Education’s business that can’t wait

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday January 29, 2024 06:00

But the reality on the ground is that one of the major problems bedeviling the education environment and effectively rendering the system impotent is institutional complacency.

Institutional complacency is a condition which occurs when employees no longer have the drive to bring their best selves to the organisation and other considerations assume precedence over the core mission.

Loss of a sense of urgency is one of the glaring manifestations of institutional complacency. There are many factors which could trigger off complacency. Sometimes an organisation or in our context, a school can be a victim of its success. An accomplished school becomes its own worst enemy when it unwisely chooses to rest on its laurels forgetting that yesteryear approaches may not necessarily guarantee future sustainability .

Ordinarily, current success should challenge a school to stay on its toes and to relentlessly explore new ways of getting better than yesterday. But it does not always happen. Success can be an enemy. Success can also easily evaporate into thin air when built on the charisma and individual brilliance of certain people especially school principals. Yes, a position of school principal makes the leader the hub of a school and there is nothing wrong in teachers looking up to the principal for inspiration and professional prosperity. However, teachers must always prepare themselves for a worst case scenario.

A change of guard in a school can bring about a change of fortunes. A school may experience institutional complacency simply because a school principal who was revered and almost enjoyed a demi god status has departed the scene. It is not uncommon to hear people saying they no longer have the drive and urge to give their all because of weak institutional management or some unexpected change of guard. This is a typical case of shifting the blame.

Regardless of who is at the helm of a school, teachers should try to stay the course and never allow circumstances beyond their control such as a change of leadership to derail the mission. At all times, teachers should be conscious of the fact that loyalty to, like or dislike of certain leaders should not be the driving force. The major motivation should be loyalty to the mission and purpose. It is not an easy choice but teachers must strive to settle for it at all costs. For schools to prosper and thrive, there is a need to have all weather teachers ready to serve and demonstrate unyielding loyalty to the cause and purpose. The interests of students should always take precedence over the politics of the school, personal interests or whims of anybody in the organisation. After all, nothing matters than ensuring the mission is fulfilled. Another factor causing complacency is the lack of a change of environment. Sometimes a transfer policy can frustrate the education of children while undermining the morale of individual teachers. Staying in one school and locality can be equally good and counter productive at the same time.

First, it is not wise to wipe off the entire team and replace it with entirely new faces because doing so deprives a school the much desired institutional l memory. But overstaying breeds complacency and contempt. Those who get too comfortable with the environment are hardly amenable to change, preferring preservation of the status quo. Overstayed employees can show signs of fatigue, loss of a sense of urgency, presence of a rebellious spirit and contempt for authority. They may not have the stomach to accommodate fresh ideas because of the desire to mark territory and remain rooted in the old familiar comfort zone.

Rotating staff and varying responsibilities can help employees to face new challenges and thus inviting them to unleash their best selves. In the context of a school, it is important for a school principal to make a cabinet reshuffle informed by the school’s achievement data.

Deployment of teachers within a school is the prerogative of a school principal. Moving a teacher from the upper level , to middle or low class should not be treated as demotion or harassment but should be considered positively as part of diversifying responsibilities and exposing different employees to new uncharttered duties. As mentioned, a new environment can resurrect the drive while promoting a sense of urgency. Overstayed employees while helpful in some ways can be a serious stumbling block. At times due to ‘experience’, overstayed employees display poor customer service, poor time management and disregard for laid protocols. It is common to hear people saying “dont worry we have always started late but we always manage in the end”.

That is a sign of getting used to some wrong pattern of practice and refusing to do something about it. Overstaying could lead to incessant friction and disciplinary matters which may be energy sapping, wasteful and therefore counterproductive. To maintain the health of an organisation and uphold the momentum of success, it is always advisable to weed out of a school overstayed individuals especially those who feel are bigger than the organisation. Yet another cause of complacency is the feeling that one is underrated and undervalued. There could be teachers in the system who in the past gave their very best, their souls to the profession yet feeling that what they are getting from the system is not commensurate with their efforts. Issues of delayed progression and promotion are big issues which can easily drive one into complacency and despondency.

The one thing one can say is that employees should always prepare for the worst case scenario. When feeling unwanted and unrewarded, people resort to a withdrwal syndrome, withholding their best while electing to redirect their best selves to endeavours which do not drive the mission. Best preparation is shown when one is prepared to soldier on and maintain one’s best self regardless of circumstances which may be depressing. Organisations or schools, to be precise, under perform because they suffer from a mission drift. Mission drift means a deviation from the purpose for which they were created and instead attention is given to something else. For example, personal egos and selfish agendas can be centre stage while the core business suffers some benign neglect in the background. Schools can only thrive and prosper when teachers are passionate about what they do and school principals do all they can to avoid the tragedy of mission drift.