SWOT Analysis of

School Management
Mijo Mirković School of Economics, Trade and
Administration
Headmaster’s role – a brief
intersection
Organizational and pedagogical tasks
 staffing, coordinating the work of teachers, professional
staff, shift leaders and other school employees,
participation in the Parent and Student Council meetings
 analysis and monitoring of student success
 presenting educational programmes to the public
 preparation and conducting of the Teachers’ Council
meetings, the Commission for the state graduation
meetings, participation in the School Board meetings
Financing and participation in
cultural and public school activities
 planning, coordination and implementation of the financial plan
 equipping schools (technical literature, magazines, teaching aids, personal computers
etc.)
 public procurement (collecting and analyzing offers concerning transportation of disabled
children )-funded by Ministry of Education and Sports
 repairs and maintenance of the building (planning funds),
employees professional development
 preparing and organizing competitions at the school, county and state level;
organizing seminars and conferences which the school is the host for (professional inter-
county council in the education sector of economy, trade and business administration)

 leadership and participation in projects (Comenius multilateral school partnerships, IPA-

ECHO in collaboration with the High School of Economics Varaždin, ”The world in a palm
of hand "- with International student organisation AIESEC, South East Mediterranean
environmental project etc.
 organizing lectures and public discussions
 constant cooperation with Town and County Tourist Board and with Regional
Development Agency “Porin”,
humanitarian actions in school and beyond
STRENGTHS
1.Programmes
2.Human resources
3.Cooperation with local community and
Government bodies
4.Educating students with special needs
5.Growing interest for enrollment
6.Cooperation with parents
Programmes and Human
Resources
 Preferences: a) students can work after the graduation exam or
b) continue their education at colleges (high turnout of
students for the state graduation)
 foreign languages (English and German) and ICT skills enable
application to different colleges
 constant monitoring and analysis of student success through
Classroom sessions and the Teachers’ Council Meetings
 Teaching staff: programme improvement projects and competent
teachers - (about one third of all teachers) represent an intellectual
capital, those teachers have a motif for positive changes and team
oriented work, they are focused on better achievements and results,
the primary goal is to become more recognizable in the local
community and at the state level
Cooperation with local community
and Government bodies
 cooperation with the Department for Education and Sports on County
level, Ministry of Education and Sports, Agency for Education and
Agency for Vocational Education on all matters related to: training,
staffing, funding, planning and implementation of projects, as well as
other issues concerning School
 local community suggests its representatives to the governing bodies of
school (4 members in the School Board) and thus directly participate in
decision-making on all important issues

 cooperation with the Department of Employment (especially related to

adult education and programme adjustments according to labour market
needs)
 Regional Development Agency “Porin” supports Entrepreneurship
Education
 the school has its representative in the Sector Council at the Agency for
Vocational Education (changes in programmes and enrollment policy)
Educating students with special
needs
 students may enroll in Administrative Official Programme
since 1996/1997 and in Assistant Administrator
Programme since 2006/2007
 school has an architectural adaptation for those students
(elevator, entrance, transport), medical care, physical
therapists and special education teachers
 we are the only secondary school with over 30 students
with special needs
 joint teaching and project work is organized with
students from other classes to encourage individuality
and creative potential for each student
The role of parents in school life
 regular Teacher-Parent Meetings and School
Sessions enable parents to be well informed on
all relevant issues
 a parent representative of the School Council is
elected each year to the School Board and
directly involved in management and decision
making
WEAKNESSES
1. centralised school system - prescribed
curriculum

2. financing (reduced inflow of funding for building

maintenance, project funding by County,
reduced self-financing from grants)

3. teaching staff
4. class organization
School System and Financing
School system:
 strictly prescribed curriculum (number of hours) and programme (content) per
subject
 professional development of teachers of the same area or profession is
organized by the Agency for Education and Vocational Education Agency
 inadequate exchange of information and teaching material among teachers in
different counties/schools

Financing :
 from state budget (payments) and local authorities (building maintenance etc.),
other resources depend on the headmaster (project involvement and donations-
grants)
 limited resources and funds have direct impact on acquisition of new equipment
and teaching aids
 donations from individual and/or small companies partially cover costs related to
certain activities like: issuing the school magazine, anniversaries, seminars etc.
Teaching staff-what is missing?
This refers to a group of teachers:
 lack of pedagogical and psychological education which affects
teaching, therefore has direct influence on class absence
 lack of interpersonal skills (unadjusted to changes)
 fear of new teaching methods
 computer illiteracy - some teachers don’t know how to use a PC or
don’t want to
 unconcern (there is no legal obligation to monitor educational
legislation, there is no personal responsibility)
 lack of modern business ideas and enthusiasm
Classes in shifts

 due to a large number of students and teachers (854

students + 74 teachers), classes are organized in two
shifts: the first from 8.00 to 13.15 and the second from
13.15 to 19.20
 the building dates from 1858, adjusted for education
after the World War I
 almost all the classrooms and cabinets are occupied in
both shifts, so there isn’t too much space for creative
work (extracurricular activities, work on projects etc.)
OPPORTUNITIES
1. introduction of new curricula and programmes

2. knowledge and technology transfer - modernization of the

educational system and its adaptation to the EU

3. use of pre-accession funds (IPA)

equipping schools

4. involving the wider community in creating a business school

policy

5. strengthening the recognition and identity of School

Creating a new vocational curriculum and
the introduction of new occupations
 working together with the Croatian Employment Service,
Ministry of Education and Sports and the Agency for
Vocational Education to modernize and adapt
programmes to labour market needs

 facilitate transfer of technology and knowledge - align

our education system and qualifications framework to
those in the EU countries
 provide a better vertical mobility and employability of
young people in the country and beyond
Working on projects, use of the
Pre-Accession Assistance funds (IPA)
and equipping schools
 motivate more teachers to turn in project work

 use available resources of the Agency for Mobility and

the EU programmes and plan new projects under the
Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci
 get involved in the development of the IPA projects,
especially component IV- Human resource development
and thus part of the funds spent on furnishing and
equipping school
Enhancing school identity

 regular informing of the public about the activities

(updating the school website, publishing an article in the
press, address to local TV stations)

 strengthening the role of the county School Board

members in decision making and creating business
school policy

 develop new projects, increase interest in student

enrollment
THREATS
 unfavourable business environment (possible lack of enrollment
quotas or termination of certain programmes due to poor
employability)

 the consequence – a part of employees becomes redundant

 administrative barriers, lack of entrepreneurial spirit by some

teachers and lower-financing obstacles
 lack of specific knowledge and insufficiently trained staff can
significantly reduce the interest in school / programmes and lead to
poor educational results

 compensation system and lack of motivation may cause drain of

professional and highly motivated staff in other professions/areas