TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION

Courtesy: https://verkkolehdet.jamk.fi/welhojaverkossa/archives/405

Total quality management (TQM) is introduced into our study. TQM is a systematic program that indicates everyone and everything in the organization is involved in the enterprise of continuous improvement. Frazier (1997) stated quality management provides a connection between outcomes and the process by which outcomes are achieved. If the cause of failures in education is a problem in design, quality management may be regarded as an ideal systemic process for managing change in public education. TQM is used to describe two slightly different but related notions. The first is a philosophy of continuous improvement. The second related meaning uses TQM to describe the tools and techniques. TQM is both a mind-set and a set of practical activities- an attitude of mind as well as a method of promoting continuous improvement.

The hierarchy of quality concepts

As an approach, TQM represents a permanent shift in an institution’s focus away from short-term expediency to the long-term quality improvement. Herman and Herman (1994) stated three levels of application of quality management in education. The first level is to the management process of a school, including strategic planning, recruiting and staff development, deploying resources, and alignment of what is taught, how it is taught, and how it is assessed. The next level is teaching quality to students. Students are recognized as both customer and workers in the educational system. Administrators need to involve students in their own education by training them to evaluate the learning process and accept responsibility for their learning. Robert and Robert (1998) addressed the most influential factor in success or failure of a TQM implementation effort is universal endorsement. If management is not completely sold on TQM, it is unlikely that an implementation effort will be successful. Endorsing TQM represents a fundamental change in the way. Less than full support by anyone in the chain of authority essentially condemns the effort to failure.

TQM is usually accomplished by a series of small-scales incremental projects. The philosophy of TQM is large-scale, inspirational and all-embracing, but its practical implementation is small-scale, highly practical and incremental. Solid and lasting change is based on a long series of small and achievable projects (Edward 3rd, 2002). TQM requires the change entirely for organization. Change of culture is notoriously difficult to bring about and takes into implement. It requires a change of attitudes and working methods. Two things are required for staff to produce quality. First, staff needs a suitable environment in which to work. The tools of trade, system and procedures should aid them in doing their jobs. The environment that surrounds staff has a profound effect on their ability to do their job properly and effectively. Second, encouragement and recognition of success and achievement should be deserved from leaders who can appreciate their achievement and coach them to greater success (Edward 3rd, 2002).

The hierarchical institution and the upside-down institution in education

The customers’ focus is the priority in the set of relationship in education. The upside-down organizational focus does not affect the structure of authority in the school and college, and neither does it diminish the essential leadership role of senior managers. The inverted hierarchy emphasizes service-giving relationship and the important of the customer to the institution (Edward 3rd, 2002).

To meet the needs and wants of its customers is primary mission in TQM. Quality must be matched to the expectation and requirement of customers and clients. Quality is what the customer wants and not what the institution decides is best for them. Education faces a considerable challenge in its relationships with its external customers. Expectations are diverse and often contradictory and quality of program is often confused in the public mind with the reputation of the institution (Edward 3rd, 2002). TQM will be the result of the relative weight assigned to each of the customers at the different levels of education.

Robert and Robert (1998) indicated that in the elementary schools the most important customers are the parents of the students, the students themselves and the middle school to which the students are headed. As maturity of the students increases, the students replace the parents as the most important customer. In a training situation, the most important customer is the organization that needs the individuals trained. In addition, Edward (2002) indicated customers also include internal customers such as everyone working in a school, college or university is both a supplier of service and a customer of others. It is important to ensure internal customer function efficiently and effectively by identifying to whom people provide services.

