...EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT: AN INDEPTH DEFINITION OF CONCEPT
Brief Background_
Ever since man exists, management as a phenomenon has been practiced. People over time has engage themselves in certain activities such as planing of how affairs of the society will be run with absolute democratic authority to ensure the enhancement of the well-being of persons in that particular society by organising and putting certain criteria and functions in place to assume control over that particular society; utilising, manipulating, directing, coordinating, appointing and mobilising human resource through motivation (which could be in form of reward, individuals' willingness and so forth) and material resources. However though, management as a concept might have perhaps, not been formalized and structured systematically during those periods, as the people only engaged in the fore stated activities traditionally/primitively and with a motive of keeping their society alive and functioning positively and of ensuring its positive effects on the people of that particular society.
Not until when enlightenment and civilization, started fanning across various societies and geographical locations did people started getting more educated, civilized and enlightened. As such, learned among the individuals in various societies started applying their knowledge and ideas in making various recommendations as to how the affairs of their various societies should be taking care of, controlled, planned, directed, structured, designed, organized and monitored towards the achievement of certain various purposeful objectives and goals which could portray effective development and efficient growth of the society and the people dwelling in it. Prior to this, various concepts of running the affairs of various societies sprung up amongst which the concept of Management emerged. Thence forth, as societies became more exposed to civilization and further education, the concept of management also developed into broaden concept, proving useful in many other settings in the society and as a result of this, various scholars, professionals, experts and so forth (having became aware of its indispensable and essential importance); started employing and applying the concept in other fields of profession and various sectors of the society (such as the economic, political, educational, agricultural, social, organizational, industrial, commercial, scientific, technological and so forth).
Introduction
In this paper however, our focus is on the educational aspect of management as a concept. In other words, the paper centers around the concept of management and how management is being feasibly exercised in the educational sector of a society, its role and functions, goals and objectives, tools of operation (ie human and Material resources such as the principal, teaching and non teaching staffs e.t.c.... and the educational infrastructural facilities such as classrooms, desks and chairs, libraries, laboratories and so forth, available within (and sometimes outside) the school setting respectively), its achievements and productive effects on the outputs of the educational sector and its enhancement in fostering educational goals in a school setting.
Furthermore, the paper also attempt to examine various particular functions performed by one of the crucial educational management's personnels; THE TEACHER. But in this paper however, we are going to be focusing on the particular functions of a teacher as one of the Managers in an institutional organization as the teacher is the fulcrum of all the educational level.
Concept of Educational Management.
Having attempt a kind of brief background and perhaps traditional description of management in the subsequent paragraphs, a distinctive and brief definition of Management and Education will be pertinent in order to enrich and enable a better understanding of these two concepts holistically (ie. Management and Education) before embarking on the quest, to explore and explain Educational Management as a concept in itself.
What is Management?
Management has been variously defined by several different scholars from several perspectives and with various conceptual views. However, central to all is the conceptual idea that management involves putting in place; a series or set of activities with an initial predetermined aim of achieving a purposeful goal(s) or objective(s) with the help, manipulation and implementation of both human and material resources available at an organization's disposal or within its reach.
Having stated this, observations has shown that management itself as a concept and as an entity is set up by and made up of certain particular persons or individuals in an organizational entity (sometimes of well recognized, authoritative and influential personalities within and sometimes outside an organizational entity) who oversees, organizes, controls, directs and monitors the affairs of that particular organizational entity within and for which purpose, it was being initially set up. Prior to this observation, Management can therefore be defined as a set of activities created, designed, structured, organized, controlled, put in place and carefully and systematically monitored by a certain sect of human faction (imbued with the certain authorities) within an organizational entity with a motive to direct and promote a purposeful work through the organization and mobilization of human and material resources at their disposal (within and outside their reach) to achieve set goals and objectives of that organization or establishment. It is a process that involves planing, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating coordinated use of human and material resources in order to accomplish predetermined objectives of an institution.
Moreover,as an art or science, management often involves getting work done, with the help of other people, within a given budget and within a given deadline.
What is Education?
Education according to the wikimedia English Dictionary, is"the process or act of impacting knowledge, facts, ideas, skills and judgment, either formally or informally" through a process of learning in order to enable an individual useful to himself and that of his society. Without much rigmarole, Education can be said to be a gradual, transformational and progressive process of acquiring relevant skills and knowledge, capable of bringing about a positive change in an individual through the act of reading, writing and computing which brings about the attainment of self actualization and self reliance in that particular individual. This foregrounds, amongst other things, that Education is a continuous process that occurs from time to time (sometimes perhaps transitional in nature) that brings about a positive transformation in an individual and enables progressive development in that particular individual ranging from social development, physical and mental, psychological development and so forth, which drives that particular individual towards the attainment of self actualization, self awareness, self acceptance, self reliance and so forth.
