A REPORT ON STUDENT, PARENT AND STAKEHOLDER FOCUS AS ADOPTED BY TATA DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL, GHATOTAND

1. Introduction
The definition of a modern educational institution has changed drastically over the past few years. From being a place where unwanted or bad qualities of a student were weeded out to plant new and better qualities thus the primary focus being the process and outcome of interaction between students and teachers, it has grown to a higher and holistic level comprising of students, parents, educators, administrators and many other related stakeholders. The work of an educator and the educational institution as a whole has seen an over the edge shift. Quoting the words of C. S. Lewis, The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts. In this respect of all the educational institutions, schools catering up to the higher secondary level are at the helm due to their immense role in shaping the initial years of a student and interacting with parents and other stakeholders to achieve this objective. Adhering to the above words, the role and functioning of an educational institution needs to be properly defined and understood by all. Most important of all being the proper management of students, parents and other stakeholders. This approach brings a modern day school at a much comparable level to that of a productive firm producing meaningful and optimum level of output and profit by taking desirable inputs and satisfying all related stakeholders. Keeping this aspect in mind, the following report analyses as how TATA DAV Public School, Ghatotand focuses on students, parents and stakeholders thus listening to them and getting engaged with them. It is quintessential as proper listening and their engagement in the activities of the school will provide the necessary information about them so as to understand their needs and solve the problems accordingly in a systematic and speedy manner. This will ensure best functioning of the school along with its functionaries and stakeholders.

2. TATA DAV Public School, Ghatotand A Perfect setup to focus on Students, Parents and other Stakeholders
Fitting to this desired definition required for a modern and ever progressing modern educational institution, TATA DAV Public School, Ghatotand through various means and methods strives towards its goal of providing best possible education to the students along with their overall development as a bright citizen of this globalised world. To achieve this it has put in place various instruments required to focus on students, parents and other related stakeholders so as to both gain and produce the essentials following the best practices.

2a. Identify Stakeholders and Roles The first step towards building the mechanism to focus involves identifying the other stakeholders apart from students and parents along with their roles. Table 1 provides this list along with the major roles. Table 1: Stakeholders and Roles Sl. No. 1. Stakeholder Students 3. Principal 4. Teaching Staff Major Role Attend classes regularly and attentively. Follow rules and regulations of the school. Respect and adhere to the moral values. Contribute towards peer learning process. Develop co-curricular skills. Act as student leaders and facilitators between school management and students. Send students to school regularly in proper conduct i.e. uniform and time. Follow up with their wards daily about the happening in school including their education and other activities. Follow up with teachers regarding the progress of their wards at regular intervals. Contribute towards making a conducive social and home environment. Act as the administrator of the school and authority of final decision. Build a conducive working environment for both students and staff members. Facilitator between different stakeholders of the school. Innovate ideas and goals for better educational standards. Build a healthy relation with Tata Steel officials, other schools in neighbourhood and DAV Zonal Office. Attend all allotted classes regularly with preparation. Prepare lesson plans and plans of co-curricular activities. Draft question papers. Assess students performances. Interact with parents regularly regarding performance of students. Contribute towards school management. Organise various events relating to scholastic and co-scholastic development of students. Work efficiently producing in-time required outputs. Manage office and laboratories. Facilitator between Principal and other stakeholders. Provide effective leadership to the school management. Monitor the efficient working of the school. Listen to the suggestions and problems of stakeholders unaddressed at the school level. Build effective relations with the Tata Steel Management. Strengthen the schools human resource by organizing regular exhibitions, workshops and seminars. Circulate relevant notifications among the member schools. Provide affiliation to the school by checking the necessary conditions. Regular evaluation of affiliated schools. Conducting centralized exams at various levels. Circulate relevant notices and circulars among the affiliated schools.

2.

Parents

5.

Non-Teaching Staff

6.

DAV Zonal Office

7.

CBSE

8. 9.

Tata Steel Local Managing Committee

10. 11.

Contractors Suppliers

12.

Bank

13. 14. 15.

Post Office Police Station Well Wishers

Conduct necessary workshops and seminars to keep the teachers and schools updated with latest curriculum and skills. Provide necessary infrastructural facilities to the school. Monitor the efficient working of the school. Gather representation from all different stakeholders. Convene the meetings at regular intervals to look into the proper working of the school. Listen to the various representatives efficiently and act in the best interest. Provide timely and proper service. Get the accounts settled with the school at the earliest possible. Provide good quality goods at reasonable rates. Deliver the goods and services timely. Get the accounts settled with the school at the earliest possible. Facilitate transactions on a priority basis. Provide other agency functions to the school as a priority customer. Facilitate hassle free and quick transfer of mails and posts. Provide security to the school infrastructure on a continued basis. Train security guards in the school for the same. Provide necessary suggestions as and when necessary. Build an optimistic view towards the school and contribute for the same.