Relative Customer Importance

Education is about learning. An educational institution that takes the total quality route must take seriously the issue of learning styles and needs to have strategies for individualization and differentiation in learning. Educational institutions have an obligation to make learners aware of the variety of learning methods available to them. They need to give learners opportunities to sample learning in a variety of different styles. Institutions need to understand that many learners also like to switch and mix “n” –match styles and must try to be sufficiently flexible to provide choice in learning. Learner is the primary customer and it will not possible to claim achievement of total quality without meeting individual needs (Edward 3rd, 2002). It will be fundamental to utilize principles of TQM in education and to start with “all shared succeed” to establish mission between learners and their teachers. The framework for implementation of TQM was presented by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. TQM principles could be used as a checklist for implementation (Robert and Robert, 1998):

The establishing of a strong evaluation process is also an important element of any quality assurance process. Evaluation should be a continuous through entire TQM process and not just left until the end of the program of study. Learners will be involved in evaluation process and evaluate themselves during learning process and results of evaluation should be discussed by means of completing a record of achievement (Dylan, Clare, Christine & Paul, 2004). The principles of TQM can also be applied to high school, middle school, and elementary school educational process as well as training situation. These can be powerful tool in educational setting and key elements to a successful implementation are 1) gain the support of everyone in the chain of supervision, 2) identify customers, 3) focus on refining the process and 4) use Deming’s 14 points as a guide and checklist during the implementation effort (Robert and Robert, 1998).

Further readings:

https://herearmenia.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/ebooksclub-org__total_quality_management_in_education.pdf

http://www.ijhssi.org/papers/v3(6)/Version-4/N0364071078.pdf

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 Education for Sustainable Development 

Courtesy: 

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/students-and-family/sustainability/sustainability-education/esd

"Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future.

Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning; for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption.

It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviour and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way.

Education for Sustainable Development requires far-reaching changes in the way education is often practised today."

Council of the European Union, 2010

"ESD is essential for the achievement of a sustainable society and is therefore desirable at all levels of formal education and training, as well as in non-formal and informal learning."  

Sustainable Development Education Panel Report, 1998

"ESD is about the learning needed to maintain and improve our quality of life and the quality of life of generations to come ... ESD enables people to develop the knowledge, values and skills to participate in decisions about the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally and globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future."

Sustainability in the curriculum

At Plymouth, we take the approach that there is no definitive knowledge content that should be included in a curriculum addressing sustainability or sustainable development. Rather, following Tilbury & Wortman (2004), we point to indicative curricular themes that may be more or less relevant to each disciplinary area and which might be used and adapted as ‘entry points’ to develop sustainability education further. 

Environmental sustainability	Economic sustainability	Social sustainability
Natural resources management	Alternative futures	Sustainable communities
Food and farming	Leadership and change	Cultural diversity
Ecological systems	Learning organisations	Intercultural understanding
Waste / water / energy	Corporate Social Responsibility	Sustainability in the built environment
Biodiversity	Consumerism and trade	Travel, transport and mobility
Climate change	Globalisation of economy	Health and wellbeing
	Accountability and ethics	Peace, security and conflict
	International development	Citizenship, government, democracy
	Sustainable and ethical tourism	Human rights and needs
	Population

Pedagogical approaches in ESD

There is no ‘correct’ pedagogy for sustainability education, but there is a broad consensus that it requires a shift towards active, participative, and experiential learning methods that engage the learner and make a real difference to their understanding, thinking and ability to act.

We've identified five pedagogic elements that cover a host of pedagogical approaches or methods that staff at Plymouth might use to bring these elements into the learning environment. 

1. Critical reflection – including the more traditional lecture, but also newer approaches such as reflexive accounts, learning journals, and discussion groups.

2. Systemic thinking and analysis – the use of real-world case studies and critical incidents, project-based learning, stimulus activities, and the use of the campus as a learning resource.

3. Participatory learning – with emphasis on group or peer learning, developing dialogue, experiential learning, action research/learning to act, and developing case studies with local community groups and business

4. Thinking creatively for future scenarios – by using role play, real-world inquiry, futures visioning, problem-based learning, and providing space for emergence.

5. Collaborative learning – including contributions from guest speakers, work-based learning, interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary working, and collaborative learning and co-inquiry.

