support to the teachers, monitoring their performance, identifying their needs both in formal schools and alternative education centers and liaising with the SDMCs, the community and NGOs working in the area of education. Monthly meetings at cluster level are held and periodic visits to schools are made by CRC Coordinators to monitor teachers’ performance and to provide them on–site support. In nutshell, role of BRC/CRC is a mixed set of academic, supervisory, managerial, networking and creative activities; it goes beyond routine monitoring and supervision work as it encompasses providing support to schools and teachers through teacher training and teacher mentoring for their professional growth, strengthening community school linkage, providing resource support and carrying out action research.

 

9. Structure, Functions and Processes of DIETs

District Institutes of Education and Training or commonly known as DIETs: These are considered as a nodal agency at the district level for planning, implementing and monitoring pedagogical activities in the entire district. There are some major functions of DIET:

  • It plans short-term training programmes for teachers of elementary schools of the district after ascertaining the needs of the teachers.
  • It conducts training programmes for the teachers, BRC & CRC Coordinators and School inspectors.
  • It conducts action research studies and takes up corrective measures.
  • It provides resource support to BRC & CRC Coordinators and teachers in schools.
  •  It reviews block and cluster level performance of teachers and resource coordinators.
  •  It monitors pedagogical activities in the district and plan for qualitative interventions at all levels.

 

  • The DIETs would therefore support school improvement through:

    1.)  Overview and Coordination of School Improve ment Plan – The DIET would supervise the performance of the block and cluster personnel and guide the specific approach(s) chosen in their district. They would support the BRC’s to overcome challenges that come in implementing programs for school improvement in accordance with the chosen approach.

 

 2.)  Design and Delivery of Training – DIETs would be linked closely to the BRC-CRC so that the design and delivery of training is what the teachers require and need. This requirement can be collaboratively defined by the DIET, the BRC training co-ordination unit, the CRPs, expert groups and the teachers. The approach to training needs to change. The teacher needs to explore, reflect on and demand training instead of a one-size fit-all approach decided solely by the state. The block resource centre coordinator (BRCC) and cluster resource person (CRP) can help identify training needs and schedule the sessions along with the Master Resource Persons and other experts. Further, the training sites might be varied. Training can take place at the DIET or the Block or the Cluster or within a school. This will forge stronger links between the DIET and the Block and also ensure a two way communication.

 

    3.)  Database of Expe rts – The DIET may become the nodal centre that maintains a database of experts available at the District, Block or Cluster level that can be called on from time to time. Therefore, there is a need for an administrative coordinator at the DIET level who will work with the BRC to help co-ordinate and conduct the trainings at various sites and also network with experts from the field.

 

4.) Development of Master Resource Pe rsons (MRP) Pool – MRP pools need to be nurtured through developing subject expertise, pedagogic ideas and training of task related skills. DIETs could play a role in strengthening such MRP pools at the district level.

 

5.)  Resource Center for District – Similar to BRC, becoming a knowledge resource center at the block, the DIET could contain a wider range of materials for teachers, teacher educators, students, Resource Persons and resource groups for the whole district.

 

6.)  Human Manage ment Training – DIET could provide trainings designed for Human Management Professionals (HMs). These trainings would be different from those given to teachers

 

10. Educational Administration at urban level

    In the case of urban areas, the educational administration is taken care of by urban Local Bodies, either called Municipalities or Town Panchayats depending on the size of the urban area. In the context of the present discussion, it is relevant to look at the administrative divisions under the following segments in urban area, these are:

  1. Directorate of Elementary Education
  2. Directorate of School Education
  3. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

10.1. Directorate of Elementary Education:

Against the above mentioned background, the administrative set up under the Directorate of Elementary Education is such that all primary and middle schools in district fall under the Director of Elementary education. There is a Chief Education Officer (CEO), under whom 2 or 3 District Education Officers (DEO) function to control schools that comes under the district. Inspectors who visit schools take care of the teaching‐ learning aspects in the schools that fall under their jurisdiction. Government teachers who hold the direct link between the government and the children convert classroom policy into action.

