Unlocking the Puzzle: Unveiling the Challenges of Schools with Multiple Owners

When a school has multiple owners, it can lead to various challenges and problems. Here are some common issues that can arise in such situations:

  1. Decision-making conflicts: Multiple owners may have different visions, goals, and priorities for the school. This can result in conflicts when making important decisions related to curriculum, staff appointments, infrastructure development, budget allocations, and other significant matters. Disagreements and lack of consensus can hinder progress and lead to delays or ineffective decision-making.
  2. Lack of unified direction: With multiple owners, there can be a lack of a unified direction or a clear mission for the school. Each owner may have their own ideas and strategies, making it challenging to establish a cohesive educational philosophy and long-term vision. This can create confusion among staff, students, and parents, and may impact the overall effectiveness and identity of the school.
  3. Communication and coordination issues: Effective communication and coordination are essential for the smooth functioning of a school. When there are multiple owners, there may be difficulties in maintaining clear and consistent communication channels. Coordination among the owners, the school administration, and other stakeholders can become complex and fragmented, leading to misunderstandings, delays, and inefficiencies.
  4. Power struggles and lack of accountability: Multiple owners may result in power struggles and a need for clearly defined roles and responsibilities. This can lead to confusion, conflicts, and a lack of accountability. Decision-making processes may become prolonged, and the overall governance structure may become ineffective. Without clear lines of authority, enforcing policies, implementing changes, and holding individuals accountable for their actions can be challenging.
  5. Financial management challenges: Managing finances can become more complicated when there are multiple owners involved. Disagreements may arise regarding budget allocations, resource distribution, and financial planning. The lack of a unified financial strategy can lead to financial instability or mismanagement, potentially affecting the school’s ability to provide quality education and maintain necessary resources.
  6. Inconsistent policies and practices: Multiple owners may approach school policies, rules, and procedures differently. This can result in consistency in the implementation and enforcement of these policies. Students, parents, and staff members may need more uniformity and clarity due to the lack of uniformity, which can affect the overall functioning and reputation of the school.
  7. Difficulty in long-term planning: Long-term planning becomes more challenging when multiple owners are involved, as it requires alignment and agreement on strategic goals and objectives. Without a unified vision, it can be difficult to create and implement effective long-term plans for the school’s growth, development, and sustainability.

To address these problems, schools with multiple owners must establish clear governance structures, promote effective communication and collaboration, define roles and responsibilities, and work towards a shared vision and mission. Open dialogue, regular meetings, and the establishment of decision-making processes can help mitigate conflicts and ensure the school operates smoothly despite having multiple owners.

When a school has multiple owners, it can lead to a variety of challenges and problems, including issues related to school employees. Here are some common additional concerns that can arise in such situations:

8. Exploitation by school employees: The presence of multiple owners can sometimes create opportunities for certain school employees to exploit the situation for personal gain. Employees may take advantage of the lack of clear lines of authority and accountability to manipulate situations, create conflicts, or engage in unethical practices. This behaviour can disrupt the harmonious functioning of the school and negatively impact the overall ecosystem.

9. Conflict among employees: In a school with multiple owners, employees may align themselves with different owners, leading to conflicts and division among the staff. These conflicts can stem from loyalty to specific owners or disagreements over various decisions and policies. Such divisions can create a toxic work environment, hinder collaboration among employees, and compromise the school’s overall effectiveness.

Addressing these issues requires the implementation of robust systems and policies to prevent employee exploitation and conflicts. This can include establishing clear codes of conduct, implementing transparent accountability mechanisms, and promoting a positive and inclusive work culture. Regular communication and training programs can also help foster a sense of unity among employees, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and the shared mission of the school.

By addressing these challenges effectively, a school with multiple owners can create an environment where employees work collaboratively, maintain high ethical standards, and contribute positively to the overall ecosystem of the school.

With over 15 years of experience in educational operations, I am a dedicated school management and administration professional. Having travelled extensively across 14 states in India for various services such as CBSE school set-up, school management, school architecture design and planning, statutory compliances, approvals and affiliations, resource management, SOPs, training and audits, I have gained valuable exposure to the education systems operating in different geographical areas.