Further reading:\
https://www.greenofficemovement.org/education-for-sustainable-development/

https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development

MAJOR ROLES OF HEADMASTER

Major Roles of a Headmaster

Courtesy:

http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/schools/headmaster-schools/top-7-major-roles-of-a-headmaster/63736

Brief outlines of the seven major roles of headmaster are discussed in this article. The roles are (1) Role in Planning (2) Role in School Organisation (3) Teaching Role (4) Role in Supervision (5) Role in Guidance (6) Role in Maintaining Relations (7) Role in General Administration.

1. Role in Planning:

Planning is the first and foremost duty of the head of a school. He has to plan a number of things in the school with the co-operation of the teachers, the pupils, the parents and general public. Planning goes on throughout the year.

It consists of the following phases:

(i) Planning before the opening of the school:

The headmaster has to plan a number of things in the school. He will chalk out the policies and rules of admission. Dates of admission are to be publicized. He should convene the meetings of the staff and discuss with the teachers their activities and programmes for the whole year. Thus the school calendar may be prepared in advance. In case of need fresh staff will be recruited before the actual functioning of the school. The headmaster must also check that whole school plant is in proper shape and the equipment is adequate. He must also see that various registers needed for different purposes are there in the school.

(ii) Planning during the First Week:

In the beginning, the headmaster has to set the school machinery into motion. Work allotment to the teachers is an important function of the headmaster. He should urge the teachers to balance class-sizes and classify students into suitable groups or sections. Preparation of time table general, teacher wise and class wise is another important thing to be done. Unless the time-table is prepared, school work cannot be started. General assembly of the students may be convened and instructions be given to the students. The prescribed text-books are to be announced.

(iii) Planning During the Year:

As the classes start, the headmaster starts attending to each activity to be done. The headmaster has to prepare the budget of the year keeping in view the estimated expenditure in the session.

(iv) Planning at the End of the Year:

The headmaster will ask the teachers to prepare reports of the activities done during the year. Various records have to be completed. Holding of valedictory and annual function has to be planned.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

(v) Planning of the Next Year:

The headmaster should convene staff meetings and appraise year’s work. In the light of this appraisal, next year’s work has to be planned.

2. Role in School Organisation:

The headmaster is not to plan things theoretically, but to give them a practical shape.

In this regard, he must organize the following items:

(i) Organizing instructional work:

The head of a school must organize the instructional work. He will ask the teacher to divide the year’s work into smaller units. This will also involve the formulation of objectives, selection of methods of teaching, classification of pupils, framing of time-table etc.

(ii) Organizing Co-Curricular Activities:

The headmaster must organize the activities of the school with the co-operation of staff and students. There are so many school activities like sports, scouting, girl-guiding, red-cross, parent-teacher association, celebration of religious and social functions and festivals etc.

(iii) Organizing the School Plant:

The headmaster is to organize the school plant so that it will be properly maintained, equipped and put to maximum use. Classroom library, laboratory is to be well furnished. Repairing may be done wherever needed.

(iv) Organizing School Office:

The office work must also be properly organised. Routine work, registration, correspondence, maintenance of accounts etc. have to be organised so that office work will be done regularly and efficiently.

3. Teaching Role:

The headmaster must share instructional work with the teachers. He should consider himself teacher first and last. His teaching should be exemplary. This way he keeps in touch with the work of the teachers and the achievements of students. The headmaster should understand the problems of the teachers and the pupils better when he himself teaches.

4. Role in Supervision:

The head of a school should not simply sit in his office. He should supervise the work of the school here, there and every where. He should supervise instructional work. He may have a round of the class-rooms. However, it is not to be a fault finding business.

The headmaster should supervise the activities going on in the playground, hall, art room, library, workshop etc. He must supervise the proper use and keep up of school materials. In general, he should supervise the behaviour of students, provide facilities for them to maintain cleanliness of the campus etc.

5. Role in Guidance:

The headmaster is not simply a fault finder. Wherever he finds defects, errors and inefficiency he should show the correct path to the students. He must guide the teachers in the methods of teaching and organisation of activities. Besides students are to be guided by him in matters of study, activities and personal difficulties. A guidance cell may be organised in the school. Besides, the headmaster has to guide parents and higher authorities etc.