 

The Chief Education officer acts as an Educational Advisor to the Municipal Commissioner. Some of the important duties of the chief education officer are as follows:

  • To have overall control, supervision on various sections and activities of the Education Department namely, Municipal Primary Schools b) Secondary Schools c) Training College d) Research Section e) Music and Art Academy f) Aided Schools g) Physical Education h) Municipal Teacher’s Libraries i) Teaching Aid Center j) School Feeding Program k) Vocational guidance Section.
  • Appointing authority of Secondary Grade and Specialist Teachers
  • Counseling Chairman for Elementary School teachers appointment and transfer.
  • Staff fixation for aided Schools
  • Visiting the Schools
  • Authority for administrative reasons
  • Granting permission for the appointment of aided school teacher
  • Works as an Administrative Officer and Education Officer at District level.
  • Sponsoring Educational  activities  and  Social  Awareness  Programmes  at District level

      The District Education Officer or DEO controls the whole district with regard to Education. He manages, guides, hears and redresses the complaints of the teachers, other staff and general public. All the duties by the teachers and other staff are compiled under the name of District Education Officer. Each district has three DEOs, as there are separate DEOs for secondary schools and for boys/ girls elementary schools. DEOs perform wide-ranging duties and appear to be the most exhaustively deployed officials in the district. They are required to personally visit each school within the district at least once every year. They are also required to regularly meet all Head Teachers in the district not only to keep themselves abreast of developments in schools, but also to motivate and guide Head Teachers in discharge of their responsibilities. The DEOs are responsible for registering and monitoring private schools, cross checking bills for financial payments, preparing budget estimates, preparing district development programs, maintaining school buildings, ensuring that school syllabus is covered fully and on time, and responding to Assembly questions.

 

   The next official in the hierarchy is The Deputy Education Officer who works under the guidance of Distt. Education Officer and comply all the duties which are given by the Distt. Education Officer. They assist the DEOs in discharge of their functions and implement a more intensive inspection regime. Each Deputy Education Officer is required to inspect all middle schools at least thrice every year and at least 25% primary schools once a year. They evaluate performance of Head Teachers in their area of jurisdiction, sanction their bills and exercise overall superintendence over their work. As such they comprise the functional tier at the district level. They also carry out literacy campaigns.

 

  Deputy Education Officers are assisted by Assistant Education Officers, who are the field officials in the district education hierarchy. AEOs are responsible for monitoring of schools to check teachers’ attendance, s tudent enrolment and condition of school buildings.

 

  1. Administrative Functions of the District Education Officers and Assistant Education Officers (AEOs):
  • To disseminate information on new policies and government initiatives.
  • To disburse salaries of teachers and headmasters.
  • To inspect and administer all matters related to teacher employment which include (but are not limited to) religious/ medical/ other types of leave; transfer and promotion proposals; maintain a seniority list of teachers; life insurance, provident fund and pension related retirement issues.
  • Disburse government-allocated funds to schools (for Teaching Learning Material, annual maintenance and such) and maintain accounts for the same.
  • Oversee distribution of free textbooks, teaching guides, free uniforms and any other resources provided to the schools by the government.
  • Maintain list of teacher vacancies in the schools in his/her jurisdiction Mediate with the Village Education Council (VEC) to keep them in the loop of the district educational administration.

 

