A SUPREME ACCOUNTABILITY

The task of being a school head is not an easy task. It is a wide range of work. In fact, in a nutshell, it is a supreme accountability.

Allow me to elucidate. To fully comprehend the concept of school management, we need to consider and discuss the micro-dynamics. As a school head, it’s our prime responsibility to make sure that school facilities and equipment are in good condition that when the need arises or they are available and can be utilized. School affair and activities must never be delayed or disrupted or even disturbed because of the unavailability of facilities and equipment and worst, they are not usable and sorely damaged. The other tasks of the school ahead, aside from what was mentioned earlier, are as follows:

Curriculum and Teaching Supervision.

Supervising teaching and learning activities is of optimum importance in school management. It is a paramount concern of every school head to see to it that the teachers, do not only come on time and teach, but effectively do their job based on what is prescribed on the curriculum by the DepEd. Continues learning through training and seminars must be encouraged to polish teaching craft and skills to be honed. The end beneficiary to this thrust is our young learners who are our primary clientele. These includes securing the needed textbooks and relevant reading materials and resources.

Financial manager.

The financial resources, which specifically refers to money derived from fund-raising activities initiated and implemented by the admin, donations from various benefactors and other stakeholders, MOOE given by the government, and from other sources. Financial resources are the lifeblood of school management-“the heart and soul”.

It is where we find and get the needed money to be able to attain our desired academic and extra-curricular activities and other school goals. There comes innovativeness and creativity comes in now.

Human resources

Fund generation through various events and projects must be encouraged to raise funds. Human resources, in its undefiled sense pertains to our personnel – the teaching staff, and janitors and guards and other administrative staff comprising our total workforce. Harmonious relationship and productive partnership with them will determine our success as a school administrator. They are at the helm of our school organization and the primary moving force to achieve desired administrative thrust and goals.

Securing our school

Making our school premises and facilities, especially our young learners safe and secured is of utmost importance. A top priority on the checklist of every school head. In fact, it must be our supreme accountability as school managers.

It is imperative as well for schools, as the budget would allow, to hire security guards especially during the night shift.

Our teaching personnel must be security-minded and conscious and make sure that their rooms and everything inside it in which are their primary accountability, must be well taken care of.

But this does not mean we rely solely of security guards. We must do our share to secure our school. The truth is, it must be everybody’s concern. Since the school period is 10 months, almost half of the school year falls on rainy season, with a long list of typhoons and other calamities, Disaster risk reduction management must also be considered among the administrators, teaching force, pupils, parents and the barangay council-a cohesive partnership”.

This will institute disaster–readiness program to the school and the community as well. The school head is also a proponent for community development.

Proponent of community development

When school improves, structurally ans as an organization, where buildings are built and young learners graduate and become integral part of our social mainstream and eventually, they contributes to the economic upsurges of the community development.

True to the saying, “education emancipate us from dungeons of poverty”

A catalyst for social change.

There is a time-tested principle that says “if we want change in the environment and the society, we must first change the person-his very being if not his soul and heart” and not the other way around”.

Education plays a vital role in this domain. When the right principles are imbued in the minds and heart of every pupil, skill are patiently honed and moral values earned through exemplary teaching and leadership by their mentor and school heads and when our graduates integrate in the society, become a parent in the home, joins the labor force or the academe or any endeavor, in the end, they become an agent for social change through active and positive involvement. Their fidelity and honest toils becomes viral or contagious to influence their peers positively and function as role models.

Thus, they become catalyst for positive social change.

This would not be accomplished or achieved without the contributions and support of every stakeholder which includes the teachers, parents and alumni - the very partners in achieving pupils’ optimum performance. But definitely, it must start from the top –The School Manager.

The end objective of these, which is when realized or achieved, is the optimum development of every child learner– in all aspects of his being which cannot be possibly realized if not only through the support and cooperation of every stakeholders mentioned earlier led by the school head despite all the odds like meager resources and worst, sometimes none at all.

The author is Teacher

— oOo—

III at San Francisco Elem School, Victoria, Tarlac