“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
— Michael Altshuler
The job of a principal is like a good mother who runs the house on virtually every front within the given framework of time. The same dedication, love and care is imperative in a principal in order to sustain and the nurture the family called school. The teachers have to be constantly tended and motivated, humanly treated, keeping the welfare of the school uppermost. This kind of man management eases out the factor of time management. Planning well and properly distributing the work is vital and this is where a principal’s managerial skill comes in to use. The education system is ever changing and one has to therefore adapt to the many social, cultural, economic and technological changes. An alternate strategy need to be planned well in advance to achieve and targets. The expansion of knowledge is very rapid and adjustment is not only challenging but also problematic. As such inter-disciplinary researches can be instrumental in providing answers to the unending queries that arise. Awareness of problems and their solutions through functional improvements, with the help of the motivated team leads to easy time management. The efficiency level of the every member of the school must be enhanced to enable more output of work with less input of time. The organizational climate has to be stressed upon and punctuality maintained at all costs. A healthy inter-personal relationship makes work a pleasure rather than a tedious exercise. To save time and analytical approach blended with synthesis of work, both theoretical and practical along with determination is required. The judicious management of the existing system while facilitating change of the new motivation of teachers and a healthy team spirit, a sense of belonging enables a principal to fulfill all obligations without being stressed. To transform the obtained legacy, even of a slow paced institution, into a dynamic and responsible unit, skillful management of time is essential. Expert management for good planning and effective utilization of limited resources within the given time frame can work as a formula for time management. In fact time management in a functional unit, the school is a place where work is a blend of pleasure and progress, achievement of higher goals while contributing to the existing system, spur the worker to feel wanted, fulfill obligations of the school as your own and you hit the bull’s eye.
The higher the post, the greater are the responsibilities in any work field and the rate of success depends on the right and skillful management of time allotted as well as steady (though slow) improvement in management capabilities. Hence, it should be clear that management in an educational institution/school is not only the maintenance of the status quo but also the operationalisation of dynamic innovations towards structural change. Time management, therefore is of vital importance especially at the institution/school level, where the whole success depends on it. It is significant, though tedious task, at this level where the activities and also the problems are many and where the institutional manager, in other words, the head of the school the principal has to deal with humans of different natures and temperament whims and even egos. Wherein inter-personal relations become crucial for the creation and maintenance of healthy work climate and for enhancing the overall efficiency of the system. Due to digitization & modernization of educational management, a school principal has to meet not only the challenges of existing responsibilities but also the new tasks that emerge from time to time. Hence, the need of the best possible and skillful treatment of school time management by the school head is a must.
For principal, the school time begins the moment he/she steps in the school premises and it lasts till he finally leaves the school for the day. Compared to the time at hand the task before him is mammoth and unlimited, sprawling from the school gate through play fields and corridors to classrooms, store-rooms, laboratories, lavatories, staff room, clerk’s office and his own office. In shorts, his task covers the entire gamut, and includes all the simple, complex, sometimes unique and an expected as well as maggoty problem in school.
Considering his boundless work-fields and limited time, a principal should list out areas for himself, priority wise, that need his constant and very personal attention and supervision in order to manage his time skillful and successfully. Next he should decide the areas that can be looked into, sharing management with the vice principal or the head master/mistress. Other than managing the vast area of school activities, the principal of a school has also to receive and deal with outsiders’ viz. parents and guardians of students, member of parent teacher association, Alumni & visitors etc. Moreover, he has to consider his responsibility towards the school management committee and the chairman. As such he needs to utilize his precious time economically so that no areas remain untouched from his supervision, and for this he can involve senior but efficient, capable and reliable members of school staff and even school captain and class monitors (to some extent) in the management of his work-field, but of course the ultimate responsibility is his. He has therefore, to know the subtleties involved in performing different activities. This knowledge will not only help him in taking work from his subordinates but will also be of great use in deciding how much of his time he needs to spend in performing different activities. After deciding the areas, the planning of distribution and management of time becomes easy to handle. Although there is no hard and fast method of time management, which can be blindly followed like a factory time table while running a school, yet the planning of time management whatever way it is done, determines the smooth functioning of school and improves the management capabilities.
Decision making capability of a principal is also an important factor which affects time management. The principal who can take quick decisions always saves on time. Delay in decision making results in the wastage of his time as also postponement of work and activities, lack of confidence on the part of the principal and a general dissatisfaction and lethargy in the staff and school. This further leads to lack of work spirit and gives rise to indiscipline and blocking the path of improvement and progress ahead.
