Ten Suggestions For Educational Entrepreneurs
- dnyaneshchaudhari0
- Jul 1
- 6 min read
G. Balasubramanian
Educator, Former Director of Academics, CBSE
G. Balasubramanian is a doyen of school education in India. He has held several positions of leadership at CBSE, including Director Academics.
He was the brain behind the introduction of several innovations at CBSE, which included frontline curriculum, communicative approach to language teaching, information technology, alternatives to homework, etc. He is also an author, poet and a sought-after speaker at educational conferences world over.
The profile of the edupreneur and investors in education is fast changing. In the last five decades of my association with school education I have seen a variety of challenges faced by them in the management of educational institutions. With deeper penetration of technology into the educational infrastructures and systems, there is a strong demand for greater visibility, openness, transparency, and integrity in the issues relating to the institutional administration. This indeed means that their awareness, sensitivity, understanding and skills of management about the entire universe of educational operations must increase. They are often put to decisive tests on several vulnerabilities relating to educational management. Here are ten suggestions which they need to address:
Reflect on how you manage.
Many investors and entrepreneurs in education often think that their role is strictly restricted to providing the infrastructure and related facilitations for the smooth management of the institutions. They think that the rest of the services could be hired and delegated. They often tend to engage one at the supervisory level who is powerful, who is a go-getter, who is strong administrator and one who implements the listed needs of the investors. Consequently, they do not have the feel of the institution and its dynamics. They depend on the reports and opinions passed on to them, thus staying away from realities. This really kills the growth profile of the institution and promotes an elevated level of mediocrity. They need to trust the academic visionaries and experts who could be mentors and guides for the growth.
Understand the process of education.
Many investors and entrepreneurs in education often think that their role is strictly restricted to providing the infrastructure and related facilitations for the smooth management of the institutions. They think that the rest of the services could be hired and delegated. They often tend to engage one at the supervisory level who is powerful, who is a go-getter, who is strong administrator and one who implements the listed needs of the investors. Consequently, they do not have the feel of the institution and its dynamics. They depend on the reports and opinions passed on to them, thus staying away from realities. This really kills the growth profile of the institution and promotes an elevated level of mediocrity. They need to trust the academic visionaries and experts who could be mentors and guides for the growth.
Do not overreach in administration.
The authority and arrogance of investment often makes a few of the investors treat the institutional dynamics as a business proposition. They tend to impart practices from corporate and trade backgrounds to institutional management. Some of them may work and others may not. Educational administration calls for diverse sensitivities as it relates to several stakeholders like students, parents, community, and the industry. The investors should avoid micromanagement of the institutions and delegate the responsibilities to educational administrators with responsibility and accountability. Drawing a pragmatic organogram is essential for effective educational administration.
Respect the rules and regulations.
Several managements tend to circumvent or subvert the rules and regulations detailed for running the institutions either to save the cost and make quick profits or for other reasons. Most successful institutions who have demonstrated excellence and measurable growth in their profile have been those who respected and followed the prescribed rules. That helps in avoiding a lot of challenge that would subsequently arise through legal proceedings. Professional management of educational organizations calls for them to be run by think tanks who are passionate and progressive about the objectives of the educational processes. Edupreneur who has intervened with the admissions of the students in one way or the other have met with uncomfortable situations in implementing institutional disciplines over a period.
Respect the rules and regulations.
Several managements tend to circumvent or subvert the rules and regulations detailed for running the institutions either to save the cost and make quick profits or for other reasons. Most successful institutions who have demonstrated excellence and measurable growth in their profile have been those who respected and followed the prescribed rules. That helps in avoiding a lot of challenge that would subsequently arise through legal proceedings. Professional management of educational organizations calls for them to be run by think tanks who are passionate and progressive about the objectives of the educational processes. Edupreneur who has intervened with the admissions of the students in one way or the other have met with uncomfortable situations in implementing institutional disciplines over a period.
Focus on staff quality.
A major contribution the investors need to make is to ensure the professional competence of the staff. Selection of the staff must be entrusted to a competent team of selectors while the management either keeps a distance or is a witness to the process just offering professional suggestions. The Quality of the staff members of the institution is fundamental to the growth and pursuit of excellence. Further that helps in empowering the learners who engage with their work with better discipline. The investors need to allocate adequate funds for the continuous improvement of the teacher’s competence as that helps in successful management of professional competition in the market. Institutions with better qualified and competent staff have also gravitated the attention of the communities and corporates to support the institutions for career or other considerations.
Develop a shared vision.
Though the ownership of the institution is vested with a few or with a core team, the development of a shared vision of all the stakeholders is important for not only smooth running of the institution but for its long=term developmental profile. Periodic meetings, conversations, open houses and invites for negotiations would help in the design of a shared vision. Institutions who have distanced from community and stakeholders have faced multiple challenges over a period. The stakeholders start questioning the proprietary nature of the investors and their contribution to a community relevant social consciousness.
Travel beyond the campus.
Proverbially it is said that ‘the ship is safe in the harbour; but that is what it is not meant for.” This is true for the educational institutions also. They need to be inclusive to various growth profiles of the community, industry, science, and technology. Joining hands with other players in the system on a level playing ground helps in formulating better vision and policies. Investors and edupreneur need to be proactive in this domain and encourage their team to seek avenues and opportunities for purposeful and meaningful learning experiences from others. Such efforts help in expanding the iron curtains that hold recruitment of new knowledge and experience available elsewhere.
Think big and look outside the window.
Proverbially it is said that ‘the ship is safe in the harbour; but that is what it is not meant for.” This is true for the educational institutions also. They need to be inclusive to various growth profiles of the community, industry, science, and technology. Joining hands with other players in the system on a level playing ground helps in formulating better vision and policies. Investors and edupreneur need to be proactive in this domain and encourage their team to seek avenues and opportunities for purposeful and meaningful learning experiences from others. Such efforts help in expanding the iron curtains that hold recruitment of new knowledge and experience available elsewhere.
Hoist your Brand.
Though growth is not necessarily linked to brand, it is important to hoist one’s flag of their brand. In educational parlance, brand is not reflected only by the demand for admissions or its populist moves, but it rests on the confidence of the customers and the community on the deliverables. The deliverables include all facets of age-appropriate human development in terms of knowledge, skills, culture, and contribution. This would indeed mean that the investors should seek, forge and work for an ‘institutional culture’ which speaks volumes of the thought architecture of the investors and edupreneur.