QA4ODFL1/Governance/School management

You can see now that the role of school management is to implement decisions within the context of the mission and strategic vision of the school and the Ministry. Management makes operational decisions and policies, keeps the governance body informed and addresses operational challenges that arise in the running of the school. Ideally, school managers are professional educators who are well versed with educational matters. They lead the rest of the stakeholders in the school. They advise body members on purely educational matters that affect the life of the school and the performance of learners.

Learning activity 4: Competencies of an open school manager

This activity will take you 15 minutes to complete.

1. In your view, what competencies should the manager/principal of an open school have?
2. Share your ideas with your colleagues in the discussion forum.
3. Read what your colleagues post in the forum as well.

Our reflection and feedback on Competencies of an open school manager

The manager of an open school is answerable to the governing body and to the community. She/he manages teaching and learning processes on a regular basis, provides resources appropriately and makes sure systems are in place for the school to meet its intended purpose. In open schooling, this calls for unique ways of planning to service a distributed group of learners. The manager has to think of how communication with such a distributed student population takes place, what facilities are needed, how timely support is provided to each learner, how learning is monitored, how learners who learn in isolation are tracked and motivated to learn, and how effective assessment is managed. All this is done to ensure that the goals of the school are met. As Bush notes, (open) school management has to do with achieving certain education goals, (Bush, 2003). . Unless this link between purpose and management is clear, there is a danger of “managerialism”, which places emphasis on procedures at the expense of educational purpose and values, (Bush, 2003). This is particularly true with open schools, which should have a clearly defined purpose which distinguishes them from conventional face-to-face schools. Managing a face-to-face learning environment is different from managing a decentralised, distance learning environment. Unit 3 of this course will explain this difference in terms of the structures of face-to-face compared to those of distance education organisations.

The question is often asked, should school managers be curriculum leaders as well?

Learning activity 5: School managers as curriculum leaders

You will need about one hour to complete this activity.

1. Based on your observations of the school organisation you know, should school managers be curriculum leaders as well?
2. Share you answer in the discussion forum. Read what your peers post in the forum.
3. After answering the reflection question above, read Chapter 6 of Mays & Singh, (2020) [Addressing the learning needs of children and out-of-school youths through the expansion of open schooling].