Shalini Advani
Schools are, or they ought to be, dynamic, changing organisations if they are to be effective in educating our children. A school which does not think about how to develop, how to constantly grow, is a dead organisation which cannot produce thinking minds. Many schools recognise this truth. The problem is that thinking about what needs to be changed and how, is a detailed, time-consuming process requiring a fresh look and objective perspective on what needs to be done. People within the school generally have neither the time nor the objectivity to make a holistic assessment of their own organisation. So what can a school do, if it wants to create a blueprint for change? It was in answer to this that we at Learn Today developed a school audit framework. Learn Today is the learning division of the India Today group, working on school development, setting up new schools, teacher training, curriculum development and educational advocacy.
The underlying philosophy of the Learn Today audit is a combination of standardised benchmarks and the individual mission of a school. The audit measurements are shaped by an individual school’s own philosophy and objectives and are directly related to the needs and aims of a specific school. Obviously the philosophy of a large private school is different to a semi-urban or rural school which is in turn different to a special needs school.
Shalini Advani is Director, Education at ULearn Today, New Delhi. She can be reached at sadvani@ulearntoday.com