INTRODUCTION TO

SCHOOL PLANT
MANAGEMENT
Mark Raymond S. Tan, LPT, EdD
Professor, Capitol University – Graduate School
Director for Student Affairs and Services | Associate Professor V, City College of Cagayan de
Oro
President, CSASP-R10 and PAPSAS – R10
CHED Appointee, Regional Evaluation Committee
Terms, Defined.

■ School – an institution where learning takes place

■ School Plant – refers to everything within
the school premises which includes the site,
buildings, equipment and all essential structures,
permanent and non-permanent as well as
machines and laboratory equipment and others.
■ Management – the coordination and
administration of tasks to achieve a goal
Overview

■An effective school facility is responsive to

the changing programs of educational
delivery, and at a minimum should provide
a physical environment that is comfortable,
safe, secure, accessible, well illuminated,
well ventilated, and aesthetically pleasing.
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Overview

■The school facility is much more than a

passive container of the educational process:
it is, rather, an integral component of the
conditions of learning. The layout and design
of a facility contributes to the place
experience of students, educators, and
community members.
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Introduction

■ School plant management is an essential tool in the

achievement of school objectives. The effective and
efficient management of school plant contributes
immensely to high quality development in education.
■ Olujide (2001) stated that:
“the attainment of good school plant
management requires committed and qualified
principals”.
Introduction

■ School plants are made up of the school land and

all the physical structures on it. It also includes the
site, buildings, physical equipment, recreational
spaces and books used for the achievement of
educational objectives (Oluchukwu, 2002).
■ From these views, school plant simply means the
location, fixed structures and movable materials in
school.
The Correlates

■High educational standards are achieved

when school plants are effectively managed
in schools. This is when students live in
clean, attractive and pleasant learning
environment, classrooms and hostels in
good working conditions, the laboratories,
libraries, and workshops well equipped.
The Correlates

■ Adesina and Ogunsaju (2003) in their recognition of

the need for school plant and effective performance
of educational programs noted that “For effective
teaching and learning situations, school plant and
educational goals should be viewed as being closely
interwoven and interdependent apart from
protecting student from the sun, rain, heat and
cold”. In this context, school plant and educational
goals are interdependent.
The Correlates

■ Therefore, school plant management is an essential

tool in the achievement of quality instructional
delivery in the school. Adesina and Ogunsaju (2003)
clearly highlighted that “the availability of
necessary equipment will enable the students to
make use of their senses for learning”.
■ High level of students’ academic performance may
not be guaranteed where instructional space such
as classrooms, libraries, technical workshops and
laboratories are lacking (Ajayi 2007).
The Issues – Before, today and
tomorrow
■ Unfortunately, it has been observed that some
schools (public mostly) in the country have leaking
roofs, broken windows, poor equipped laboratories
and libraries, dilapidated buildings, blown off roofs,
cracked decaying walls, sagging roofs, dirty comfort
rooms and some teaching equipment in short supply.
■ Situations such as these cannot be seen as
appropriate for effective instructional delivery in
secondary school environment.
■ Changes brought about by the new normal
Trends

■ A trend in the provision of professional space for

teachers.
■ Information technology is precipitating a variety of
changes in the organizational and physical form of
schools. With respect to instructional processes,
technology is facilitating the movement toward project-
based, self-directed learning and individualized
instruction. As learning becomes increasingly virtual,
web-based, and wireless, it still must physically take
place somewhere. As information technology is
becoming ubiquitous, more schools are decentralizing
technology throughout the school building and across
Trends

■ The trend toward smart buildings, or buildings that are

designed and constructed to integrate the technologies
of instruction, telecommunications, and building
systems, will have increased responsiveness to
occupant needs as well as the educational process
■ Finally, because of the recognition that spending too
much time in buildings can be detrimental not only to
health but also to learning, school buildings will begin to
connect more to the natural environment visually,
aurally, and kinesthetically by including transitional
indoor and outdoor learning spaces.
The Challenge

■ Ogbonnaya (2013) referred the principal as “the Chief

Executive of schools in every country”. This simply
means that the principal has the responsibility of
ensuring that school buildings, facilities and total
school environment are properly managed in order to
ensure effective instructional delivery in the school.
■ Talento (2017) in his study stated that “Schools in the
rural areas are likely to face problems of school plant
facilities and maintenance”.
Takeaways

■ Eye witness has shown that public secondary schools are very
important in raising the greater tomorrows, therefor, effort
should be put in maintaining the school plant for better
teaching and learning. It should be a collective effort so as to
achieve success.
■ The acute shortages of finances, the gross misappropriation of
public funds and the misplaced priorities in the education
sector have made it impossible for adequate promotion of
education in the country. In fact, the material resources base of
the education industry are what determines the ability of the
education system to achieve its objectives.
References

■ Danestry, A.A. (2004). Psychological determinants of academic performance

and vocational learning of students with disabilities in Oyo State.
Unpublished Ph.D, Thesis University of Ibadan.
■ Lawanson, O. A., & Gede, N. T. (2011). Provision and Management of School
Facilities for the Implementation of UBE Programme. Proceedings of the 2011
International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Change. Retrieved
August 08, 2015 fromhttp://www.hrmars.com/admin/pics/157.pdf.
■ Ogbonnaya, (2013). Fundamentals in Educational Administration and
Planning. Nsukka: Chuka Educational Publishers.
■ Okonkwo, E. (1997). The Influence of School Location on school Plant
Management in Anambra Education Zone. Unpublished M.Ed. Thesis. Nnamdi
Azikiwe University Awka.