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Unit 19: Planning and Organizing Supervisory Activity

organization of democratic leadership are : (1) Organization of the supervision in such a way Notes
that fullest participation of all concerned is secured in all aspects, (2) Supervisory organization
to be flexible enough to be able to adapt to the changing needs of the situation (3) supervisory
organization to be able to provide for co-ordination and integration of processes and outcomes.
The advantages of the democratic organization are not far to see. It helps to unite administration
and supervision functionally. In the long run, cooperation proves far superior to imposition in
promoting efficiency of all workers. Policies, procedures, rules and regulations made by all the
workers will be followed more faithfully than those imposed by a central authority. The
democratic organization is able to achieve better production and higher satisfaction and morale
of the workers. We should, however, guard against one serious danger. Facilities set up for
group welfare and good human relations may be overdone and become ends in themselves.
Smooth running may be given greater importance than the required aims and objectives.
Realisation of the goals of education, development of individual personalities and improvement
of society should never be lost sight of.

19.8 Principles of Organizing the Supervisory Programme

In India we have accepted the democratic philosophy of life and education. “The enunciation of a
democratic philosophy of education and the analysis of the implications of such a philosophy for
the schools have caused many to reconsider their way of working with people. Research in the field
of social psychology on the formation and productivity of groups has made clear that people work
together better and with greater effectiveness when the members participate in establishing goals
and in formulating work methods.” The principles of democratic organization may be briefly stated
as follows :
1. The Principle of Participation : The principles of democracy necessitate wider and fuller
participation of educational workers, laymen and experts, administrators, teachers, students
and members of the public. The supervisor “wants to use all the intelligence of all the faculty
members. He will apply it to the establishment of faculty structure as well as to the solution of
problems.” Participation is necessary for the formulation of policy, its planning, execution and
evaluation. It may also be useful in areas such as improvement of the curriculum, methods of
teaching and welfare of youth. “A program of improvement in curriculum and methods of
teaching in particular can succeed only as public leaders, publicists, and all lay groups concerned
with the welfare of childhood and youth are carried along as part of the new program.” Public
leaders can help in conducting surveys of local needs and in securing financial support. Of
course, they cannot help much in the solution of professional and technical problems like
implications of research or inservice training programmes. Technical decisions should best be
left to the professional leaders.
Lay participation ensures that policies and plans are kept closer to the needs of the community,
that they become real and practical. Democracy believes that everybody is endowed with some
measure of creativity and is capable of making some contribution. So deliberate effort must be
made to invite and utilise everybody’s contribution. Even the students’ contribution produces
excellent results and should be welcome.
Supervision should secure the cooperation of all concerned in programmes of activity. For this,
councils, committees and conference groups should be organized to serve definite purposes.
Free and easy channels of commnication and operation accessible to all should be set up. Harold
Spears has suggested that for improvement of organisation regular meetings of administrators,
supervisors and teachers should be held on fixed days of the month, schools policy council
should be set up and a curriculum council should be created and a sound educational philosophy
should be developed by the entire school family. It is also necessary to have “a publicity campaign
to advise, inform and carry the public along with professional development.”

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