In the following sections the various components are identified and discussed which contribute towards focussing on the students, parents and other stakeholders as adopted by TATA DAV Public School, Ghatotand.

3. Components to focus on Students, Parents and Stakeholders

In order to focus on students, parents and other stakeholders so as to get information from them in order to serve their needs and exceed their expectations, the following six components are identified which will serve as the primary pillars for this process. a. Complaint Management. b. Listening. c. Satisfaction. d. Engagement. e. Satisfaction and Engagement.

TATA DAV Public School

Complaints
F O C U S

Listening Satisfaction Engagement

STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAKEHOLDERS

3a. Complaint Management The main objective of complaint management is to define as how the school receives complaints from students, parents and stakeholders followed by its redressal in a systematic manner. Pertaining to the various stakeholders as listed in Table 1, the various means to receive complaints from them are listed in Table 2. Table 2: Mode of Receiving Complaints from students, parents and stakeholders Stakeholder Mode of Receiving Complaints Students Oral individually. Written individually. Assembly meetings. Through students council oral and written. Online through website of the school. Suggestion box. Parents Students diary. Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs). Online through website of the school. Suggestion box. Principal Circulars. Meetings of staff members. Individual meetings. Written letters through official channels. Teaching Staff PTMs. Oral. Written. Students diary. Non-Teaching Staff Oral. Written. DAV Zonal Office Circulars. Notifications. Oral during visit of Officials. CBSE Notifications written. Emails. Tata Steel Oral during personnel visit of officials. Written circulars and notifications. Local Managing Oral during the meetings. Committee Written in form of meeting reports and recommendations. Contractors Contractor meetings. Written notes. Suppliers Supplier meetings. Written notes. Bank Written notifications. Oral during visit to the bank. Meetings with the key people of bank and the school principal. Post Office Written notifications. Oral during visit to the post office. Police Station Written notifications. Oral during school visit. Meetings with the key people of police station and the school

Sl. No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5. 6.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

13. 14.

15.

Due the varied nature and source Well Wishers

principal. Online through school websites. Suggestion box. Formal and informal meetings with different members of the school. of complaints, the different complaints are aggregated in time periods.

They are also solved in different durations at different levels of administrative hierarchy depending on the source and quantum of complaint. Starting at the level of individual staff members, they may go up to formation of committees to solve them. The complaint and suggestion box is accessed every 15 days for any complaints or suggestions posted in it which is targeted to be solved before the box is opened again i.e. 15 days. Online complaints and suggestions received through the website of the school are also treated likewise. Students file their complaints individually largely orally to the concerned staff members and sometimes in written notes and applications. They also use the complaint and suggestion box. Students are free to meet the principal if necessary to file their grievances. Students council consisting of the school head boy, head girl and the prefects of class 8 and above also meets regularly with the staff members to give their representation on any issue which arises from the students of the school. Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs) are held every month to discuss on the progress of the student with the parents where complaints and suggestions are invited from parents regarding the student and the school. PTMs with individual teachers or the principal are also held on a daily basis if necessary. The timings for daily meetings are assembly period in the morning and between 1:25pm 1:45pm in the noon time after the end of the classes. Apart from these timings for daily meet and monthly PTMs if parents are willing to meet the principal or any faculty members, it is also possible on a prior appointment basis. During each of the above mentioned meetings, adequate time and attention is given from the side of the school staff so as to solve the complaints. Parents also send their complaints and suggestions from notes in the students diary which are heard by the concerned faculty who sends a note back in the diary to the parent after the complaint has been resolved. As mentioned in Table 2, regarding other stakeholders meetings are regularly held as and when necessary apart from oral and written complaints filled through the various means available. The school gives in its strive to be the best in the region regarding education and stakeholder satisfaction employs all means possible to aggregate and resolve complaints in a fair and hassle free manner.

3b. Listening Referring to section 3a, the school has all possible means and instruments in place required to listen to students, parents and stakeholders regarding requirements on School environment and Teaching and Learning Process. School environment refers to the learning environment inside and outside the classroom which necessarily needs to be pleasurable both to the students and teachers thus making learning conducive. It also relates to a healthy and safe environment in the school campus inside and outside class rooms. Teaching and Learning Process is concerned with the process of imparting knowledge and other skills to the students based on certain objectives,

