Assignment Code: MES-041/TMA/2023

Course Code: MES-041

Assignment Name: Growth and Development of Educational Management

Year: 2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

a) What is Total Quality Management? Explain its significance in educational management. (500 words)

Ans) Today, quality is an essential notion for organisations not only in the corporate world but also in the educational world. Nevertheless, it is a positive idea that is difficult to pin down. When we talk about educational organisations, we almost always mean efficient organisations when we talk about them in this context. The success of a school can be measured in terms of the percentage of students who graduate with passing grades and the average number of marks they get on standardised tests.

Educators may consider this as the sole indicator of a school's effectiveness. Nevertheless, it is not as simple as that. In point of fact, it is a holistic and all-encompassing idea. Holistic in the sense that it covers all areas of the organisation as well as the people that work there. This refers to the students, parents, members of the community, and society as a whole (service giver and taker). Absolute implies that it must be evaluated based solely on its own merits, without regard to the achievements of other companies or institutions.

It is possible that the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the educational system could result in an increase in the general level of academic success as well as an improvement in the overall performance of individual students. The educational institution that implements Total Quality Management (TQM) should prioritise continuous improvement, satisfied clients, and engaged staff as their three key goals. The following is a list of some of the applications of Total Quality Management that may be found in the educational system:

Shared Vision and Alignment: TQM places an emphasis on the significance of having an organization-wide common vision and being aligned with that vision. In the context of the educational system, this indicates that all parties involved, including students, instructors, and administrators, should work together with a unified goal in mind and be aligned in their efforts to achieve that goal of providing a high-quality education.

Customer-Driven Approach: TQM places an emphasis on a number of different aspects, one of which is a customer-driven approach. This indicates that the needs and expectations of students should be at the centre of any educational practises that are put into place. Creating a curriculum, methods of instruction, and assessment strategies that are centred on the learning outcomes of the students is a component of this step.

Teamwork and Collaboration: Because TQM needs the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders, it encourages cooperation and collaboration, both of which are necessary components of an effective educational system. In order to do this, investments need to be made in the creation of teams, as well as in the establishment of a culture of collaboration among educators, students, and administrators.

Challenging Goals: In addition to this, TQM places an emphasis on the necessity of defining ambitious targets that commit the organisation to making substantial improvements in performance results. In the context of the educational system, this can imply establishing goals for increasing the number of students who graduate high school or improving their overall academic performance.

Daily Management through Measurement and Feedback: Lastly, total quality management places an emphasis on the significance of everyday management by recommending the utilisation of efficient methods for measurement and feedback. This entails keeping track of how far students have come, determining how successful various teaching methods are, and working to continuously improve the situation in response to comments made by various stakeholders.

Implementing TQM principles in the educational system can, in general, result in a culture of continuous improvement as well as a focus on the learning outcomes of individual students. Both of these outcomes can, ultimately, lead to greater levels of academic success and overall student happiness.

b) Discuss the factors considered to be converging to innovate learning organizations. (500 words)

Ans) The factors considered to be converging to innovate learning organizations are:

Systems Thinking - the Cornerstone of the Learning Organization

Senge's "Learning Organization" relies on systemic thinking ('The Fifth Discipline'). The discipline unites the others into a coherent body of theory and practise. Systems theory's ability to comprehend and treat the entire and study the interrelationship between parts motivates and enables discipline integration. Peter Senge claims that we use simplified frameworks to explain complex systems, focus on parts rather than the total, and fail to recognise organisation as a dynamic process. Thus, increased system understanding leads to better action.

"We learn best from our experience, but we never personally experience the implications of many of our most critical actions," Peter Senge (1990) says of organisations. We assume causation and effect are close. Thus, we focus on nearby "solutions" to problems. We traditionally focus on quick-fixes. In systems terms, short-term improvements often have high long-term costs. Cutting research and design can save money in the short term but hurt an educational institution in the long run. Peter Senge recommends "systems maps" to illustrate system components and relationships. However, people typically have trouble "seeing" systems, and it takes time to learn and apply systems theory to your company. Failure to comprehend system dynamics can lead to 'cycles of blame and self-defence: the adversary is constantly out there, and problems are always caused by someone.

