Educational Management: Types, Importance & Benefits

An educated populace is essential for a country that wants to develop and prosper. A country with a higher literacy rate will have lower unemployment and higher GDP growth. Besides, educated children will contribute to social stability and long-term economic growth by developing a civilized and moral society. However, to improve literacy at the national level, an educational management system must be in place.

In this blog, we will delve into educational management to understand its types, importance, principles, and benefits.

What Is Educational Management?

Educational management is the administration of the educational system with the assistance of professionals and material resources. Its goal is to supervise, plan, strategize, and implement structures in order to carry out an education system. It should be noted that educational management is not limited to schools; rather, it encompasses all types of institutions, including higher education institutes, public schools, and private schools.

The primary functions of educational management and administration are to develop education policies, conduct research, or consult to help evaluate and develop ways to enrich and enhance the educational system at an institutional level. It also entails improving both teaching and learning in a school environment through the effective use of administrative tools, education software, and best practices.

Types of Educational Management

There are three types of educational management: (A) centralized and decentralized education management, (B) external and internal education management, and (C) autocratic and democratic education management. Let’s take a quick look at each of them to understand them better.

1. Centralized and Decentralized Educational Management

   In centralized educational management, all of the powers and responsibilities of educational administration are vested in one hand. All decisions are made at the top level and then passed down to the lower levels for implementation.

   In contrast, in a decentralized education management project, authority is delegated to all levels of management or school administrators. The top level makes major policy decisions, while the middle and lower levels make other necessary decisions.

2. External and Internal Educational Management

   External educational management is a type of management in which external elements and factors provide necessary support and opportunities for the smooth management of educational programs. These external entities are involved in management in an indirect way.

   Internal educational management is a type of educational management in which only individuals actively and internally involved in the management of each educational program are involved. These individuals are in charge of everything from planning to organizing to coordinating, supervising, controlling, administering, and evaluating.

3. Autocratic and Democratic Educational Management

   Autocratic educational management is similar to centralized educational management in that authority and control are concentrated in the hands of a single person, group, or institution. This type of educational administration is typically found in authoritarian or unitary states.

   In contrast to autocratic educational management projects, democratic educational management involves distributing power and responsibilities across management levels. This type of educational management is most popular today, and it is also the need of the hour to bring about a positive change in the educational system.

   In addition to the various types of educational administration, there are multiple educational management principles, as listed below.

Principles of Educational Management

There are a number of guiding principles that form the foundation of educational management or administration. Any institute or individual who wishes to effectively implement educational practices must adhere to the following principles of school management:

• Equal division of tasks among all parties involved including school principals, teachers, and other professionals
• Use of advanced school admission software for schools
• Assign authority in accordance with responsibilities
• Respect for authority and adherence to rules and regulations
• Unity of command—every individual should take orders from a single manager and report to them
• Prioritize larger objectives or organizational goals over individual interests
• Reduce employee turnover by putting the right people in the right places
• Offer competitive remuneration and benefits to keep employees motivated
• Balanced decision-making process- shared authorities
• Appropriate allocation of resources to employees
• Every employee should be treated fairly and without biases or prejudices
• Encourage workplace innovation, idea sharing, and collaboration

These are some of the key principles of educational management that all institutes, employees, and other involved entities must adhere to in order to reap the maximum benefits.

Importance of Educational Management

The three major reasons for the need for educational management in any institute or country are listed below.

1. For efficient planning and execution

   Be it educational management or any other management, planned and organized implementation of best practices and activities will certainly help you achieve far better results than unplanned ones. A well-thought-out implementation plan will assist you in defining the authorities and responsibilities of each entity involved in the process, monitoring the performance, and making any necessary changes to the approach.

2. To project or maintain a positive image

   Another reason you need education management is to project and maintain a positive image of the institute. Given the global proliferation of educational institutions, establishing a positive image of your organization or country’s education landscape has certainly become essential. Understandably, students and administrative staff will only join institutes with good reputations and track records.

3. To maximize resource utilization

   The third major factor illustrating the importance of educational administration is efficient resource utilization. It is important to note that by resources, we mean both human resources and material resources. It is critical for the smooth operation of an educational institute to allocate the right resources at the right place and leverage them to their full potential. This is why educational management is necessary.

   These are the 3 elements that illustrate the importance of educational management. Now, let us look at the advantages of educational management.

4 Benefits of Educational Management

As one might expect, educational management has lots of advantages. For example, it assists institutes in achieving desired results, having better control over resources, and creating an innovative workplace, among other things. Here are some of the major benefits of educational management explained briefly.

1. Help you achieve the desired outcomes

   A comprehensive student information system will assist you in effectively managing all of your human and material resources, as well as bringing all of the components together to form a centralized system. It also assists you in aligning individual objectives with organizational objectives, enabling you to achieve the desired objectives successfully.

2. Improved resource management

   The next advantage of educational management is that you have better control over human resources and material resources. It allows you to choose, allocate, and monitor each resource based on its abilities and needs, ultimately ensuring its best use. Effective resource management and utilization not only prevent leakage but also enables you to meet your goals by the deadline.

3. Increased cost efficiency

   Understandably, when the system is well-organized and resources are efficiently assigned, operational cost is greatly reduced. Moreover, having clear visibility into all aspects and operations across the organization allows you to forecast and plan events, as well as make timely decisions in the school for any issues or help in crisis management.

4. Proper distribution of authority and responsibility

   Educational management also assists you in properly allocating responsibilities to the right person, avoiding duplication of efforts and conflicts between the two individuals or departments. This will not only save time, effort, and money but will also ensure that operations run smoothly throughout the organization. And, understandably, when each activity and operation is carried out as planned, you can expect better results in the end.

The Bottom Line

Educational management is unarguably a crucial component for institutions as well as a country. It assists you in better assigning and managing resources, tracking progress in real-time and making timely and informed decisions. Besides that, you can reduce capital leakage and improve cost efficiency. Check out these best educational management systems to find the one that best meets your needs and objectives.

Paras Kela is a web developer turned content writer who holds writing expertise in multiple niches. The strong cocktail of his English-medium schooling, passion for writing, and vast industry experience help him create information-rich, SEO-friendly, engaging content. In his spare time, he enjoys binge-watching drama series & documentaries, gardening and spending time with loved ones.