Álcia Emílio Alfredo Tembe

Estrela Leonel Fernando Langa

Mário Lourenço Cau
Elfasse Arone Uamba Funzamo

Degree in Educational Administration and Management

Subject: English

Theme: Role of the Director in School Development

Maputo, June 2024

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 Álcia Emílio Alfredo Tembe
Estrela Fernando Leonel Langa
Mário Lourenço Cau
Elfasse Arone Uamba Funzamo

Degree in Educational Administration and Management

Role of the Director in School Development

Work to be presented to the Department of

Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education and
Psychology, in the chair of... for evaluation
purposes.

Teacher: Maura Oliveira

Pedagogical University

Maputo

June, 2024
Index
Theme Page

1. Introduction.................................................................................................................1

1.1. Objectives:..............................................................................................................1

1.1.1 General objective..............................................................................................1

1.1.2 Specific objectives............................................................................................1

1.2 Methodology............................................................................................................1

2. Role of the Director in School Development.............................................................2

3. Conclusion....................................................................................................................4

4. Bibliographic References............................................................................................5

1. Introduction

Many people do not know what the true role of the school director is in an educational
institution. They believe that the role of the school director is distant, that he only
distributes functions to school employees and 'punishes' students who break any rule,
especially behavior, however, the truth is that, very different from that, the school
director has a crucial role in the growth and maintenance of the quality of the academic
environment.

The director is a manager and a representation of leadership. The director needs to take
care of the educational development of students, manage the interests of teachers and
also take care of the school's costs. This professional is the manager of the school
environment.

This work will address the role of the director in school development, its importance in
the success of the teaching and learning process.

1.1. Objectives:

1.1.1 General objective

 Understand the role of the director in school development.
1.1.2 Specific objectives
 Identify the role of the director;
 Explain the role of the director in school development.

1.2 Methodology
The methodology followed to achieve the aforementioned objectives was the Literature
Review, which according to Mutimucuio (2008), this technique seeks to explain a
problem based on theoretical references published in documents (developed from
material already prepared).

2. Role of the Director in School Development

According to LUCK (2000), the director is the leader of the school community. He is
responsible for managing and organizing all professionals who work at the institution,
in addition to guiding the school's Pedagogical Political Project.

It is a key part of the functioning and success of any educational institution. In fact,
because he is a leader, he influences everyone in a positive or negative way. Therefore,
the school director needs to have responsibility and commitment.

We will highlight the main functions of the director in school development below:

a) Administrative management

The good functioning of a school depends on a series of factors. Among them, the
physical structure of the institution, but also the management of students, teachers and
other employees. Therefore, school administration is not just about dealing with
supplies, payroll or book replacement. There is a lot between the lines, which makes
school management challenging (BORGES, 2004).

Therefore, the role of the school director as leader of the institution is completely
strategic. In addition to resolving school maintenance, management and organization
problems, for example, he is responsible for improving the school's relationship with the
family. Another point that is the manager's responsibility is organizing files, managing
the school's schedules and guiding the educators and students themselves.

b) Pedagogical management
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The core activity of any educational institution is, as the name suggests, the teaching
and learning process. Therefore, the school director, as the leader and central figure of
the school, needs to be attentive and have an active participation in pedagogical
management, working side by side with the teaching staff.

In this way, the director, together with other members of school management, is
responsible for seeking strategies to improve the teaching-learning process and maintain
the quality of the institution's pedagogical proposal. Furthermore, it is essential that he
is close to the student body, listening to what they have to say and looking for ways to
innovate in teaching, based on the needs of each class and student.

c) Internal and external relations of the school community

According to BORGES (2004), it is also the role of the school director to be aware of
everything that happens with teachers, students and other employees within the school
environment or as a result of it. Therefore, the director can act as an intermediary and
remedy unresolved problems and issues in this scenario.

Furthermore, the director may, eventually, make direct contact with parents, guardians,
or other members external to the school community, with the aim of improving
relationships, qualifying the teaching-learning process, or resolving pending
bureaucratic issues.

d) Financial management

It is also the school director's role to keep an eye on expenses and maintain the financial
health of the institution. To optimize this control, it is possible to count on the support
of an accounting professional, for example.

Therefore, investing in school management software may be the best choice. In addition
to being much more practical, it offers facilities for other areas of the institution as well.

e) Human resources management

Managing a school requires a lot of responsibility, organization and administrative

skills. Therefore, we can state that all possibilities must be considered in advance and
nothing should happen arbitrarily. Each choice, both pedagogical and administrative,
must be based on well-structured planning (BORGES, 2004).
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Therefore, the school director needs to have effective planning capacity. He must know
how to select employees and teachers who best fit the institution's profile, which
teaching materials are most suitable for teaching students and, of course, be aware of the
learning and teaching objectives.In this sense, the school director needs to walk hand in
hand with the human resources team, managing empathetically and assertively all
members of the school community. From teachers and cleaning and organization
employees, for example, they need to be aligned with the institution's proposal.

3. Conclusion
The principal plays a very important role in school development. The director's
responsibilities as a school manager are diverse, as he is responsible for pedagogical,
financial and administrative issues and needs to coordinate and control all sectors of the
school environment, understanding his role as a manager, motivator and agent of
transformation. Therefore, the director, in his role as leader, needs to awaken the
potential of each component of the institution, transforming the school into a continuous
work environment, where everyone cooperates, learns and teaches all the time.

He is the top leader of the educational institution. Its role goes beyond simple
administration, being responsible for establishing the school's vision, mission and
values, as well as outlining goals and strategies to achieve them. It plays a fundamental
role in defining the direction the school will follow and in creating an environment
conducive to learning and growth for both students and professionals who work at the
school.

One of the director's main duties is making strategic decisions. He needs to be

constantly updated on the demands of education and changes in educational policies to
ensure that the school complies with standards and offers quality education.

This ability to decide is essential to face the challenges that arise in daily school life,
from administrative issues to resource management problems. Furthermore, the director
has an important role as an articulator between the school, the community and
government bodies.
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He must establish a relationship of partnership and dialogue with the students' parents
and guardians, promoting the active participation of the family in school life.

Therefore, the director is the person who leads, articulates and manages the work of the
school as a whole and must have as a goal: the quality of education, which encompasses
student learning and teacher motivation. He is legally and judicially responsible for the
school and cannot forget to also be responsible for the pedagogical aspect.

4. Bibliographic References

BORGES, P. F. (2004). School Management: director's guide in ten lessons. Porto

Alegre/Belo Horizonte: Artmed/Rede

LUCK, H. (2000). Perspective of school management and implications for the training
of its managers. SP: Unicamp.