SCHOOL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

School Management Committee is the overall governing body of school systems with
limited powers. Its aim is to involve parents and communities in school
management.

As parents and children are the primary stakeholders of an education system and it is
they who bear the brunt of the faulting school system. They need to be given
opportunities and support to bring about a change in the education system. It is to
realize them that they hold the powerful key to initiate the process of reversing the
decline in schools, through their constructive and collective engagements with the
school and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities of SMC:

The responsibilities of SMCs in the management of the schools are two-fold.

 Educationally, they are expected to monitor the teachers’ attendance, increase the
enrolment of children and build awareness amongst parents on the importance of
education for their children.
 Administratively, they are expected to participate in the organization of co-curricular
activities, discourage corporal punishment and monitor the provision of free text
books and disbursement of stipends to girl children.

SMC: Key Functions:

1. Making School Development Plan (SDP)

2. Management of school
3. Supervising and supporting implementation of SDP
4. Supervision/monitoring of finance, management and academic progress.
5. Ensuring accountability and transparency in the system through the social audit
mechanism
6. Keeping proper accounts of the fund
7. Coordinating with the local authority, generating funds from other sources for
development of schools
8. Monitoring academic progress of the children
9. Instituting social audit mechanism and processes to bring transparency in the system and
ensure universal.
 The Role and Duties of a Principal

The administrative leaders of each school in the school district system are known as the Principals.
Whether it is the secondary, middle or elementary school each will have its own principal to head
that particular school. These principals will be in charge of the teachers that they hire and making
sure that they are reporting back to the administration about their schools overall performance.

The Principal will determine what guidelines the teachers will follow when it comes to curriculum.
What the overall all agenda will be for the scholastic opportunity that will be provided. Just as they
implement this concept they will also need to get out into the field and evaluate the way that the
teachers are delivering there lesson plans and if the students are getting the scholastic opportunity
that they see fit.

Principals should work hard to be in touch with each and every facet of their system. From reporting
closely to school district superintendents on performance, to meeting with parents to explain the
curriculum and even interacting with students at the grass roots level to get an idea how these
programs are getting implemented.

Each Principal will see a different level of litheness in each school within a district. This allows them
to make important decisions to make proper changes in the teaching practices to make sure that the
students are making grade and getting the overall opportunity that the district provides for
education.

Principals will also need to put together very intricate detailed data to provide the district. From
making sure that they keep students attendance to a lot the proper amount of budget for each
school to developing fundraiser programs and after school activities.

Making sure that each classroom has the proper amount of students and each department has the
proper budgeting provided by the state and local government. This allocation is crucial to making
sure that each student receives the scholastic opportunity to further himself or herself.
Interactive learning

Interactive learning is a hands-on approach to help students become more engaged and retain more
material. With or without a form of technology, interactive learning helps students strengthen
problem solving and critical thinking skills.

In the Classroom

Education seems to be constantly changing. Students are no longer expected to sit at a desk and
take notes on a lecture. Lessons are much more engaging and interactive.

Interactive learning is a hands-on, real-world approach to education. According to Stanford

University School of Medicine, 'Interactive learning actively engages the students in wrestling with
the material. It reinvigorates the classroom for both students and faculty. Lectures are changed into
discussions, and students and teachers become partners in the journey of knowledge acquisition.'

Interactive learning can take many different forms. Students strengthen their critical thinking and
problem-solving skills using a much more holistic approach to learning. Interactive learning can take
place across the curriculum with or without technology. Let's look at both.

Great teachers are nimble, observant, and responsive, always keeping an open mind about how to
best engage their students and get them excited about learning—and that means considering trying
out different interactive teaching styles in the classroom.

Interactive teaching styles are designed around a simple principle: without practical application,
students often fail to comprehend the depths of the study material. Interactive teaching is also
beneficial for you as the teacher in a number of ways, including:

 Measurable student accomplishments: Teachers making use of interactive teaching styles

are better equipped to assess how well students master a given subject material.

 Flexibility in teaching: Applying training methods that involve two-way communications will
enable you to make quick adjustments in processes and approaches.

 Practice makes perfect: Interactive instruction enhances the learning process.

 Student motivation: Two-way teaching dispels student passivity, and when more students
are engaged, you’ll have much more fun too.

Applying interactive education

Whereas students often lose interest during lecture-style teaching, interactive teaching styles
promote an atmosphere of attention and participation. Make it interesting. Make it exciting. Make it
fun. As you well know, telling is not teaching and listening is not learning.

The ARMA International Center for Education offers the following guidelines to express the focus of
interactive educational teaching styles:

 Encourage student participation.

 Use questions that stimulate response, discussion, and a hands-on experience.

  Use teaching aids that press for answers, and capture/hold the student’s attention.

 Set up a workgroup environment.

 Involve yourself as well as the student.

5 interactive teaching styles that make a difference

Now is the time to start bringing life into your teaching styles. Here are some of the most effective
ways to engage your students.

