NEW! 
Written by Riziki Makokha Dunstan | 
Title: Strategic Planning II
Publisher: Image Books Ltd
Author: Patrick Birgen
Reviewed By: Riziki Makokha Dunstan
Strategic planning is a mental process that puts a principal in a strategic position to assess the environment for the purpose of identifying and exploring opportunities for school development. Strategic planning is a useful tool for schools that are writing or reviewing their strategic plans that aims at redefining its business and responses to the changing environment. SP assist school principals with to identify key areas of performance and delivery improvement and to establish facts on issues that constrain the school from achieving its goals. It leads principals to systematically think of the process that takes cognizance of the capability of the school vis-à-vis the available resources and opportunities. Key elements that form the basis of strategic planning for institutions are mission, vision, goal, objectives, strategies and Activities.
A school is a service organization whose business is to impart knowledge; skills and values to learners thus providing a holistic education; for an institution to achieve its goals there should be high input for maximum output. The school administration should move from the conventional approach of management to out-put based/result based approach. Result based approach entails better performance in examination through achievement of individual set targets and acquisition of the right skills and values required for a right citizen.
Good strategic thinking begins with the discussion of an institution’s vision, that is, a mental picture of a desirable future of an organization. A clear compelling vision makes a significant difference in the achievement of the set targets. Mission explains how the institution will achieve its business. Philosophy specifies the basic belief, values aspirations and priorities that will guide the decision makers in performing their tasks.
Whereas values are operational frameworks for decision making, dealing with growth, visions are basic conviction about what is right or wrong. A school plays a pivotal role in inculcating right values amongst the students and the members of the school community at large. Appropriate values will develop right culture. If the right culture is nurtured in a school performance will improve.
Customer satisfaction should be the goal of the school, satisfaction correlates with quality and effectiveness of the school management. Stakeholders in the school need value for their money or taxes. For customer satisfaction one must understand the needs of individual students and the need of other educational stakeholders. To improve accountability in service delivery school should establish Customer Service Charter, which is a social pact between students and the school.
Strategic planning cannot happen without goals, qualitative goals provide better quality service, ensure fast delivery, and reduces costs in the running of the school administration. For the school to achieve its goals it has to set a time frame for the achievement of the set targets.
For a school to be a top-notch with high academic record it has to be influenced by many environmental forces. New laws are critical to performance in schools. The internal environment is the part of school environment that is relevant to the achievement of stable environment. Internal environment influences discipline and the student-teachers relationship in schools this is favored by the communication mechanisms employed by the education stakeholders in schools. A system of communication takes several forms, viz., top-down communication, bottom-top communication, lateral communication, and diagonal communication. Management of information system in the school is the responsibility of the principal.
The school does not exist in isolation. External factors influence the management and the running of the school:
a) Political factors, which include the general stability of a country
b) Economic conditions that encompass interest rates, inflation, changing disposable income, stock market
c) Socio-cultural conditions that derived from the values customs and changes in the locality
d) Technological conditions brought about by the digital age we are living in - there is a general pressure for schools to introduce e-learning, automated offices, use SMART cards for payments and other packages coming in with computers
e) Ecological conditions that characterize the physical terrain of the school, climatic conditions and remoteness of the school are major challenges to overcome. Topographical constrains hinder development in terms of infrastructural development in the respective school. Harsh climatic conditions include seasonal flooding natural hazards like lightening, violent storms and whirlwinds. Principal, teachers and students may be forced to adjust to the new environmental condition so as to achieve what they have set in their strategic plan for the institution.
To achieve its goals, vision, mission a school is likely to face challenges that a school principal must encounter; these may include inability to cope with the fast changing technology, shortage of teachers, level of management skills of the school administrators and poor communication management.
{joscommentenable}
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
| < Prev |
|---|