₦airaland Forum

HOW EDUCATIONAL PLANNING HAS HELPED TO RESOLVE THE CHALLENGES OF POOR EDUCATIONAL OUTPUT IN NIGERIA
Critically, obviously, one could say that the quality (output) of Nigerian education has drastically dropped, including the numerous solutions that have been recommended to fix it. From improving curricula, to sacking incompetent teachers and even changing the whole approach to focus on productivity instead of examination results. The recommended solutions is what is categorically known as educational planning.

EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AS A RESOLUTION TO POOR EDUCATIONAL OUTPUT
Educational Planning
Educational planning is the process of preparing a set of decisions about the educational enterprises in such a way that the goals and purpose of education will be sufficiently realised in future with the available resources.

Educational Output
Educational outputs are the direct effects on the students in relation to their knowledge acquisition, skills, beliefs and attitudes. Ease of evaluation means that the most frequent measurements of outputs are examination results and test scores. The current use of value-added measures take into account pupils' prior attainment to provide a fairer measurement, but not social background, (contextual value-added). These statistical techniques provide estimations and indications that identify areas for greater scrutiny.

The following was also discovered to resolving quality educational output:
1. More funding: To achieve the ambitious goal of providing quality education for all, a UNESCO report suggests that countries would have to allocate at least 20 percent of national budget on education. This seems like a far reality for Nigeria with its 2018 budgetary education allocation of mere 7.04 %. There is a crucial need for the Nigerian government to prioritize the education budget for quality education and better education outcomes. In addition, international donors and multilateral corporations need to support domestic public spending on education. Spending has to match education needs to translate to better educational output.
2. Technology: Technology has the dual benefit of expanding access and improving the quality of education. The mobility of technology implies that learning opportunities can exist everywhere. This is particularly important as physical spaces for learning will not be able to keep up with Nigeria’s population surge, which is expected to double by 2045. Technology also facilitates access to education content, exchange of skills and experiences, as well as knowledge transfer.

The first nudge was the realisation that the country needed the curriculum to innovate itself to the level of modern society. There was no history of successful implemented plan, thereby a reform in the curriculum from primary to tertiary schools started. The then minister of education, Oby Ezekwesili, advocated a National Economic Governance Conference, where all stakeholders, e.g. local governments, state governments, businessmen, opinion leaders, community-based organizations and civil societies would engage in a conversation that was around economic governance making them understand the roles of the key sectors of the economy and on the basis of what type of productivity, or competitiveness level to be achieved as a country.

HOW EDUCATIONAL PLANNING HAS HELPED TO RESOLVE THE CHALLENGES OF POOR EDUCATIONAL OUTPUT IN NIGERIA
Contrary to the widespread belief that inadequate funding remains the biggest draw back to the attainment of quality education in the country, there are many others yearning for a negative educational output which can be identified as poor teacher quality, incomplete curriculum, ethical gap, policy inconsistency among other challenges that must be confronted headlong with the implementation of positive education planning that would yield effective educational output achieving the main goals and objectives of the educational system.
It was discovered that the more the funding for education, the less the success rate by students. That shows the issue was not funding. It was also discovered that Nigeria was falling back on enrolment whether primary, secondary, or tertiary. A further discovery showed that 61 million children of primary school age do not have access to education globally, while an estimated 10.5 million of the population are Nigerians. This figure was 3.6 million more in 2015 than it was in year 2000. It is because of these statistics that Nigeria was unable to achieve the Millennium Development Goal for Education. More discorveries revealed that every 100 pupils that went into the school system, unveiled only two who finishes while the 98 drifts away. Most students in public schools were learning nothing; there was lack of courses in critical thinking; a yawning gap between education and workplace, poor management or running of schools, inequalities in terms of gender; inadequate attention given to early child school system; even teachers quality determines as much as 70% of the learning outcomes that students will achieved.
Due to these challenges of poor educational output in Nigeria, it was thought up to implement an effective educational plan to resolve the poor output.

