MY SCHOOL by Dr .Nilesh Gopal das Joshi (reading books for 7 year olds .TXT) 📖

as a compact unit of educational reform or development. These neighborhood schools join hands and function for raising the quality of education. The teachers benefit through the exchange of ideas and discussion. The senior school functions as a source of inspiration and enlightenment for the junior schools. Any good school in the complex becomes a model for all others. The complex ensures pooling of resources for common good and for raising the quality of education. Cooperation

It brings many institutions and their teachers on a common platform. There is meaningful cooperation between primary, secondary and senior secondary schools of the area. Instead of working in isolation, they learn to work in cooperation.

Solution of problems

There may be common problems faced by the schools of an area which demand collective effort on the part of all of them. The pivotal school can arrange for identifying the problems and their causes and recommend similar solutions.

Guidance

In a complex, the head of a nucleus school acts as a competent guide for all the member schools. He/she is in a better position to watch the situation as a whole and provide suitable guidelines.

Better teaching and evaluation

School complex will be a manageable unit for trying and introducing better methods of teaching and evaluation. The teachers can come together to work out an improved approach in their activities.

Unit of promotion

The complex can also be treated as unit to work out the norms of promoting the students from lower to the next higher class.

Complex committee

The complex can set up a coordinating committee under the chairmanship of the head of the nucleus school. The heads of the remaining schools will be the members of this committee.

Departmental tasks

It can also set up a joint channel to look after departmental tasks on behalf of all the member schools. This will reduce the amount of botheration and correspondence for each one of them.

Three tier set-up

The complex will have a well-knit three tier set-up which shall be explained now.

THREE-TIER STRUCTURE OF SCHOOL COMPLEX

The school complex will be organized through a three-tier set-up for establishing link between institutions of various levels.

First tier: In the first or the lowest tier, each middle school will be integrally related to eight to ten primary schools of the neighborhood. In this first tier complex of the main complex, the middle schools will be the pivotal and central schools to give academic guidance to the neighboring primary schools. The head of the middle school will provide professional and academic leadership to the heads and teachers of the primary schools under his/her charge. He/she has to ensure qualitative improvement in these schools. Second-tier: In the second tier, all the middle schools in a particular area will be related to one high school in the neighborhood. The high school will be the pivotal school of this cluster of middle schools and will ensure quality education in all of them. Third-tier: In the third tier, all high schools in a particular locality may be associated with a neighboring senior secondary school/junior college/degree college/college of education/State Institute of Education as the case may be.

All the three tiers will work simultaneously at their own level and also in an integrated manner. All these tiers will form one complex of institutional facilities.

FUNCTIONS OF SCHOOL COMPLEX

The objectives of introducing the school complex will be fulfilled only when the organization functions successfully. For its successful functioning, the members of the committee, the District Educational Officer and the Inspector of Schools should help in making the system more elastic and dynamic. If the system is to function effectively and successfully, adequate powers and responsibilities will have to be delegated to the complex. This includes:

Providing academic guidance

A school complex can discover experts among its teachers and headmasters and harness their services for providing academic guidance to the member schools in these areas like:

Teaching: It is a source for guidance towards better methods of teaching. The subject committees can be formed in each one of the subjects to perform activities like: Division of syllabus for the preparation of unit plan, Preparation, collection and maintenance of audio-visual aids for the entire complex, Discussion on new methods of teaching and other innovations in teaching, Giving model lessons for the benefit of subject teachers, Supervision of lessons by more competent senior teachers, Supervising the diaries of teachers, Preparation of model lesson plans, Providing supplementary reading materials, Making collective arrangements for remedial teaching in the case of slow learners and backward students, Organizing team teaching Arranging special talks on the topics of common interest, Planning and executing projects, Providing guidelines in the setting up of question papers, question banks and actual conduct of examinations, and Arranging complex level academic competitions for both students and teachers

 

Co-curricular activities: The school complex will provide guidance in the co-curricular activities like: Inter-school friendly matches Inter school tournaments Inter-school competitions in debates, poetry, singing etc. Tours and excursions First-aid in the member schools Exchange of good organisers of various co-curricular activities Sharing of materials, facilities, playgrounds, auditorium etc.

 

School Improvement Projects: A school complex can create in it a cell for suggesting improvements projects for each member school. Providing equipment

Arrangement and exchange of equipment is the second most important function of a school complex. The better equipped school may be in a position to lend material to the other needy schools. Some of the items of equipment which can be borrowed and shared are:

The better stocked libraryof the central school may be used by member schools and books can be lent by each one of the schools to other schools, The nucleus school or any other school may lend teaching aids, laboratory equipment, maps, models, tape-recorder, television and other audio-visual equipment and furniture to the member schools on special occasions, The sports materials can also be shared by schools, The materials for dramatics can also be shared, The playground of a bigger school can also be used by other schools for sports day and tournaments, Some of the schools can spare funds and purchase costly materials to be used commonly by all schools. Supervisory Role

The head of the nucleus school, heads of the member schools and senior teachers of various subjects can constitute a supervisory team to supervise the instructional work, organizational work and other activities of the constituent schools and give their suggestions for improvement. This team can take care of the follow-up work also.

