What are hierarchies in the school system?

The school is a centre of number of activities. To carry on these activities several people are appointed. In accordance with the roles and responsibilities given to each, they occupy different positions, thereby forming certain hierarchy in the school system.

This hierarchy in the organization represents the formal procedure through which the school is managed. At the top of the hierarchy is the Principal. Under him/her are two main categories of staff, namely the academic and the administrative staff.

The academic staff is responsible for curriculum transaction, while the administrative staff helps the academic staff in the conduct of various activities by procuring and providing various materials and other resources and facilities needed for smooth conduct of different activities.

The schools with large enrolments might have a Vice-Principal to assist the Principal in looking after the school administration. There might be different heads of different sections viz. Primary, Junior, Secondary and Sr. Sec. Etc. Below Principal, Vice-Principal are supervisors of various departments namely science, commerce and arts.

Below each supervisor are a number of teachers. All the staff irrespective of the positions that they occupy are expected to look after education and welfare of students. Similarly, the administrative staff has superintendent, below who is a head clerk and under the head clerk are a number of clerks and so on. We can say that every organization has certain hierarchies in its own system.

Apart from the allocation of various duties and responsibilities, the prevailing structure permits the principal to coordinate various activities of the school. Coordination involves an integration of objectives and activities of different units of an organization in order to achieve organizational goals efficiently. In addition to the division of labour and coordination, structure of a school also functions as an effective tool for communication. Successful management of any organization depends to a great extent, on the channel of communication that exists in an organization.

The structure that exists in the organization often allows smooth downward flow of information from the principal to supervisors and from them to teachers and through the teachers to pupils and so on. The structure also permits an upward flow of communication from pupil, teachers and from them to supervisors etc.

Bureaucratic Model:

According to this model the head teacher wields complete authority over all that is done in the school. Formation of policies, to take decisions at top and to pass down the subordinates to carry them out on the basis of a legalized formal authority, it strictly follows rules and regulations even at the expense of human and environmental factors. Being a mechanical system, it can readily provide scope for innovation and creativity.

Departmental Model:

In this model the head delegate’s authority to senior members of the staff and line of authority is lateral rather than downwards.

Democratic Model:

Some schools opt for a democratic model in which one may not see clear lines of hierarchy ‘operating as in the above models. In this model, all members of the staff may meet and elect one of the senior members as their head. Policy-making decisions are taken by the entire staff with the head teacher in the role of a chairperson. This model is flexible, dynamic and organic it does not strictly adhere to formalities and procedures and therefore provides the required academic freedom as well as dignity to the individuals.