EDUCATORS OF 21 ST CENTURY

EDUCATOR:    ON BEING A GOOD EDUCATOR          by JS KALAVENDI

Increasing competition in educational services, the high expectation of parents & students are beginning to place an emphasis on the skills necessary to successfully lead  & guide today’s educational institutions.  Obviously strong technical skills and sound knowledge of administration, ethics, training, in educational administration and enthusiasms for professional development are demanded from educational Administrators.  Men who possessed these qualities perform well and are rare.

In today’s complex political setup with various privileged sections, the education sector also needs a sound mind set and greater sincerity on the part of leaders of education to take the students and researchers (in India) into the next century; else the disaster caused by the politicians and politico educators since independence will continue.  Obviously, we should produce students who stand in global competition and come up to international standards.  Adapting stereotyped administrative procedures similar to industry would not work when it is the management of human resources at the educational institutions/ organizations and not materials.

More precisely continuous quality development is becoming more prevalent, and there is  a need for greater attention and unbiased decision making  from education managers.  There are certain exogenous and endogenous variables, which are operating.  but purity and goal oriented thinking would definitely pay and yield good performance.  A greater study of educational horizons is needed. In what follows we have tried to present certain points; of-course are not exhaustive.

One can think of answers to the following questions, aiming at productivity:

How to be a bad educational administrator?

What is not a professional approach for leaders in education?

How to create obstacles for the intellectual development of individuals, which ultimately bring dooms day in education?

How to de motivate certain sectors with an biased attitude on some issues.

How to be a slave of sycophancy and nepotism.

Perhaps an introspection and teamwork in certain key areas will yield greater benefits, besides not being hasty in deciding non-financial issues; greater brainstorming & implementation related to developing and improving the technical vitality and resources which pay in long run. Issues related to developing  /improving objective perception of real life among the individuals will work.  There is a dire necessity of industrial training for teacher trainers.  We need to think on the perceptions of role model philosophers in education.

Realizing and fixing the limitations on the parameters of education which also are the indicators for the visibility of progress of these non-commercial, non-profit making organizations may give a good answer.  This makes us think on the power of leadership in the success of educational projects and the specific characteristics and behaviors of leaders which will have the positive influence on the effectiveness of educational organizations of the next decade.  It is a feeling among the concerned people, that a greater attention has not been paid on the specific questions to be addressed, what to do and what not to do  by the administrators.

Significant characteristics of educators:

Some of the most significant characteristics responsible for measuring the effectiveness of the educational project leaders being;

1.      leadership/role models

2.      Vision of education / technology

3.      Technical competency / expertise

4.      Rational unbiased decisive nature

5.      Enthusiasm of being a good  communicator

6.      A good motivator.

7.      Supportive team with encouraging ideas for the future.

8.      Commitment, consistency and artistically touching approach.

9.       Broader perspective thinking with good insight.

Factors responsible for ineffectiveness:

Lack of commitment

Commercial and conservative attitude

Lack of technical expertise

Resistance to positive change

Inconsistent biased reward system

Poor communication

Lack of resources

Poor motivators

Lack of knowledge to use the available resources efficiently because of biased thinking

Lack of training / bad training bad role models

Lack of timely and hasty decisions and corrective actions based on survey

Lack of effective communication  with in the organization.

Inefficiency in developing a devoted team.

But this list is not exhaustive.

The following issues can be studied in some detail

1.      Characteristics of effective educational project mangers/ educators

2.      Factors contributing to the ineffectiveness among the administrators

3.      Reasons for the lack of timely decisions

4.      Tools/infrastructure / resources required for ongoing an educational project.

5.      Factors which contribute to the success of the educational project

6.      Importance of leadership to the project’s success

7.      Long term goals of educators with milestones

8.      Comparison of current situation in tune with the rapidly changing technology.

Things if executed will improve the quality standard of engineering education;

1.      Motivating  & facilitating teachers for continuing and life long  learning (in education) programs by improving technical vitality.

2.      Encouraging teachers to spend at least one month per year, in good production / service / skill oriented industry  (exposure to practical problems). Presently only 5%  of engineering teachers are exposed to industry environment.

3.      Proper planning for industry institute co-operation training programs with a view to develop objective thinking.  Frequent local industry visits by students and faculty.

4.       A necessity for proper guidelines from the ugc/aicte and the concerned affiliates university.

5.        Procuring  and processing    most advanced applicable technical literature to libraries as advised by the researching faculty.

6.     Teachers to be motivated and allowed to study and consolidate the advancements related to true  engineering.

7.    A view of  keeping up to date with rapid changes in technology.

9.       Professionalism / professional ethics / standards in education.  A true technical professionalism.

10.  Strategic and proper plan for professional development of the teachers and students  with milestones.

11.   Professional awareness in encouraging and motivating faculty for a total involvement and co-operation      (Continuous participation) in creating an opportunity (for total involvement of individual).

12.  Programs that help brainstorming sessions in developing true scientific vision to benefit public.

13.  To maintain, enhance and support scientific, unmoved vision in the up and coming areas of technologies.

14.   Opportunity and facility of networking among engineering colleges in respect of academic matters.

15.  Proper strategy for realizing a vision to enhance and embrace a spectrum of technological developments (their related research, development, design, checking, verification, validation, installation, erection, operation, and maintenance of equipment).

16.  Creating an opportunity and organizing training programs for involving the technology, promotion, (policy with a view to provide food and 100%of population in the country.)

17.  Encouraging women in true engineering administration and men in  developing  r&d activity.

18.  Encouraging high quality individuals for truly engineering design careers.

19.  Developing and fostering programs that encourage faculty to preserve their technical currency, with industrial practice.

20.  Encouraging and involving engineering practitioners in the educational processes.

21.  Need to change and develop a strategy, which prepares individuals to enter the profession, which enables them to continue technical development through out the careers.