Home > School-Based Management and its Influence on School Improvement Efforts: A Case Study of a Community-Based Secondary School in Karachi, Pakistan
School-Based Management and its Influence on School Improvement Efforts: A Case Study of a Community-Based Secondary School in Karachi, Pakistan
School-based management (SBM) has increasingly become an agreed-upon model for the operation of schools around the world. A critical element of the model is devolving enhanced levels of decision-making from the centre (head office) to the schools. SBM is usually acclaimed as a positive step for principals, teachers, parents, students, and the wider community to get involved in the decision-making processes and other school activities that affect students' learning outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to see what SBM is and how it works in a multi-layer school context. The ultimate purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of school-based management on school improvement efforts. This study was conducted in one of the cooperative schools of AKU-IED. The key stakeholders (principal, teachers, honorary secretary, parents and students) of the school were engaged in the study as research participants. The field work lasted for six weeks during which I used qualitative case study research instruments, such as; semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, informal discussions and document analysis in order to collect the relevant data. The data was analyzed and discussed with my own interpretation. The analysis of the data examines the stakeholders' perceptions about SBM and its implementation in the context of a community-based school. The study further highlights the roles that the stakeholders play in the SBM School and their level of involvement in different decision-making processes and the overall school activities. The analyses of the data reveal that the implementation of SBM has helped the key stakeholders decide and manage different activities and programs in the school. For example, utilization of budget within a given scale, management of teaching and learning processes, and personnel in the school. Furthermore, teachers and students have been engaged and authorized in different management committees. There are mechanisms for capacity-building, rewards and communication in the school. As a result, students' learning outcomes and school's performance have enhanced. The analysis of the findings uncovers a number of issues such as role ambiguity, lack of workable mechanism for monitoring and evaluation, lack of resources and time constraints that may interest other reformers and research in education in general.
سید اختر علی تلہری سید اختر علی صاحب فن شاعر اور نکتہ سنج ادیب تھے، اردو اور فارسی زبان و ادب پر استادانہ نظر تھی، عربی اور انگریزی سے بھی واقف تھے، ساری عمر درس و تدریس اور تالیف و تصنیف میں گذری، ان کے تلامذہ کا دائرہ بہت وسیع ہے ان کی تربیت نے بہت سے شاعر و ادیب پیدا کردیے، ان کا کلام اور مضامین رسالوں میں نکلتے رہتے تھے، معارف میں بھی ان کی غزلیں شائع ہوتی تھیں، عرصہ ہوا معارف میں ہندوستان کے عربی شعرا پر ایک مبسوط مضمون شائع ہوا تھا، اتفاق سے اس میں کسی شیعہ شاعر کا ذکر نہ تھا، تلہری صاحب نے مجھ کو شکایت کا خط لکھا میں نے جواب دیا کہ اس میں میرا قصور نہیں ہے مضمون جس شکل میں آیا تھا میں نے شائع کردیا، اگر آپ شیعہ شعرا پر لکھ بھیجیں تو اس کو بھی شائع کردیا جائے گا، چنانچہ یہ مضمون انھوں نے لکھ کر بھیجا اور وہ شائع ہوا، مضامین کے علاوہ مستقل علمی و ادبی تصانیف بھی ان کی یاد گار ہیں، آج کل شاعروں اور ادیبوں کی کمی نہیں، ان کی تعداد روز افزوں ہے اس سے نظم و نثر دونوں کا دامن بہت وسیع ہوگیا ہے لیکن فنی مہارت اور علمی و ادبی بصیرت مفقود ہوتی جاتی ہے۔ تلہری مرحوم کی وفات سے ایک صاحبِ علم و ادب اور صاحبِ فن شاعر اٹھ گیا۔ اﷲ تعالیٰ ان کی مغفرت فرمائے۔ (شاہ معین الدین ندوی، مئی ۱۹۷۱ء)
Character building of a person is very necessary to make any society better, healthier and superior as the construction of society depends upon the people's character building. A number of crime cases are evident that the character of most people is already in alarming phase. However family members, society, Islamic schools mad?ris, universities, and cultural activities can play vital role in character building. Improvement in our current situation as well as development of our future depends upon the building of people character. This study aims to highlight the impact of the Prophetic Sunnah and to show its effective role in building the character of a person individual through the selection of practical models of the true Sunnah, for example, showing great care for all aspects of human such as materialistic, mental and spiritual aspects. If we really want to improve our society or turn it to perfection, people will have to focus on character building, particularly on people's moral, spiritual and social character so that society can present the real portrait of peace and prosperity. This study concluded that the Prophetic Sunnah is rich in the educational principles which preceded the contemporary research and theories, making it first reference as a basic requirement.
Linguistics Principles for the Selection of English Text at Secondary Level The English language occupies a prominent place in our educational system. English is taught at least as a subject in all syllabuses, if not as a language. By this the researcher means that planners tend to include English in their syllabuses as a matter of course, but without understanding the implications of teaching it. Yet, that a language is not a subject like geography, for example, should be evident to all. A language is much more than a subject and should be treated as such. It is, in fact, the primary tool of acquisition of knowledge and all social interaction is made possible and sustained by language. The researcher feels that textbook development is of fundamental importance, and that study material should rest on a firm grounding in the theory and practice of language teaching. Applied linguistics supplies a large background of recommendations and approaches for language teaching in general. There are also recommendations and approaches specific to one language, in this case English. ELT (English Language Teaching) has much to offer in this regard, but as far as the researcher can see, there is little to indicate that syllabus planners and study material developers in the country are aware of these matters. Among the many factors responsible for the current situation in English, this is a prominent one. Textbooks as we see them today encourage rote learning for the obvious purpose of passing exams. They do little for the acquisition of usable skills. A major overhauling of attitudes is desirable if whatever little English is left in the country is not lost altogether. In the light of the foregoing, the researcher has tried to identify problems and suggest solutions for students at the secondary level, often considered to be the pivotal point in the totality of the educational experience in Pakistan. Whatever this stage might be for other subjects, it is deplorably weak in English. Language handicaps incurred at this level pull our students down at higher levels. The researcher is aware that many interlocking factors contribute to this unsatisfactory situation. For the purposes of this study he has focused on only one of them.