Ways of Time Management:
It has already been made clear that a very strict distribution of time is neither feasible nor plausible in a school. There can be certain activities which can be supervised while moving around in a school building or school premises or while taking usual rounds when the school is working. For example the school plant management -this includes the cleanliness of the school campus. A dirty campus full of litter, a dungy playfield in which all sorts of animals, canine, equines and bovine bask roam about, dusty musty classrooms and so on are not only an unhealthy place for students and teachers to pursue their work but are also eyesore to a visitor and are living examples of miss-education. Students taught in such a school, would never acquire the habit of cleanliness.
The observation of this area can be done by the principal while taking rounds in the morning or while going to attend the morning assembly or even when he comes and goes out of school campus, without keeping aside any fixed time period for it. The cleanliness, upkeep and beautification of a school building and premises can be possibly done by sharing supervision with the vice principal and sharing management with the staff and students or by some other method which the principal finds congenial.
Management of activities (indoors & outdoors) & specific/flagship programs of institution are another such area where a principal can economize his time with the help of his quick decision making capabilities and sharing of management with the vice principal or first senior most teacher, who intern can get help from various committee heads.
On the other hand management of educational facilities is an area wherein a principal will need to give his personal attention keeping fixed time for it since requirement of educational facilities is normally decided at the beginning of every new academic session, the principal should see to it that it is done in the like manner without fail, but he can economize on his time here also by taking consolidated reports from the various department heads. Moreover, a fixed time can be kept aside for it the initial month of every new session and if necessary or required on the last working day of every month.
The area that needs maximum time and very personal of the school principal and his constant as well as daily supervision is that of personal management. Therefore he should devote major portion of his daily time in this area. For though it is the personnel only who manage activities, but a principal cannot and should not absolve himself all the responsibilities. Again his personal management skill, efficiency in making right decision and his ability to select efficient, capable and reliable personnel can be of great assistance to him in the right and fruitful management of his valuable time.
Since, management of teachers & non-teaching staff and management of students are three totally unidentical matters; the methods of techniques of dealing with these three disjunctive groups will decide how much of his time he should spend on them daily to achieve the required and expected results.
Apart from this, considerable time is required for matter related to rules and regulations regarding recruitment, selection, seniority rules pertaining to promotion, compensation, leave and superannuation of staff, code of conduct prescribed for different categories of employees, disciplinary procedure, penalties, job description, rules and regulations beginning from admission to transfer, withdrawal, rustication or dismissal of students from school and rules of examination, promotion etc.
Preparation and management of time table is another important matter that requires adequate time and administration on the part of the principal. Time table is the instrument used for assigning curricular and co-curricular work appropriate to teachers of different categories, which is like fitting pegs in round holes. Hence the need of adequate time-table and its judicious and right use is inevitable. A principal must allot sufficient time to this area because the improperly and hurriedly prepared timetable can spoil the spirit de corps and functioning of a school.
Administration of time table leads to the supervision of multi-faceted curricular and co-curricular programs of the school. These areas claim time from a principal’s daily school schedule. To make his presence felt, to motivate and to guide his staff, a principal should manage his time in such a way that he is able to spend sufficient time on his rounds at least twice every day.
Financial management is another most important area which claims major portion of principal’s time. Throughout checkup in this area is a must not because the ministerial staff may be dishonest but because to err is human and error committed in financial matters of an cost very heavily. The time given for the supervision of this area should as for as possible be at the end of daily teaching time because it needs careful handling and undisturbed attention. He needs to make annual account considering all possible influx of money and areas to be taken care of in coming days priority wise. He is supposed to ensure timely disbursement of salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff of school without fail to ensure effective outcome of employees.
Finally once in every month sometime should be devoted to institutional and self evaluation of the work done in order to ensure improvement in every area. In conclusion it can be said that alertness on the part of the principal, his knowledge of the substance and subject matter of school management and his own efficiency and careful handling of various school activities will never make him feel the shortage of time and will never spoil his time management.
Written by :
Ambrish Kumar Gupta
Principal
Kendriya Vidyalaya Rajkot. Gujarat.
Email- akgkvs@gmail.com
Education- M.A. in Ancient Indian History & Archaeology, B.ED.
NET Qualified in History, Archaeology, Indian Culture.
इतिहास आज : ज्ञान का केंद्र 