6. Role in Maintaining Relations:

The reputation of the headmaster and of the school mostly depends upon the relations that he maintains with the staff, students and their parents and the community.

(i) Relations with the Staff:

The head of a school must work in a team spirit and he should regard the teacher as his co-workers. He should not have bossing tendency. He must give due regard to the teachers, their views and their problems.

(ii) Relations with the Pupils:

“Great headmasters have been great friends of pupils.” The headmaster should think that the teachers, the school and he himself all are meant for the pupils. He must listen to their genuine difficulties and try to remove the same. He must provide proper facilities for their learning.

(iii) Relations with the Parents:

The headmaster must maintain link of the parents with the school. They may be invited to the school on important occasions. He should organize parent teacher organisation in the school. When the parents come to school they should be treated with courtesy and be given due respect.

(iv) Relation with the Community:

The school is meant for the community and must be made a community centre. A number of community activities may be launched by the headmaster on behalf of the school. Community members may also be invited to the school on certain occasions.

7. Role in General Administration:

As the head of the school, the headmaster is responsible for all that is being done in or by the school. He is to issue necessary orders and get their compliance. He must see that the teachers and the pupils attend their duties punctually and regularly. He must ensure that human and material resources of the school are adequate. Purchases should be made wherever needed in accordance with the prescribed official information and correspondence

INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING

Institutional Planning

Courtesy: http://visionaryteacher.weebly.com/uploads/4/9/7/0/49703363/institutional_planning.pdf

                     https://www.slideshare.net/FousiyaOP/institutional-planning-80099690

According to Prof. M.B.Buch (1968) an institutional plan is a programme of development by an educational institution on the basis of its felt needs and the resource available or likely to be available with a view to improving the school programme and school practices. It is based in the principal of optimum utilization of the resources available in the school and the community. The plan may be for a longer duration or a shorter duration.

Objectives of institutional planning

• To bring improvement in the structure of educational institution

• To give proper direction to functioning of educational institutions

• To develop a comprehensive programme of improvement of educational system in all its parameters by optimum utilization of existing resources within its reach

• To provide opportunities to the members of the local community, staff and students to treat educational institutions as a joint and coo operative venture and to bring improvement in education institutions

• To give adequate freedom to teachers think to innovative and creative ideas for the improvement of institution and other programmes in the institution.

• To impart realism and concreteness to educational planning

• To shift the emphasis from expenditure orientation to the effort orientation and proper utilization of the resources. i

• To create democratic environment to enable every teacher, administrator, parent and students to take part in the formulation and implementation of the plan.

Nature and characteristics of an institutional plan

1. need based

2. specificity

3. optimum utilization

4. augmentating Human efforts

5. goal – oriented

6. cooperative in nature

7. long and short term plans

8. flexibility

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING

1. FOR BETTERMENT AND IMPROVEMENT

All institutions have some plans. All the heads of institutions make plans and each teacher also plans. In fact each headmaster and teacher does plan but this planning my not be systematic adequate and clear. This planning may not exist in a definite or regular form. Planning may mostly be routine planning of the syllabus time table and examination etc. and it may not exist in a definite or regular form and it may be repeated from term to term and from session to session without much thinking.

2. TO GIVE PROPER DIRECTION TO EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Institutional planning will gives you right direction to the educational planning in the country i.e, the upward direction from bottom to top. In the normal trend followed today the direction of planning is from top to bottom. Institutional planning is the recognition of the role of administrators‟ teachers, parents, students, educationists and social reformers in the process of planning of education in the country.

3. FOR MAXIMUM UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES

Institutional planning leads to optimum use of the existing resources. As a nation we face a great scarcity of resources with increasing needs and demands from every quarter. Therefore we must plan for maximum utilization of scarce resource.

4. FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Educational planning must fit into the over all national planning for developmental purposes. As such it gets importance from the need for collective efforts of the people. In the words of B.D. Nag Chaudhari, Since the implementation of plan‟s and programmes is as important and vital as plan formulation. Institutional planning has a special contribution to make in national development.

