Improving support services for rural schools : a management perspective

Management is a major weakness of rural school supervision systems. Management systems for rural schools should emphasize regular school visits by trained specialists whose task is to help rural teachers with teaching skills and rural principals with routine administrative tasks. The author points out that World Bank projects provide uncoordinated components, such as transportation and one time training efforts for field staff. The training and visit (T&V) system used in agricultural extension provides a model for managing supervision of rural education. It must be adapted to education by 1) targeting specific rural client groups with similar educational needs and problems, 2) providing services that schools want to receive, 3) strengthening links between teacher training colleges, educational research institutions, and rural classrooms. The author recommends including a T&V system in ongoing and future educational projects, after careful evaluation of the pilot project.