II.  Academic Functions of the District Education Officers and AEOs

  • To supervise and inspect all schools in their jurisdiction. This function includes making at least 3-4 school visits, one of which is a day- long thorough school inspection while the other 2-3 are unscheduled surprise visits to monitor the functioning of the school.
  • To prepare a written report of each school visit that is maintained by the school. Each report typically contains information of pupil attendance at the time of visit, some broad observations of the visit and any pressing matter that was discussed with the HM. It may be worth noting that there is no copy of this report maintained at any district office.
  • Prepare a log of his/her monthly activities and send to DEO.
  • Complete exhaustive report of school annual inspection and forward it to DEO.
  • Bring to DEO’s attention any pressing matters emerging out of a regular school visit. Note that matters such as teacher vacancies, infrastructure issues such as no toilets, and inadequate space for learners in classrooms are considered routine and not urgent enough to be reported outside of the annual inspection report.
  • Collect and compile school- level data on indicators such as enrolment, completion rate, drop-out rate and repetition rate; all data is collected on the basis of gender and social class (Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/ Backward Class/ Most Backward Class).
  • Evaluate teachers and make suggestions on teaching practices.
  • Mediate with the DIETs to send teachers on appropriate training programmes.
  • Keep track of different training programmers that every teacher in their jurisdiction has attended.

Next important segment in educational administration in urban area is-

 

10.2 Directorate of School Education: Similar to the Directorate of Elementary Education, the administration under the Directorate of School Education goes on from the Director of School Education (DSE) on top to each Chief Education Officer (CEO) posted in the districts, to the one or more District Education Officers (DEOs) posted in every block of a district depending on the size of the blocks, who then in turn directly deal with the primary and middle schools in their district with the help of school inspectors, head teachers and teachers. The functions and processes remain same as discussed earlier.

 

10.3 Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

The District Programme office is headed by district programme officer and he shall be appointed by the Executive Committee of SSA. He shall have the same powers and responsibilities in relation to the project at the district level as the State Programme Director has at the State Level. He shall set up Steering Groups for each programme component and functional area. The Head of the Steering Groups will together constitute the District Level Committee (District Task Force) which shall work as an organic team for furthering the project at the district level.

 

Functions of the District Programme Office:

  • The District level committees are responsible for planning, implementation and monitoring the SSA programme in the districts.
  • Orienting the lower level structure/committees in micro planning, school/village mapping, plan formulation and target fixing.
  • School / village level plans are to be consolidated at cluster level and block level and incorporated into the district plans – Annual and Perspective District Plans.
  • Block and village specific goals and targets and area specific programmes and strategies to achieve the same have to be formulated and monitored. To review progress and status on enrolment of retention, dropout rates etc. block wise.
  • Implementing approved plan activities as per the calendar. Monitoring programme implementation through periodical reviews, visits to schools Block Resource Centre (BRC) and Cluster Resource Centre (CRC).
  • Maintaining and updating household data and school information for cent percent enrolment and compilation at the district level.
  •  Distribution of grants to various agencies and monitoring the proper and transparent utilization of grants released.
  • To identify critical infrastructure requirements and plan to bridge the same. Monitoring the progress and quality of Construction works undertaken in the districts.
  •   Organizing awareness campaigns, district level functions. Monitoring the proper distribution of various incentives to children
  • Securing the coordination and cooperation of other agencies like, NGOs, self help groups, Government Departments, etc. for enrolment, tackling drop outs, achievement levels and quality of education.
  • Supervising the training programmes at the district and blocks and assessing the impact of the training.
  • Conducting research activities both formal and action research through SSA personnel and research scholars, in the districts.

11.  Conclusion

To conclude this topic it may be said that the twenty- first century marks the era of refinement of educational administration by delegation of educational administrative powers at each level. In India, a host of institutional structures between the district level and the schools have been set up in the last one decade to strengthen the schools as well as the curriculum framework. So we see that, general functions and processes of educational administration include resource programmes, planning and policy making, provision and maintenance of funds and facilities, obtaining and development of personnel, improvement of instructional programmes, student personnel services, and maintenance of effective interrelationships with the community and external agencies.

 

you can view video on Educational Administration: structure, functions and processes at the district and sub-district level

 

References

  • Kaur, J. and Kaur, J. (2016). Educational administration in India in the twenty first century.
  • Online International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 6 (1), 303-309.
  • Nayantara, S.; Ramaswamy, S. and Kumar, N.S.S. (2010). Study of effectiveness of BRCs & CRCs in providing academic support to elementary schools. EDCIL.
  • Sarangapani, P. M. and Ramkumar, N. (2010). Decentralising the Public Education System in India. Unpublished manuscript.

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