If you are looking for any consultation or professional help, I am eager to discuss new projects and opportunities and would happily connect with you to explore potential collaborations. Please feel free to contact me at +91 9644888899 or email himanshu@schoolsupport.co.in for any school support-related inquiries.

 

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Rules of CBSE to form School Management Committee

Subject to relevant provision in the Education Act of the State/UT concerned, every affiliated school should have a scheme of management as per following clauses.

All the schools affiliated with the board shall have a School Management Committee as stipulated in RTE Act 2009, any other enactment or regulations framed by the State/Appropriate Government.

8.2. Composition of School Management Committee:

8.2.1. The management committee of a recognized aided school shall consist of not more than fifteen members; and the management committee of a private unaided school shall consist of not more than twenty one members;

However in case of senior secondary schools offering vocational subject additional member(s) (subject expert(s) as per subject offered may be appointed.

8.2.2. subject to provisions of clause 8.1 and the total number of members specified in clause 8.2.1, every management committee shall include the following namely:-

(a) The Head of the school. S/he will be a Member Secretary of the School Management Committee;

(b) Two parents of students studying in the school. One father and one mother of students specifically in co-educational schools.

(c) Two teachers of the schools;

(d) Two other persons (of whom one shall be women); who are, or have been, teachers of any other school or of any college, to be nominated by the Trust/Society/Company;

(e) Two members to be nominated by the Board;

(f) The remaining members to be nominated or elected as the case may be, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the society/trust/Company running the school.

(g) Members may be nominated as per the conditions, if any, laid down in the “No Objection Certificate”.

(h) At least fifty percent members should be women.

Provided further that the above provisions shall be implemented with immediate effect and the schools affiliated earlier and not complying with above provisions shall be required to take remedial measures with suitable qualified substitutes within a year of notification of these byelaws.

8.3. The term of the members of the Management Committee shall be three years. A member can be re-nominated for another term but a member cannot remain in office for more than two consecutive terms except ex-officio members and the members of the Trust/Society/Company.

8.4. Powers and Functions of the School Management Committee

Subject to overall control of the Society/Trust/ Company the duties, powers and responsibilities of the School Management Committee shall include but not limited to the following:

8.4.1. It shall supervise the activities of the school for its smooth functioning.

8.4.2. It will work according to the specific directions given by the Society/Trust/Company regarding admission policy. However, it shall ensure that admissions are made as per merit without discretion of gender, disability, religion, race, caste, creed and place of birth etc. strictly as per state policy.

8.4.3. It shall look into the welfare of the teachers and employees of the school.

8.4.4. It shall evolve both short-term and long-term plans for the improvement of the school.

8.4.5. It shall make appointment of teachers and non teaching staff.

8.4.6. It shall exercise financial powers beyond those delegated to the Principal within the budgetary provisions of the school.

8.4.7. It shall take stock of academic programmes and progress of the school without jeopardizing the academic freedom of Principal.

8.4.8. It shall guide the Principal in school management.

8.4.9. It shall ensure that the norms given in the Acts/Rules of the State/UT and of the CBSE regarding terms and conditions of service and other rules governing recognition/Affiliation of the school are strictly adhered to.

8.4.10. It shall ensure that no financial irregularity is committed and no irregular procedure with regard to admission/examinations is adopted.

8.4.11. It shall approve the rates of Fees and other charges subject to the conditions laid down in Chapter-7. (CBSE Byelaws)

8.4.12. It shall review the budget of the school presented by the Principal and forward the same to Society/Trust/Company for approval.

8.4.13. It shall ensure the safety and security of children and staff of the school and give directions for improvement.

8.4.14. It shall look in to grievances of the teachers and staff in connection with their service conditions and pay etc. and dispose such grievances in accordance with applicable rules.

8.4.15. The School Management Committee will meet at least twice in an academic session.

8.5. The provisions contained in Acts and Regulations of the Appropriate Government will prevail upon the provisions related to School Management Committee in these byelaws.

(Please keep checking CBSE and state Govt circulars for change of rules)

Source : http://cbseaff.nic.in/cbse_aff/attachment/onlineservices/affiliation-Bye-Laws.pdf