How Educational Planning has Helped to Resolve the Challenges of Poor Educational Output in Nigeria.
Educational Planning
The affair of putting together series of options concerning the educational edifice in the mode that the education intention and role is bound to be adequately achieved in a time ahead in addition to the obtainable amenities is a concern of educational planning.

Educational Output
This is the total number of students that finally acquire educational success in their school life as it is considered to be the end product of the educational inputs that is realized by a thorough process of evaluation
It provides wide information for the educational planner.

REFERENCES:

A4Academics (2016). "Functions Of Management - POSDCORB". Retrieved on March 18th, 2019 from: https://a4academics.com/be-seminar-topics/59-mba/732-functions-of-management
Diksha, S. "Top 8 Functions of Management". Retrieved on March 18th, 2019 from: https://www.businessmanagementideas.com/management/functions/top-8-functions-of-management/4449
Erhinyodavwe J.I. (2007). The Fundamentals of Practicum in Classroom Management and School Organisation. Benin City: Masega Publishers
Hitesh Bhasin (2018). "POSDCORB Concept". MARKETING91. Retrieved on March 20th, 2019 from: https://www.marketing91.com/posdcorb/

Finally and generally, management involves:
(1) Managing the educational enterprise;
(2) Managing the managers; and
(3) Managing the teachers and the work.
Planning concentrates on setting and achieving objectives of an organisation. Planning is the first management function to be performed in the process of management. It governs survival, growth and prosperity of any organisation in a competitive and ever-changing environment the planning function is performed by managers at every level of management. It is necessary for discharging all other management functions also.
An organisation is like a BICYCLE.
Central Framework of Management system:
1. Top Bar — Organisation.
2. Right Bar — Communication.
3. Left Bar — Human Relation.
No organised activity could exist for long without this Bicycle. A manager has to use the central frame effectively.
Supporting Mechanism to Management System:
(1) Rear Wheel: It represents Technical know how — administrative office, plant, personnel, marketing, purchasing, finance, planning and research.
(2) Front Wheel: It represents managerial function — planning, organising, directing, controlling, etc., the manager provides the motive power to run the wheels of business enterprise. He is also the coordinating and controlling authority.
(3) The Head-lamp represents goals and objectives to be achieved.
(4) On the carrier we have goods and services required in the market.
(5) Roadway for business journey indicates economic, social and political factors.

EVALUATING:
Evaluating constitutes the assessment of the worth of the system itself or of all the individuals within the system. The system can be evaluated when the result of the system are matched against the objectives. This is to ensure that a teacher has been performing the functions for which he was employed. Also, it is to improve the effectiveness of teachers or other staffs within the educational system so that they can contribute maximally to the attainment of the system's goals.

BUDGETING
Finance is the lifeblood of any organization. Appropriate and consistent account of every penny spent is crucial for the survival and prosperity of any organization. Resources – man, money, material and time – should be allocated to each and every educational institution in advance and the employees responsible should be held accountable for their stipulated usage. This is necessary to gauge the estimates for any such future requirements and also to investigate any source of mistake or fraud.
For example, continuing the same example, in Bluehaven International College. there is separate department named as ‘Budgeting and Controlling’ that will frame the budgets and allocations for all the departments after the departmental heads have submitted their goals for the year and requirements in terms of money, human resource, materials, and technology.

REPORTING:
Reporting refers to keeping the channels of communication open both the ways throughout the organization. This helps in reporting the progress of the work to the superior authorities and lets them make modifications to the plan if required. Similarly, all the essential exchange of information such as problems of employees, new regulations, appreciation etc. can be easily shared with the concerned parties thin very less time and minimal distortions. For example, there will be weekly or bi-weekly meetings held in each of the departments where the progress of the period will be reported to and discussed with the departmental head.

