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Unit 20: School Inspection

Present Position of Inspection : In India, the practice of school inspection was established on the Notes
recommendation of Wood’s Despatch of 1854, which brought private enterprise into the educational
field in a big way. It was then decided to conduct the inspection of schools, specially the private
ones, to see whether they fulfilled the conditions for recognition by the Education Department and
those for the Government grant-in-aid. Out of this grew the old concept of inspection with its
functions of control and maintenance of schools. This old concept largely persists even today.
Inspection is more or less authoritarian and rigid and offers little for professional guidance of teachers.
The inspecting officer “supervises” class-room instruction because of his superior official position
and supposed superior skill. His is only a teacher-centred inspection concerned with rating and
grading of teachers in an extremely subjective manner, exercising whims and caprices to criticise
them. Such inspection has nothing to do with the teachers’ professional growth or the improvement
of the teaching-learning situation.

20.1 Meaning of School Inspection

According to dictionary, meaning of inspection is to give test and test meant is to probe with easy
and critical view. In the area of education also this sort of test is reflected from the inspection of
school with activities related to education and conditions. The school with activities related to
education and conditions. The school inspector is appointed by government goes to various schools
at times. There he tests some classes, laboratories and play grounds. Besides, he receives some other
informations by asking questions from principal / headmaster and teachers and by doing inspection
of registers regarding office, financial matters with view of critical appreciation. The information
received in this way and on the basis of self-observation, inspector prepares his report, and produces
the report before his high officials. This report comes in the hands of various officers and each
officer gives his remarks on it and passes it to next one. In this way the remarks are entered on it.
With the result, when it reaches the principal, the lot of situation has changed which was criticised
in the report. Thus, the result of inspection to a great extent auto-matically goes meaningless.

20.2 Principles of Good Inspection
Inspection, in order to be effective and fruitful, should be conducted according to certain principles
which may be listed as:
(1) Principle of General Growth : lnspection should contribute to the general efficiency of the
school and to the professional growth of the teacher.
(2) Principle of Understanding : Inspection should be done very sympathetically. An inspector
should carry with him an abundance of sympathy.
(3) Principle of Scientific Attitude : inspection implies the impartial observation of facts. The
inspector must maintain a scientific and critical attitude and should be free from prejudices.
(4) Principle of Thoroughness : Inspection should be very comprehensive and through. It should
not merely be concerned with the financial aspect of school management and administrative
details but should cover all aspects of school work.
(5) Principle of Esprit De Corps : Inspectors should try to assess the spirit of a school in addition
to its instructional work. The spirit of school may be gauged from the records of staff meetings,
co-curricular activities and any experimental work done in educational methods. The standard
of discipline on the playing field and outside the class in a sure index of the spirit of a school.
(6) Principle of Appreciation : The individuality of the teacher’s method should be respected. The
inspector should not insist on ‘deadly uniformity’. He should try to understand the methods
employed by the teachers and appreciate the good points they contain.
(7) Principle of Justice : The inspectors should be judicious in their criticism of the work of the
teachers. They should not be ‘misers’ in giving praise when it is deserved.

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