Important needs for education management are given below:
Policy planners in India at the National level are focusing their attention on human resource development efforts and education, according to them, is a means to that end. Indian policy planners concerned with how best to develop its educational system so as to meet the challenges of social, economic and cultural development.
We need to make efforts to derive maximum possible benefits from assets and resources generated through technological advances and to ensure that these benefits are distributed to all sections of society in an equitable manner.
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Indian society is witnessing changes in social, economic, political, technological and cultural fields and education is expected to be responsive to these changes by altering its outputs.
The system of education is expected to provide society with human resources with specialized knowledge, attitudes, work ethics and values, social-moral-political values, expertise and skills so as to sustain and enhance this development.
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This places demands on education to make its curriculum more relevant to the life and needs of the changing society in an effective and efficient manner. The system of education, therefore, needs to be more dynamic so as to contribute towards accomplishment of our national developmental goals. It is also expected to enable students to bring about desirable social changes at the same time preserving the desirable and positive aspects of the existing culture.
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The purpose of education management at the institutional level is to create a congenial environment for the attainment of the aims and objectives of the educational system in particular and those of the country in general.
Knowledge of relevant management theories, principles, concepts, techniques, skills and strategies and their application to educational system is necessary for its effective and efficient functioning and outputs. Scientific and systematic management of educational institutions is expected to bring about qualitative changes in the educational system.
Historically speaking, the present system of education was devised “to prepare clerks for the British administration” and its aim was not to prepare rational, thinking, innovative and independent individuals. Our needs today have changed in this matter.
Of course, we do have a few elite institutions such as IITs which cater to our present day national needs. But such institutions are far and few. Knowledge of education management will surely help us in making this process of transition smoother on a very massive scale.
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Enrollments in schools and colleges and a rush to secure admissions for a limited number of seats have become manifold. Our educational managers require specialized training to handle this situation without generating negative consequences.
We need to make our system of education more proactive rather than reactive by using and applying principles and techniques of management science. We need a forward-looking planning for our system of education at the institutional level. We need to know how to use our scarce and dwindling resources for education in an optimum and the most effective and efficient manner.
Leaders and managers in our educational institutions are selected and promoted from the teaching faculty. A large majority of them have very little knowledge and experience of running a school or a college. This sometimes creates a situation where the institution ‘loses a very good teacher and receives a poor/ bad manager.’
In today’s complex scenario of education, therefore, knowledge of education management is an absolute necessity.