COMMUNICATION:
In its broadest sense, communication is the transmission of meaning to others. It means transfer of information and understanding from person to person a flow of information from the top to the bottom and from the bottom to the top as well as horizontal or sideways on the same level of organisation.
In formal communication we have dissemination of information primarily.
Personal or face-to-face communication is the best form of communication. Managerial leadership depends upon upward communication to the leader in the form of feedback so that he can understand the feelings, emotions, motives and problems of subordinates and his power will have support and acceptance from below.
Communication also leads to sharing of information, ideas and knowledge. Communication is the cement that makes organisations. It enables a group to think together, and act together.
Communication may be through:
(i) Actions, e.g., smile, frown, facial expressions;
(ii) Spoken words, e.g. talk;
(iii) Written or printed words;
(iv) Graphs, diagrams, figures, models, pictures, charts and tables;
(v) Silence can also communicate at times.

CONTROLLNG:
Control is one of the managerial functions like planning, organizing, staffing and directing. It helps us to keep tab on the day to day activities, analyze the gaps and and rectify/minimize them, so that organizational objectives are met. Usually organizational control proceed establish standards to measure performance, compare the results with stated goals and take corrective actions.
Controlling is the last phase of the management process. Control is the process of measuring actual results or present performance, comparing those results to plans or some standard of performance, finding the reason for deviations of actual from desired result and taking corrective action when necessary.
The corrective action may lead to a change in the method of implementation of the plan or change in the plan itself or even a change in the objective. Usually our desired performance standards are the objectives, policies, programmes, procedures and budgets.
There are three important elements in the total management cycle or system:
(1) Planning;
(2) Implementation (action) of the plan; and
(3) Control.
The entire planning-action-control process in management is repetitive. The control process generates information for modification or even creation of new plans.
Planning is followed by action, then by review and control in order to achieve the desired result.
Complete operating cycle or planning control cycle includes:
(1) Objectives;
(2) Planning;
(3) Action;
(4) Accomplishment;
(5) Feedback of Information; and
(6) Mechanism of Control: Good management adopts this cycle and assures not only survival but also promotes growth.
A manager must adopt the following steps in controlling:
(1) Identify potential problems;
(2) Select mode of control;
(3) Audit, measure and evaluate performance in terms of planning;
(4) Spot significant deviations;
(5) Ascertain causes of deviations;
(6) Take remedial measures;
(7) Ensure accomplishment of targets.

COORDINATING:
Each managerial function is an exercise in co-ordination. It is said that co-ordination is the essence of management. It is an integral plan of direction. Co­ordination is concerned with harmonious and unified action directed toward a common objective. It involves inter-relating various parts of the educational organisation.
It is not a separate activity but a condition that should diffuse itself through all phases of the management process. Co-ordination is an orderly arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of action.
It ensures that all groups and persons work efficiently, economically and in harmony. Co-ordination can be accomplished automatically if we have sound objectives, policies, procedures and programmes and a sound organisation structure.
Coordination is essential in the educational organisation because there are:
(1) Multiple and complex activities;
(2) Complex and elaborate organisation structure;
(3) Multiple levels of management due to limited span of control; and
(4) Acute division of labour leading to increasing use of specialists.
A manager must co-ordinate the work for which he is accountable by balancing, timing, and integrating the work. Such efforts at co-ordination are required at all levels of management.
Provost, Vice Chancellors, Deans, Proprietors, Principals, Head of Departments (HODs), Bursers, Managing Directors, etc., are the usual agencies of co-ordination to develop an orderly and integrated pattern of group efforts in proper sequence and at proper time. Co-ordination requires effective channels of communication. Person-to-person communication is most effective for co-ordination.

DEVELOPING:
This is to make use of evaluation results. It is for all forms of activities which have been identified, evaluated to be improved upon. Development is the climax of management.

DIRECTING:
Directing is a continuous task of making decisions and embodying them in specific and general orders and instructions and serving as the leader of the enterprise. Directing includes Communicating, Leading and Motivating.
Principals or Head masters/mistresses prefer leading in place of directing particularly under a democratic managerial set up. The function of leading has been termed motivating, directing, guiding, stimulating and actuating. This managerial function is directly concerned with the human factors of an organisation.
A manager by leadership and stimulation has to direct and guide all subordinates and get the work done through people. Direction involves managing managers, managing workers and the work through the means of motivation, proper leadership, effective communication as well as co-ordination.
This means making the staff of an organisation or subordinates to work. This points to coercion of the assigned for compliance. The Head Teacher like every manager uses the administrative wisdom to motivate and influence or sometimes coerce the individuals or groups to do their work. In the classroom, the teacher as the head directs, influence the pupils/students in a manner that they have to comply with instructions, to carry out their assigned class work or other duties expected of them. He makes them to be attentive to lessons, motivates and reards them where necessary to exercise the law of reinforcement. This attitude can reflect the teacher's personality while it encourages, sensitizes the pupils to work. The teacher should, though, criticise the wrongs of his pupils, but should be mild. In doing that, he must remember that they are human beings of diverse abilities, feelings, self-esteem and distinct personalities which will attract the pupils to him. This will make his command effective.