Furthermore, from an academic perspective, It is the provision of a series of learning experiences to students with the initial motive of a school or an institutional organization, to impact in them and equip them with relevant knowledge, values, attitudes and skills with the ultimate aim of making them positive and productive members of the society. This view of education is observable in a school or an institutional setting or environment (ie. Formal education). A school however, is a social institution; a place designed for knowledge and skills acquisition as well as the impactment of moral values, attitudes, norms e.t.c.... of a particular society (in which the school is located and perhaps, sometimes outside that school's society but always through the society's window of exploration) through the use of human and material resources to help drive the objectives for which it was designed. It is also one of the agents of socialization.
What is Educational Management?
Having attempt an illustrative explanation of the two concepts; Education and Management separately. It will be expedient to proceed to the definition and examination of Educational Management in itself. At first, Management itself as a concept of an academic discipline refers to "substantive body of knowledge of concepts, theories, laws and its application in practice.
More so, having highlighted the various functional features of management while explaining the term in itself in subsequent paragraphs in this paper. Various functional features such as planing, organizing, evaluating, motivating, and staffing will also be taking into consideration in the defining the concept of Educational Management since these are the paradigms assumed and employed in the concept of Management in an educational setting. Prior to this, Educational Management can be defined as the process of planing,organizing, directing and controlling the activities of an institutional organization by utilizing human resources (through motivation, reward or individual's willingness) and material resources (both within and outside the institutional or school setting) so as to effectively and efficiently accomplish functions of teaching, as well as learning, extension work and research. It is worthy of note quickly add that educational management affair is supervised by a manager and while a manager is appointed, directed and supervised by a Director. However, since organization is a somehow sectorial, segmental and departmental in nature and as a entity, appointed manager for every sectors of an organization could be more than one, two or more depending on the number of departments or sectors to be supervised.
The various objectives and significance of educational management at the school/institutional level is to ensure the achievement of the institutions' objectives, improve the planing, organizing, processes and implementation of the institutions' activities, and by that, it helps to maintain and enhance a good public image of that particular school or institution, ensuring appropriate utilization of both human (teachers, non-teaching staffs and students) and as such enhance efficiency and effective manipulation of the various available infrastructural facilities (ie. Material Resources). It also helps in improving interpersonal communication in an institutional organization by managing interpersonal conflicts, stress and ensures the effective use of time so as to maintain a congenial school atmosphere.
On the whole, we can say that educational management is extremely important as it provides a patterned structure for setting directions, aims and objectives, planing in progress, organizing available resources(both human and Material), so that goals can be economically achieved in a planned and systematic way by controlling the processes which takes place in an institutional organization by setting and at the same time, improving institutions' organizational Standards.
In conclusion, this article has not in anyway divulge or deviate for conformed established facts about the concept of Management, rather, it attempt is to propose a better definition of the Concept of Management so as to influence perceptions of scholars in the field, Management Personnels and other individuals.
Brief Background_
Ever since man exists, management as a phenomenon has been practiced. People over time has engage themselves in certain activities such as planing of how affairs of the society will be run with absolute democratic authority to ensure the enhancement of the well-being of persons in that particular society by organising and putting certain criteria and functions in place to assume control over that particular society; utilising, manipulating, directing, coordinating, appointing and mobilising human resource through motivation (which could be in form of reward, individuals' willingness and so forth) and material resources. However though, management as a concept might have perhaps, not been formalized and structured systematically during those periods, as the people only engaged in the fore stated activities traditionally/primitively and with a motive of keeping their society alive and functioning positively and of ensuring its positive effects on the people of that particular society.
Not until when enlightenment and civilization, started fanning across various societies and geographical locations did people started getting more educated, civilized and enlightened. As such, learned among the individuals in various societies started applying their knowledge and ideas in making various recommendations as to how the affairs of their various societies should be taking care of, controlled, planned, directed, structured, designed, organized and monitored towards the achievement of certain various purposeful objectives and goals which could portray effective development and efficient growth of the society and the people dwelling in it. Prior to this, various concepts of running the affairs of various societies sprung up amongst which the concept of Management emerged. Thence forth, as societies became more exposed to civilization and further education, the concept of management also developed into broaden concept, proving useful in many other settings in the society and as a result of this, various scholars, professionals, experts and so forth (having became aware of its indispensable and essential importance); started employing and applying the concept in other fields of profession and various sectors of the society (such as the economic, political, educational, agricultural, social, organizational, industrial, commercial, scientific, technological and so forth).
Introduction
In this paper however, our focus is on the educational aspect of management as a concept. In other words, the paper centers around the concept of management and how management is being feasibly exercised in the educational sector of a society, its role and functions, goals and objectives, tools of operation (ie human and Material resources such as the principal, teaching and non teaching staffs e.t.c.... and the educational infrastructural facilities such as classrooms, desks and chairs, libraries, laboratories and so forth, available within (and sometimes outside) the school setting respectively), its achievements and productive effects on the outputs of the educational sector and its enhancement in fostering educational goals in a school setting.
Furthermore, the paper also attempt to examine various particular functions performed by one of the crucial educational management's personnels; THE TEACHER. But in this paper however, we are going to be focusing on the particular functions of a teacher as one of the Managers in an institutional organization as the teacher is the fulcrum of all the educational level.
Concept of Educational Management.
