The role of administrators in educational institutions

Educational administration is a system of proper utilisation of workforce and materials for effective and well-organised teaching and learning in schools and colleges. Administration plays an important role in the efficient functioning of educational institutions.

The distinction between the role of management and that of the administrator is often blurred and found overlapping. Most of the schools and colleges do not have a dedicated administrator to deal exclusively with administrative matters and therefore they are dealt with by the principal or the secretary of the managing committee. Generally, management secretaries are either not well-versed with administrative norms and skills or have very little time to spare.

However, it is imperative that the duties and responsibilities of the management and the administrator are clearly delineated. Management should basically be concerned with the formation of plans, programmes and policies, while administrator should be responsible for their execution.

Administrators can act as a link between the teachers and the management. They can handle the infrastructural needs of the institution and pay better attention towards financial management. They can build a positive relationship with the community and strengthen parent-institution relationship.

Administrators can assess the feedback from the students about their teachers in a more dispassionate manner and work towards improving it. A school or college is radically different from a government or company office. Adhering to rigid rules and regulations can be counterproductive. An administrator should therefore adopt a dynamic and flexible approach.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accredited colleges, for instance, must maintain a huge number of files and documents. This invariably distracts the teaching staff from academic pursuits. Having a specialist in administrative matters will provide much leeway to the principal to concentrate more on academic matters. However, for an administrator to be effective, his or her seniority and rank should be analogous to the level of the educational institution.

(The writer is a retired KAS officer)