STIMULATING/MOTIVATING:
This managerial function is fully reflected when we define management as the art of getting things done willingly through and with other people.
Management is interested in two primary elements:
(1) Things, i.e., material resources and
(2) Men and women, i.e., human resources.
The power of management exists with or through people, but never over them, at least in a democratic society. Authority may be imposed from above but it must be supported, nourished and recognised from below, i.e., from the subordinates. Then only the authority is meaningful and it can work smoothly.
The managerial power has its source in the methods of leading, stimulating, appraising, teaching, influencing, counseling, coaching, delegating and setting an example. So the manager plans, organises, directs, and stimulates the people working with him. Stimulation and leadership are the master keys to successful management of any enterprise.
They are also responsible to ensure productivity of human resources. Stimulation can set into motion a person to carry out certain activity. Stimulation assumes unique importance in modern business management. Democratic leadership heavily relies on stimulation of employees, through financial and non- financial incentives.
Human relations in industry have accorded special emphasis to this managerial function. Effective communication and participation enhance the power of stimulation. Feedback of information (upward communication) is necessary for effective stimulation and direction.

STAFFING
Staffing involves filling the positions needed in the organisation structure by appointing competent and qualified persons for the jobs. This needs man-power planning and man-power management. We have scientific selection and training of teachers.
There have to be suitable methods of remuneration and performance appraisal. However, top management is ultimately responsible for all activities relating to staffing.
The main objective of Staffing is to manage various job profiles created by organizing. Staffing helps to find the gap between available and required manpower. Staffing is not one time activity. As per organization growth, new positions should be identified and filled.

Departmentation/Division of Labour
Departmentation is the process of clubbing multiple jobs and assign it to manager for better planning, coordination and control.

Delegation of Authority
The following can be achieved under delegation of authority using one of the following principles:
1. Exception principle: This principle talks about a principal or head master/mistress concentrating on tasks which needs immediate attention (considerable deviation from the planned) and let his subordinates handle routine tasks.
2. Scalar chain of command: Talks about a shorter chain of command for a better top down communication.
3. Decentralization: Delegating of authority to the lower levels in the organization.
4. Parity principle: Talks about how the manager should keep a balance between responsibility and authority.

Span of Control
The span of control states the number of employees (teaching staffs and non-teaching staffs) a manager can supervise, typically 5-6 employees. Based on the level of complexity and priority of the project, the span of control can be increased.

ORGANISING:
Managing an educational outfit is not just planning. It includes putting life into the plan by bringing together the executive personnel, workers, capital, machinery, materials, physical facilities and other things or services to execute the plans. When these resources are assembled the institution comes to life.
Organising involves determining and noting activities needed to fulfil the objectives, grouping these activities into manageable units or departments, and assigning such groups of activities to managers. Delegation of authority creates an organisation. It determines authority-responsibility relationship. These relationships must be properly co-ordinated to secure unity of organisation.
Organising is establishing the internal organizational structure of the school. Main objective is to create a clear cut division and coordination of tasks, information flow management inside an organization. An organizational structure should clearly define the division of labor, delegation of authority and span of control.

Marketing Plan
Marketing Plan helps us understand who the customers (parents, students/pupils, teachers) are, their key characteristics, needs and wants, their expectation of our product, their special requirements and perceptions, their perspective about the school, products or services and finally the intentions of the customer.

