Modernising educational administration to facilitate formulation and implementation of plans, with special reference to the educational administration in Malta

Abstract

1. This thesis in divided into two sections. The first section looks at the general problem of educational administration and educational planning. The second section makes special reference to the educational administration in Malta. 2. Some educational administrations are adopting new planning techniques to try to solve the problems they are faced with. Very often they are not successful because they look on planning as a technique, rather than as an essential administrative process which pervades the whole administration. An administration which does not constantly adapt itself to the process rigid and inefficient. 3. This thesis tries to describes whet the planning process is. It gives levels of development various administrations have reached in the process so that a particular administration can have a scale against which it can measure its own progress. It describes the interrelated stages of administrative process and defines whet modern educational planning is. 4. Am attempt is made to set up a criteria far appraising educational administration from the point of view of planning, thus giving pointers to areas where an administration can organise itself. One of these areas is the specialisation of certain administrative members in planning techniques, The setting up of a planning unit, its function composition end cosition within the administration are discussed, as well as the changes which might be necessary in an educational administration if this planning unit is to be fully utilised. Various reasons why administrations resist changes are mentioned and suggestions are made on certain strategies for achieving these changes. 5. In the second section the criteria established in Section 1 to assess the administration from the point of view of the planning process are used to attempt a system analysis of the educational administration in Malta. This system analysis includes a description of the Maltese educational system and the educational administration as well as of recent changes and developments in both. Suggestions for improvements are made to facilitate better preparation and implementation of plans.