Evaluation Function

The school complex will ensure improvement in the evaluation work of the member schools also. Subject wise committees may be set up to prepare better question papers, prepare and maintain cumulative record cards and to introduce innovations in the evaluation programmes.

In-service Training

It will also look after the in-service training, professional growth and updating of the teachers. For this purpose, it can maintain a central circulating library for the teachers. It can also arrange periodical meetings of teachers for discussion and exchange of experiences. Some talks, demonstration lessons and paper reading can also be arranged. During long vacations, some special orientation courses may be held to meet their requirements in respect of new techniques of teaching and new additions to the body of knowledge. Audio-visual aids can also be prepared by a group of teachers jointly as part of their in-service training.

Imparting Educational Information

The nucleus school may serve as a clearing house for expertise, educational information, latest educational literature, educational data, educational news and trends in education. An average teacher does not enjoy access to these items of information on their own. Only a central body with better resources can acquire such valuable information for them.

Institutional Planning

The nucleus school with the co-operation of member schools will draw up and get executed institutional plans for every member school. A master plan may be prepared by it as a design. Each institution should be guided and motivated to draft its own plan with respect to curricular, co-curricular and developmental activities.

Administrative Functions

The nucleus school has to discharge some administrative functions also. If it is a school complex consisting of government schools, then, the pivotal school may perform financial and other administrative functions on behalf of the department. Even the local adjustment of curricula, timetable, examinations etc., may be made through this school. It may provide leave substitute for the teachers in the member schools. It may also look after the correspondence, grant-in-aid, other financial aid, scholarship etc.

ADVANTAGES OF SCHOOL COMPLEX

Better Utilization of Resources

The available resources find a wider use. The services of good and inspiring teachers can be utilized by other schools also. Similarly, a single piece of infrequently usable equipment can be availed of by all the schools.

Professional growth of teachers

The teachers by natural exchange of ideas and experiences provide opportunity of professional growth to themselves. The central school can organize seminars and orientation courses for member teachers.

Improvement in teaching and evaluation

The standards of teaching and evaluation are qualitatively improved by mutual consultation, planning, experimentation and follow up.

Breaking of isolation

A school complex helps in breaking the isolation among schools. It promotes collaboration and inter-dependence. The schools join hands for improvement in their programmes and practices.

Assistance of external agencies

The school complex will be in a better position to get the assistance of external agencies for the benefit of larger number of teachers and students. Distinguished persons and experts can be invited. Specialists in various subjects and activities will disseminate their views and experiences for the benefit of member teachers and students. Books can be borrowed from district level and state level libraries for circulation among member schools.

Better administrative control

Better administrative control and supervision can be ensured when a higher school of the area is made in charge of the lower level schools of the neighborhood.

Improved performance

Local or neighborhood supervision requires the teachers to work with great zeal and responsibility. It results in improvement in their performance. Moreover, professional guidance and inspiration is available at the doorstep which further improves the performance in general.

Wider resources

The school complex with its wider and richer resources is in a better position for trying out and evaluating new curricula, textbooks, methods, techniques and aids.

Economy

A school complex tries to achieve qualitative improvement in the member schools by harnessing and sharing existing resources and without making any additional investment. Various types of material resources and personnel can be pooled together for common use.

DISADVANTAGES OF SCHOOL COMPLEX

Greater load of work

Effective functioning of school complex would necessitate a greater involvement of the heads of the schools, senior teachers, competent teachers and even average teachers. Apart from one’s own quota of work, every functionary will be required to share many joint responsibilities and common assignments.

Inferiority feeling

The system of hierarchy may cause a feeling of inferiority among junior teachers as well as heads and teachers of lower level schools.

Neglect of normal duties

The teachers may get preoccupied with the school complex programmes resulting in the neglect of their duties and responsibilities towards their own students.

Incompetent teachers as guides

By virtue of their status, every teacher of a nucleus school will be required to act as a model and guide for the junior teachers of the school complex. But, every such teacher may not be really capable and competent to act as an expert.

No gain for some teachers

The teachers of senior schools may only be assisting others all the time while getting no benefit for themselves by participating in school complex programmes.

Curbing of initiative

The initiative of a lower level school may remain may remain curbed if the nucleus school tries to impose its suggestions and decisions on the member schools.

Burden on the student

The student may be overburdened with a large number of joint responsibilities and activities.

FUTURE OF SCHOOL COMPLEX

The school complexes have been given trial at many places in different parts of the country. These complexes were initiated after the report of Kothari Commission of 1966. The school complexes work according to the local conditions and initiatives of local teachers. The running of such complexes require sound planning, persistent efforts, patience, careful implementation of planned programmes and problem solving approach. Many of these complexes continued to work in spite of various challenges, but some of them stopped functioning due to various administrative difficulties and lack of understanding among the heads of participating schools. Many a times, school complexes failed as the head of the nucleus school could not create a sense of confidence and a