Strategic Plan
A strategic plan is an internal document for internal guidance within the educational organization. In most cases, strategic plan is not shared with audience outside the organization. Each department in the organization makes sure that their goals are aligned with the strategic plan.

Business Plan
A business plan is meant for possible investors (parents, government) outside the organization. A business plan presents current financial condition, future investment plans, revenues and growth projection to lure investors. It can also be considered as a branding exercise.

Event Planning
Event planning deals with planning, budgeting, scheduling, developing a theme and coordinating an excursion, P.T.A. (Parent and Teachers' Association) meetings or a school tour to make it a grant success.

Financial Planning
Financial Planning helps the educational firm to determine the future financial needs or goals and ways to achieve them. It helps to decide on investments and activities which needs to be taken up under various financial circumstances, keeping in mind short term and long term financial plan.

PLANNING:
When management is reviewed as a process, planning is the first function performed by a manager (principal, head master/mistress, etc.) in any educational institution. The work of a manager begins with the setting of the school's objectives and goals in each area of the business. This is done through planning. A manager probes the present to find where he is and he then forecasts future objectives which will indicate where he wants to be, i.e., the destination to be reached. The alternatives to achieve the objectives are evaluated and the selected alternative becomes the plan of action. Once the plan is formulated, the manager has to indicate the objectives of the plan and steps to be taken by his subordinates. By communicating he makes the objectives effective. In practice, planning function is all-pervading. It is involved in all other managerial functions. For example, budget is a part of planning as well as an instrument of control. Planning makes things happen that would not otherwise occur. Planning includes objectives, strategies, policies, procedures, programmes, etc., as it involves making choices, decision making is the heart of planning.
There are various types of planning which includes: Business Plan, Event Planning, Financial Plan, Marketing Plan and Strategic Planning.

The functions of management in any organisation can be summarized into "POSDCORBE". The acronym "POSDCORBE" are:
Planning;
Organizing;
Staffing and Stimulating;
Directing and Developing;
Coordinating, Controlling, and Communication;
Reporting;
Budgeting; and
Evaluating.
The strengths of "POSDCORBE" lies in the fact that it can be the starting point to analyze the management functions in a structured way. The structure also helps to analyze the management activities. The following are the rudiments of POSDCORBE:

REFERENCES:

AMA - American Management Association (2019). "The Five Steps to Conflict Resolution". Retrieved March 17, 2019 from: https://www.amanet.org/training/articles/the-five-steps-to-conflict-resolution.aspx
Clarke University. "Tips for Managing Conflict". Retrieved March 17, 2019 from: https://www.clarke.edu/campus-life/health-wellness/counseling/articles-advice/tips-for-managing-conflict/
UC Berkeley. "Resolving Conflict Situation". Retrieved March 17, 2019 from: https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/interaction/conflict/resolving
Wikipedia (2019). "Conflict (Process)". Retrieved March 17, 2019 from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_(process)

23. Find solutions to satisfy needs: Problem-solve by generating multiple alternatives Determine which actions will be taken Make sure involved parties buy into actions. (Total silence may be a sign of passive resistance.) Be sure you get real agreement from everyone.
24. Determine follow-up you will take to monitor actions: You may want to schedule a follow-up meeting in about two weeks to determine how the parties are doing.
25. Determine what you'll do if the conflict goes unresolved: If the conflict is causing a disruption in the department and it remains unresolved, you may need to explore other avenues. An outside facilitator may be able to offer other insights on solving the problem. In some cases the conflict becomes a performance issue, and may become a topic for coaching sessions, performance appraisals, or disciplinary action.

19. Let individuals express their feelings: Some feelings of anger and/or hurt usually accompany conflict situations. Before any kind of problem-solving can take place, these emotions should be expressed and acknowledged.
20. Define the problem: Meet with employees separately at first and question them about the situation.
What is the stated problem?
What is the negative impact on the work or relationships?
Are differing personality styles part of the problem?
21. Determine underlying need: The goal of conflict resolution is not to decide which person is right or wrong; the goal is to reach a solution that everyone can live with. Looking first for needs, rather than solutions, is a powerful tool for generating win/win options. To discover needs, you must try to find out why people want the solutions they initially proposed. Once you understand the advantages their solutions have for them, you have discovered their needs.
22. Find common areas of agreement, no matter how small:
Agree on the problem;
Agree on the procedure to follow;
Agree on worst fears;
Agree on some small change to give an experience of success.