1. Brainstorming — various techniques

Interactive brainstorming is typically performed in group sessions. The process is useful for
generating creative thoughts and ideas. Brainstorming helps students learn to pull together. Types of
interactive brainstorming include:

 Structured and unstructured

 Reverse or negative thinking

 Nominal group relationships

 Online interaction such as chat, forums and email

 Team-idea mapping

 Group passing

 Individual brainstorming

2. Think, pair, and share

Establish a problem or a question, then pair your students. Give each pair sufficient time to form a
conclusion, and permit each participant to define the conclusion in his or her personal voice. You can
also request that one student explain a concept while the other student evaluates what is being
learned. Apply different variations of the process—your students will be engaged, communicating,
and retaining more information before your eyes.

3. Buzz session

Participants come together in session groups that focus on a single topic. Within each group, every
student contributes thoughts and ideas. Encourage discussion and collaboration among the students
within each group; everyone should learn from one another’s input and experiences.

4. Incident process

This teaching style involves a case study format, but the process is not so rigid as a full case study
training session. The focus is on learning how to solve real problems that involve real people—
preparing your students for life beyond your classroom. Provide small groups of students with
details from actual incidents and then ask them to develop a workable solution.

5. Q&A sessions

On the heels of every topic introduction, but prior to formal lecturing, ask your students to jot down
questions pertaining to the subject matter on 3×5 index cards. After you collect the cards, mix them
up and read and answer the student-generated questions.
What to do if your child performs poorly at school
Every parent expects their child to come home with a good result after a school term. A good
result assures them that their enormous investment in the child’s education is valued and likely to
birth returns. However, this is not always the case. Parents sometimes must deal with their
children’s unsatisfactory results. What is the best way to handle such occurrences? The tips below
should help;
1. Approach the situation with calm
Naturally, your first reaction would be to express your disappointment in the child. This might
however not be the most productive thing to do. It may help not to respond immediately but give
yourself time to relax and approach the situation from a place of calm. It will help you think
things through.
2. Focus on the positives
It is unlikely that the child would have failed at all his/her subjects. Consider the subjects with
more encouraging grades and the comments from the teachers. It could be an indication of the
child’s strengths and interests.
3. Find out what went wrong
Not every bad result is a consequence of poor preparation, the child could have had challenges
understanding the teacher, be finding it difficult to adapt to a new school or struggling with peer
pressure. At other times, laziness and poor preparation are the culprits. Whichever way,
identifying the problem area will help you find a fitting solution.
4. Develop a practical plan
There is no doubt that the child needs help. Together, work out a practical plan that would help
the child do better next term. Could be earlier nights to ensure alertness in class, a reading plan
through the school term, a tutor for extra classes, a change of academic direction or even a change
of school or living environment.
5. Keep the communication line open
Do not wait till the next result season to discuss the child’s progress. Periodically check in with
the child and tutors to ensure your plan is working. Follow up on their continous assesment tests
and assure of your willingness to listen to their challenges and help them overcome it.
 Time Management
Time management is the process of planning and controlling how much time to
spend on specific activities. Good time management enables an individual to
complete more in a shorter period of time, lowers stress, and leads to career
success.

Benefits of Time Management

The ability to manage your time effectively is important. Good time management
leads to improved efficiencyand productivity, less stress, and more success in life.
Here are some benefits of managing time effectively:

1. Stress relief

Making and following a task schedule reduces anxiety. As you check off items on
your “to do” list, you can see that you are making tangible progress. This helps you
avoid feeling stressed out with worry about whether you’re getting things done.

2. More time

Good time management gives you extra time to spend in your daily life. People
who can time manage effectively enjoy having more time to spend on hobbies or
other personal pursuits.

3. More opportunities

Managing time well leads to more opportunities and less time wasted on trivial
activities. Good time management skills are key qualities that employers look for.
The ability to prioritize and schedule work is extremely desirable for
any organization.

4. Ability to realize goals

Individuals who practice good time management are able to better achieve goals
and objectives, and to do so in a shorter length of time.
The 10 “Golden Rules” of Time Management
. Know how you currently spend your time. In order to manage your time, you must
first know how you spend it. You may wish to keep a log for a week to see the ways
you use your time.

2. Identify your “prime time.” Some people work better first thing in the morning while
others tend to “wake up” later in the day. Identify your best time and use it to carry
out your most important or difficult tasks.

3. Do tomorrow’s planning tonight. This allows you to start off working first thing the
next morning without having to decide what to do first.

4. Ask yourself “Why am I doing what I’m doing right now?” While this may seem like
a silly question, it is, in fact, a valid one. It’s easy to get sidetracked on less vital
issues. Asking yourself this question can help you refocus your attention where it is
most beneficial.

5. Continually look at ways of freeing up time

6. Plan your work, and work your plan. Don’t spend your time making a plan unless
you actually intend to put it to use.

7. Delegate whenever possible. Don’t fall into the trap of feeling you have to do
everything since no one else can do it as well as you do. Not only is this not true,
you’re causing yourself additional stress by trying to do it all.

8. Delegate wisely. It’s poor planning—and unfair to your employees—to delegate

tasks to them that they don’t have the skills, time, authority or resources to do.

9. Identify your high-payoff items. Spend most of your time and energy on those
items with the biggest return.

10. Concentrate on results, not on being busy. While you may work hard and go
home exhausted after a long day at work, at the end of the day, consider what you
actually accomplished.