School based management in Sri Lanka: experiences of school development committee members
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Date
2016-11-05
Authors
Kasturiarachchi, C.
Sethunga, S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Peradeniya
Abstract
The School Based Management (SBM), known in Sri Lanka as the Programme for School Improvement (PSI) is a central element of World Bank’s support under the Education Sector Development Framework and Programme. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of School Development Committee members on the implementation of Programme for School Improvement. This is a qualitative study; a case study approach was used to study the research problem. Research methods included document survey, semi structured interviews, informal discussions and informal observations. Participants were selected purposively, principals from three selected schools, three deputy principals, nine teachers, nine past pupils and nine parents who were the members of the School Development Committees (SDC) in the schools in the Colombo district. Thematic analysis was used for analysing the data in this study. It was revealed that, at the initial stage, the SDC members have been provided training on the PSI; however it had not been continued. The majority of participants believed training and awareness as a very essential factor. All the schools have not correctly followed the guidelines for selecting their SDC members. Participatory decision making style had not been adopted by the majority of schools. Although the SDC meetings were not regularly held, the decisions were approved informally. The effectiveness of school based teacher development depends on the interest of the principal and the staff. Since all the schools organise activities for educational development of the students, performance is not satisfactory. Schools face various challenges in implementing the PSI. For instance, lack of resources, less commitment of the stakeholders, lack of training and awareness of the SDC members, full autonomy has not yet been provided to the schools. Therefore, schools should be more independent in future, and a supervisory body needs to be established to supervise schools, and rural schools must be given an extra support.
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Keywords
School Based Management , School Development Committees