assessing it objectively in a fair manner and proper counselling of students whenever necessary. Both the concepts define the identity of any school, thus demanding utmost attention of the school administration towards them. Apart from complaints, the school encourages all the different stakeholders including the students and parents to give their valuable comments and suggestions on these areas as well. The means of receiving suggestions and thus listening to the various stakeholders remains the same as mentioned in section 3a. An addition to this section are the alumni of the school whose suggestions are greatly valued. The School frequently witnesses the visit of many alumni who are either pursuing their higher studies in prestigious institutions or have taken up jobs in well reputed firms both public and private sector in India and abroad as well. During these visits they interact with the school staff and students which serves as a medium of suggestion for the staff and motivating factor for the students to do better in their life. Regular sessions of student counsellors, psychiatrists, and educational experts are conducted by the school to help both students and staff members. Workshops and lecture sessions of experts provide ample opportunity to the students and staff to improve on their skill set relating to the teaching and learning process. Regarding proper school environment, there are regular visits and meetings with the Tata Steel officials from welfare, civil, electrical, security, fire and other related departments. The school also keeps a constant touch with the local police station to address the security concerns of the school infrastructure and members of the school. A healthy relationship and proper mechanism to listen to the suppliers and contractors ensure timely delivery of goods and services required for proper functioning of the school. Thus with the help of various instruments which are oral, written or online as mentioned in table 2 and above paragraphs, the school envisages for a brighter future ahead by listening to various stakeholders in an orderly manner.

3c. Satisfaction The next important step after listening to and resolving the complaints and suggestions from students, parents and stakeholders is to obtain formal feedbacks from them regarding their satisfaction. The school conducts regular surveys of students, parents and staff members to get their feedbacks. The survey questionnaires are a mix of both quantitative and qualitative questions covering various aspects. In these surveys all staff members are covered. Due to the large population of students and parents sample survey method is adopted for conducting their surveys. In the sample surveys stress is given to maintain randomness in the sample to obtain the best results. The survey for students covers all classes 8 and above. Survey of parents are done irrespective of the class in which their ward is studying. The school pays full attention to ensure that survey results are not biased in any way. Along with the formal surveys for the different groups of people feedbacks are also invited during meetings with them. For example at the time of PTMs and meeting with other stakeholders. After the surveys, the results are critically discussed with the principal and other key people and actions are taken as necessary as satisfaction of stakeholders is the key to survival. The actions taken based on the results of the feedbacks are always targeted towards betterment. Understanding the crucial importance of feedbacks the school management at all levels strive to accommodate the

feedbacks. Equal attention is given to both positive and negative feedbacks as positive ones indicate need for sustainability of the achievements and negatives if any require improvements which are everlasting.

3d. Engagement Realising the crucial role of students, parents and stakeholders in smooth ascending progress of the school every possible means are adopted to develop a symbiotic relationship with them. This relationship makes sure that the primary function of the school i.e. imparting knowledge is well supplemented and supported from its stakeholders as well. Thus ensuring it to be of the highest and best quality. The new system of Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) as introduced by CBSE requires all the students to excel in both scholastic and co-scholastic activities. Presently and before the introduction of CCE students are continuously motivated to improve their performance in these areas. The school organises various events and competitions addressing the same. Apart from intra class activities which are conducted within the classroom, every Saturday two periods are earmarked for conducting co-curricular activities (CCA). All types of activities including literary, creative and sports are included in this. The entire school is divided into four groups or houses namely Dayanand House, Vivekanand House, Shradhanand House and Mahatma Hansraj House. The presence of these houses calls for a sense of competition among the participants thus improving performance. Many other events like Mahatma Hansraj Aryan Tournament (MHRAT) and interschool competitions, annual sports and annual functions are also held regularly which give the students a broader and wider arena to showcase their talents and compete. Every year students council is formed from among the students comprising of a Head Boy, Head Girl, Vice Head Boy, Vice Head Girl and Prefects from classes 8 and above. This helps the students develop their leadership skills and a sense of responsibility. Students are also exposed to various workshops and counselling sessions from psychiatrists and experts from various fields. The school has a SAFE club aiming at safety standards to be followed in daily life. Events like training sessions, debates, dramas, rallies and public canvassing are organised under the aegis of this club which aims at the multifaceted growth of the students. Parents are engaged in school activities primarily through the monthly PTMs in which they visit the school to meet the various staff members and enquire about the progress of their wards and other activities of the school. Realising the importance of parents as being a vital stakeholder of the school they are encouraged to actively participate in the functioning of the school by inviting their valuable suggestions and feedbacks on a continuous basis. The Local Managing Committee (LMC) of the school has representatives from the parents thus giving them utmost importance and ensuring their engagement. All parents are invited to the public events of the school like Independence Day and Republic Day Celebrations, Annual Functions, MHRAT events, opening and closing ceremony of other events etc. Other stakeholders who are locally available and key people from Zonal office and neighbouring schools are also invited to various events of the school. From these engagements the school tries to showcase its potentials and capabilities to its stakeholders at the same time inviting suggestions, complaints, feedbacks or any other message from them for the multidimensional improvement of the school and its constituents.