The fifth episode of The Education Podcast released on Wednesday focuses on school management and administration.It features an internationally recognised management consultant, author, and school manager, Mrs Nancy Ekpezu.
Ekpezu touched on what the ideal school manager should be in the 21st Century while also challenging teachers to be prepared for the task of managing schools.
School managers were admonished to include periodic appraisals of their staff members and imbibe a good work culture among them.
While identifying the challenges with school managers, she told them to develop a good succession plan so that whatever innovations they had brought into the space could be sustained long after they are no more there.
She said, “If you left a place and it collapses, then you are not a good school administrator. There must be continuity of every legacy you have left behind. There must be someone to take over and continue from there such that even though your absence is felt, the things you have put in place are still running and are functioning.”
To school managers who don’t train their teaching and non-teaching staff because of the fear that they might leave anytime soon, she had some words for them.
She said that staff training should be a continuous endeavour for the sake of the school’s growth.
“It is better to train them and have them use the skills to work with you for let’s say two to three years and then they leave for another organisation, which you may not like than for them to stay with you for ten years and be untrained.”
On her advice to school manager on the ideal teacher they should employ, she said, “You cannot afford to have someone who is stuck in his or her ways and is always wanting to do things the same old ways that it was done years ago. Such a person has already lost relevance. Get someone who is not losing relevance and is bringing value to you.”
The certified coach with nearly three decades experience managing schools also advised schools on maintaining a good work-life balance, managing negative social media publicity, measuring teachers’ performance, and boarding school management.
Ekpezu is the lead consultant at Pezu Smith Consulting and runs a Facebook group focused on school administration with over 13 thousand members. She is also the author of “Dear Educator” and “The School Administrator’s Companion”. She used the medium of the Podcast to announce another upcoming book titled, “Effective Boarding House Management”.
The Education Podcast is an initiative of EduCeleb towards discussing topic issues that affect the education sector. Episodes are released weekly on YouTube, Google Podcast and other podcasting platforms.
Watch this episode below.