Personal Mastery

Individuals learn organisations. Individual learning does not guarantee organisational learning. Organizational learning cannot exist without it. Personal mastery involves "continuously clarifying and expanding our personal vision, directing our efforts, gaining patience, and viewing reality. objectively." It goes beyond competence and talents. Though it incorporates spiritual progress, it goes further. Mastery is special. Passion, not dominance, drives the riot.  High-mastery people always learn. Never arrive. Language like "personal mastery" might give a false impression of certainty. Personal mastery is not yours. Process. Lifelong practise. High-level personal masters know their ignorance, incompetence, and growth areas. They are self-assured.

Mental Models

'Deeply established beliefs, generalisations, or even ideas and images that influence how we view the world and take action' (Senge 1990). Organizational employees' professional knowledge and expertise. Mental models begin with turning the mirror inward, uncovering our underlying worldviews and critically examining them. It also involves the ability to have "learning" dialogues that balance inquiry and advocacy and expose one's own views to others' impact. It promotes organisational openness.

Building Shared Vision

"It's the capacity to hold a shared picture of the future we aim to create," says Peter Senge. This perspective can inspire creativity and experimentation. The "fifth discipline" requires a perspective of the long term, which it can promote.  People excel and learn when they want to. However, many leaders' personal visions fail to inspire an organisation. A discipline for transforming vision into shared vision—not a "cookbook"—has been needed. Shared vision requires finding "images of the future" that inspire commitment and enrolment rather than conformity. Leaders realise the futility of forcing a vision, no matter how sincere. Talking clarifies the vision. As its benefits become obvious, enthusiasm grows. There are "limits to growth," but adopting the mental models above can greatly improve things. Organizations that can think systemically can realise vision.

Team Learning

This learning aligns and develops a team's abilities to achieve its goals. It requires more than personal skill and common vision. People must cooperate. According to Peter Senge, teams that learn together produce better results and progress faster. Dialogue—the team's ability to suspend preconceptions and deliberate together—is the foundation of team learning. To the Greeks, dia.-logos signified a free-flowing of meaning across a group, allowing the group to uncover insights not possible individually, and learning how to spot team interaction patterns that inhibit learning. Senge suggests adopting a vocabulary more suited for complexity and focuses on structural challenges and forces rather than personality and leadership style. His work emphasises discussion so much that it may be considered a core aspect along with systems thinking.

c) Critically analyse the role of NGOs in inclusive education. (500 words)

Ans)

Inclusion of Disabled, Socially and Economically Backward

Education for children with special needs has been an issue for a long time. In India, it grew after the country got its independence. NGOs' work in this area is one of the most important things that can be done to help children with special needs get a better education. People and groups have worked hard to make things better for people who have been ignored and kept in the shadows for a long time. The main effect of these efforts has been to make people more aware of people with disabilities. For a long time, people thought that being disabled was a curse from God. Because of this, they were afraid to even tell others that their child was disabled. No one thought it was important or possible for these kids to go to school. Parents are hard to persuade, and it takes a lot of care and sensitivity to do so. Armujyoti is a foundation that has been helping children with special needs for a long time. It is an example of an NGO that works in this area.

Role of NGOs in Inclusive Education

1. Advocacy: For a project like educating children with special needs to last, it's important for those who work on it to speak up for it in a strong way. It is very important for an NGO to convince donors and other government organisations about the work it does. In this field, the government has helped some groups that have worked well and shown their work in the right way. Many NGOs use both international and local groups and resources to raise money and build infrastructure.

2. Infrastructure Development: Building resources for children with special needs is another important task, because if you want to teach children with special needs, you need to improve all their skills. Like, if a child has physical problems, it is important to take care of his or her physical needs, like giving the child an artificial limb, etc. In different countries, there is new technology that can help people who are disabled in a lot of ways. Organizations that work in these areas need to pay attention to both making these resources locally and getting them from outside.

3. Teaching and Training: Specialization is needed to teach children with special needs. Special schools have given people with disabilities a chance to get an education and training that helps them live with respect in society. India has many universities that offer courses to train teachers to work with children who have special needs. For example, universities in Delhi offer courses like B.Ed. Special Education (Mental Retardation) and B.Ed. Special Education (Visually Impaired), which are specialised courses recognised by RCI ( Rehabilitation Council of India).

4. Monitoring and Facilitating: In the past few years, there have been more efforts to teach kids with special needs in Integrated and Inclusive settings. The National Association of Blinds (NAB) is another group that helps students who cannot see. Students who are blind or have low vision go to their regular schools in the morning, and then they come back to NAB for their special education. These teachers also go to these schools and help make them better places to learn.

5. Research: Supporting new ideas in the field of special education is important to many organisations that are still growing. Teachers and people who train teachers have done research in this area to help students who have trouble learning.