5. TO ENCOURAGE INITIATIVE OF INDIVIDUAL TEACHER

Institutional plan encourages initiative freedom and creativity of the teacher makes the individual teacher effective. It motivates them too strive harder for achieving excellence. It draws out the best of the teachers.

6. FOR DEMOCRATIZATION OF PLANNING

Institutional planning democratizes the process of planning because it takes into

confidence the students the teachers the parents and the head of the institution. Sh.J.P.Naik says, “A major reform, I propose, therefore is that the planning that resembles an inverted pyramid should be broad-based and decentralized by introducing the system of institutional plans.” He strongly planed to have a fine blend of the centralized and decentralized systems of educational planning in our country.

STEPS OF INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING

1. Survey of the needs of an institution

2. survey of resources

3. determining priorities and formulation of action plan

4. execution of the plan

5. evaluation of the plan

INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING—Steps

1. ANALYSIS: Analysis of the Institution‘s present situation in terms of needs is carried out. This analysis involves:

i. School building in terms of space.

ii. Equipment and furniture are adequate.

iii. Laboratory and library equipment.

iv. Programmes which require change.

v. Staff requirements.

vi. Additional infrastructure like hostel, staff quarters, school bus, play-grounds etc.

vii. Examination system.

vii. Admission procedures.

ix. Identification of areas which require improvement, but can be done without additional resources is also analysed.

2. SURVEY: Based on the Analysis carried out, a Survey of the existing resources as well those available in the future is to be carried out. The survey must include Statistical fact and figures regarding;

1. Enrolment.

2. Staff.

3. Equipment.

4. Books.

5. Examination results.

The resources to be surveyed fall into the following categories;

a. Resources in the School. b. Resources available through the Government.

c. Resources available in the Community

3. IMPROVEMENT: Every institution must prepare a List of Improvement programmes, along with details of each programme. The programmes can be Long term or short term in nature. Each improvement programme must be specific in terms of;

i. Utility for the institution.

ii. Financial implications.

iii. Objectives must be stated in clear terms.

iv. The programmes must be clearly outlined in terms of tasks.

Each task must be specified in terms of:

i. Resources required

ii. Time schedule for each task.

iii. Expected output.

4. IMPLEMENTATION: Implementation of the Improvement programmes should follow the given guidelines;

• Available material and human resources should be utilised.

• There should be cooperation among all staff members.

• The principal would be overall in-charge and certain staff members would be

responsible for a project.

• There should be division of tasks amongst all members involved in a project.

• Commitees may be appointed to ensure smooth execution of the programmes.

• A time schedule should be prepared for the project, specifying amount of work to be done in each time period.

5. EVALUATION: At the end of implementation of an Improvement programme, it must be assessed Qualitatively and quantitatively.

• The evaluation must check whether the pre-planned objectives have been fulfilled to what extent.

• Necessary feedback must be obtained from all stakeholders and beneficiaries of the programme.

• Financial status and cost should be measured in terms of the output achieved.

Benefits of an institutional planning

- it involves the teachers the process of planning thereby making planning more

democratic in nature

- the preparation of the plan adopts the down to top approach where first hand

knowledge about the strengths , weakness and the problems arising in the classroom processes and situations is available from teachers

- it is more realistic because I it is based on the data available from then stakeholders namely students a, teachers and parents

- it avoids wastage as it is founded on knowledge about real needs of the students and the community

- it is more scientific , rational , effective and efficient rather than trial and error methods or traditional approach development.

- Each institution has a unique personality or climate and the plan prepared in the light of this climate will be more realistic and effective

- it is goal based and there fire is more efficient

- involving teachers in the process of planning motivates them , channelizes their energies towards achieving the goals , arouses enthusiasm in them , making its implementation easier

- it reduced emphasis on expenditure orientation and enhances goal orientation

- it provides ample opportunities fro creativity, innovations, initiative , freedom and experimentation to those who are involved in preparing and implementing the plans

For further reading: 

https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/28282/10/10_chapter%201.pdf