Having attempt a kind of brief background and perhaps traditional description of management in the subsequent paragraphs, a distinctive and brief definition of Management and Education will be pertinent in order to enrich and enable a better understanding of these two concepts holistically (ie. Management and Education) before embarking on the quest, to explore and explain Educational Management as a concept in itself.
What is Management?
Management has been variously defined by several different scholars from several perspectives and with various conceptual views. However, central to all is the conceptual idea that management involves putting in place; a series or set of activities with an initial predetermined aim of achieving a purposeful goal(s) or objective(s) with the help, manipulation and implementation of both human and material resources available at an organization's disposal or within its reach.
Having stated this, observations has shown that management itself as a concept and as an entity is set up by and made up of certain particular persons or individuals in an organizational entity (sometimes of well recognized, authoritative and influential personalities within and sometimes outside an organizational entity) who oversees, organizes, controls, directs and monitors the affairs of that particular organizational entity within and for which purpose, it was being initially set up. Prior to this observation, Management can therefore be defined as a set of activities created, designed, structured, organized, controlled, put in place and carefully and systematically monitored by a certain sect of human faction (imbued with the certain authorities) within an organizational entity with a motive to direct and promote a purposeful work through the organization and mobilization of human and material resources at their disposal (within and outside their reach) to achieve set goals and objectives of that organization or establishment. It is a process that involves planing, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating coordinated use of human and material resources in order to accomplish predetermined objectives of an institution.
Moreover,as an art or science, management often involves getting work done, with the help of other people, within a given budget and within a given deadline.
What is Education?
Education according to the wikimedia English Dictionary, is"the process or act of impacting knowledge, facts, ideas, skills and judgment, either formally or informally" through a process of learning in order to enable an individual useful to himself and that of his society. Without much rigmarole, Education can be said to be a gradual, transformational and progressive process of acquiring relevant skills and knowledge, capable of bringing about a positive change in an individual through the act of reading, writing and computing which brings about the attainment of self actualization and self reliance in that particular individual. This foregrounds, amongst other things, that Education is a continuous process that occurs from time to time (sometimes perhaps transitional in nature) that brings about a positive transformation in an individual and enables progressive development in that particular individual ranging from social development, physical and mental, psychological development and so forth, which drives that particular individual towards the attainment of self actualization, self awareness, self acceptance, self reliance and so forth.
Furthermore, from an academic perspective, It is the provision of a series of learning experiences to students with the initial motive of a school or an institutional organization, to impact in them and equip them with relevant knowledge, values, attitudes and skills with the ultimate aim of making them positive and productive members of the society. This view of education is observable in a school or an institutional setting or environment (ie. Formal education). A school however, is a social institution; a place designed for knowledge and skills acquisition as well as the impactment of moral values, attitudes, norms e.t.c.... of a particular society (in which the school is located and perhaps, sometimes outside that school's society but always through the society's window of exploration) through the use of human and material resources to help drive the objectives for which it was designed. It is also one of the agents of socialization.
What is Educational Management?
Having attempt an illustrative explanation of the two concepts; Education and Management separately. It will be expedient to proceed to the definition and examination of Educational Management in itself. At first, Management itself as a concept of an academic discipline refers to "substantive body of knowledge of concepts, theories, laws and its application in practice.
More so, having highlighted the various functional features of management while explaining the term in itself in subsequent paragraphs in this paper. Various functional features such as planing, organizing, evaluating, motivating, and staffing will also be taking into consideration in the defining the concept of Educational Management since these are the paradigms assumed and employed in the concept of Management in an educational setting. Prior to this, Educational Management can be defined as the process of planing,organizing, directing and controlling the activities of an institutional organization by utilizing human resources (through motivation, reward or individual's willingness) and material resources (both within and outside the institutional or school setting) so as to effectively and efficiently accomplish functions of teaching, as well as learning, extension work and research. It is worthy of note quickly add that educational management affair is supervised by a manager and while a manager is appointed, directed and supervised by a Director. However, since organization is a somehow sectorial, segmental and departmental in nature and as a entity, appointed manager for every sectors of an organization could be more than one, two or more depending on the number of departments or sectors to be supervised.
The various objectives and significance of educational management at the school/institutional level is to ensure the achievement of the institutions' objectives, improve the planing, organizing, processes and implementation of the institutions' activities, and by that, it helps to maintain and enhance a good public image of that particular school or institution, ensuring appropriate utilization of both human (teachers, non-teaching staffs and students) and as such enhance efficiency and effective manipulation of the various available infrastructural facilities (ie. Material Resources). It also helps in improving interpersonal communication in an institutional organization by managing interpersonal conflicts, stress and ensures the effective use of time so as to maintain a congenial school atmosphere.
On the whole, we can say that educational management is extremely important as it provides a patterned structure for setting directions, aims and objectives, planing in progress, organizing available resources(both human and Material), so that goals can be economically achieved in a planned and systematic way by controlling the processes which takes place in an institutional organization by setting and at the same time, improving institutions' organizational Standards.
In conclusion, this article has not in anyway divulge or deviate for conformed established facts about the concept of Management, rather, it attempt is to propose a better definition of the Concept of Management so as to influence perceptions of scholars in the field, Management Personnels and other individuals.
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