16. Request solutions: As a mediator, you have to be an active listener, aware of every verbal nuance, as well as a good reader of body language. Just listen. You want to get the disputants to stop fighting and start cooperating, and that means steering the discussion away from finger pointing and toward ways of resolving the conflict.
17. Agreement: The mediator needs to get the two parties to shake hands. Some mediators go as far as to write up a contract in which actions and time frames are specified. However, it might be sufficient to meet with the individuals and have them answer these questions:
What action plans will you both put in place to prevent conflicts from arising in the future?
What will you do if problems arise in the future?
18. Acknowledge that a difficult situation exists: Honesty and clear communication play an important role in the resolution process. Acquaint yourself with what's happening and be open about the problem.

13. Be specific: When problem solving be very specific. For example if you are using a roommate agreement to facilitate the discussion make sure that everyone fully understands each point that is written down. Clarify ambiguous terms that each person may interpret differently.
14. Maintain confidentiality: Encourage others who are in conflict to deal directly with the person they are in conflict with. Avoiding the conflict and venting to others tends to escalate the conflict and fuels the rumor mill. If rumors are already part of the conflict, encourage them to work out a plan to put an end to the gossip. Do your part to quell rumors.
15. Look beyond the incident: The source of the conflict might be a minor problem that occurred months before, but the level of stress has grown to the point where the two parties have begun attacking each other personally instead of addressing the real problem. In the calm of your office, you can get them to look beyond the triggering incident to see the real cause.

10. Move past positions: A position is the desired outcome of a conflict. Often the position is “I need a new roommate” or “This person is impossible to live with.” Positions are not negotiable and result in impasse. To resolve conflict, each person has to “move past positions.”
11. Share your interests: To solve interpersonal conflict, all parties must talk about their interests or the WHYs behind their positions. They must share their true interests and work together to find a solution that satisfies those interests. Common interests for students are to sleep, study, entertain and relax in a comfortable atmosphere. Often their interests are more intangible such as respect, belonging, friendship, and fun. When individuals have differing lifestyles, values, and schedules the need to discuss their differences is critical in managing conflict. You must develop a balanced plan of give and take that satisfies everyone’s interests.
12. Be creative: Finding a resolution to the problem that satisfies everyone requires creativity and hard work. Be careful not to give in simply to avoid conflict or maintain harmony. Agreements reached too early usually do not last. Generate silly options to begin thinking “outside of the box” of original positions.

7. Work together: This requires that each person stop placing blame and take ownership of the problem. Make a commitment to work together and listen to each other to solve the conflict.
8. Agree to disagree: Each person has a unique point of view and rarely agrees on every detail. Being right is not what is important. When managing conflict, seeking the “truth” can trap you rather than set you free. For example, consider the differing testimony of witnesses that all see the same car accident. Truth is relative to the person’s point of view.
9. Focus on the future: In conflict we tend to remember every single thing that ever bothered us about that person. People in conflict need to vent about the past but they often dwell on the past. Often the best way to take ownership of the problem is to recognize that regardless of the past, you need to create a plan to address the present conflict and those that may arise in the future.

4. Analyze the conflict: This will help clarify the specific problem. Some questions that you may ask are:
What triggered the conflict?
Who are you angry with?
What are you not getting that you want?
What are you afraid of losing?
Is your conflict/anger accurate or over exaggerated?
How can your conflict be resolved?
5. Model neutral language: When people are in conflict they use inflammatory language such as profanity, name calling, and exaggerations that escalate the conflict. Restate inflammatory language in a more objective way to help make the information less emotionally laden and more useful for future discussions.
6. Separate the person from the problem: View the problem as a specific behavior or set of circumstances rather than attributing negative feelings to the whole person. This approach makes the problem more manageable and hopeful than deciding you “can’t stand” this person any longer.