Reforms in the Education Sector - Assignment Example

Project and Evaluation Plan Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 1.1 Agency 3 1.2 Target group 4 1.3 Project outline and staffing 4 2.0 Background 6 2.1 Target group 6 2.2 Needs and issues 6 2.3 Assets and strength 8 2.4 Project rationale 8 3.0 Project plan 9 3.1 Project aim 10 3.2 Objectives and strategies 10 3.3 Performance indicators 12 3.4 Timeline and implementation 12 3.5 Ethical issues 13 3.6 Monitoring and evaluation plan 14 4.0 References 15 List of terms and abbreviations ICT: information communication technology PM: project management PMBOK: project management body of knowledge 1.0 Introduction Reforms in education sector are caused by different individuals. It is not a one persons doing or rather concern (Charles, 2009). The whole process has to involve all the stakeholders namely, parents, the government, the student body, religious sector and above all the community at large. This is because which ever, reforms are done, one or all of the above stakeholders will be affected in one way or another. In most cases these, reforms are never initiated by one body, but a number of them comes together, lay down their sentiments and then come up with a reason to oppose the existing one and reasons to support the one they want to put in place. Their dedication, determination and persistence are what bring about the change. Any leader in the education sector can only take control when he or she is completely and actively involved in the issue of law making like in the curriculum setting (Herbert, 2008). 1.1 Agency The project entails a plan for a better fire and risk management project in schools. There are many learning institution which suffer great deal of fire and other emergencies. This is because in many cases, the learning institutions are sidelined when it comes to empowerment in term of facilities to deal with the emergencies (Peter, 2007). The project will target all learning institutions and mainly to ensure that the institutions properties and the lives of people are protected from destruction in case of an occurrence. The project will also be helpful to the neighbouring communities in the sense that in case there is a fire outbreak on the institution’s neighbourhood, then the department of fire and rescue department will help. 1.2 Target group The primary target of the project is the students in the schools, the teaching staff and the non teaching staff working in the school or the institution compound. The secondary target will be the community that is actually in the immediate neighbourhood of the school. 1.3 Project outline and staffing Project management is a very important aspect of any organization. It entails a discipline that deals with the organization, planning resource management and security. All of which is geared towards the accomplishment of the organization’s objectives, goals and mission (Lock, 2007). Project management works hand in hand with the programs management but it is technically ranked higher than the project management because it entails a group of so many but related projects that are under one management in a certain project. A project for that matter refers to an activity which is temporarily and contains a very well defines ending and beginning which is done with an aim of meeting a particular objective or goal. Project management is very challenging especially as far as the issue of achieving the goals for the engineering projects is concerned as well as managing to control all the forth coming constrains associated with the projects. Some of the main and primary challenging which needs great and very efficient project management includes the scoop of the project, time factor, and also the budget of the project. There are other challenges which are termed as secondary like ensuring an optimum allocation of all resources needed to execute the laid down objectives and tasks. There are several laid down approaches that are in use today as far as the success of project management is concerned. The following are the main approaches used in project management interactive, agile, phased and incremental (Lock, 2007). The approach to be used in any particular project must be carefully considered especially in terms of the project timeline, cost, objectives and responsibilities or the roles of the stakeholders and other participants. Staffing is one of the functions of management that entails the process of managing the structure of the organization by proper as well as efficient and effective selection of, development and appraisal of personnel in any given organization (Kerzner, 2009). Alongside planning, directing, organizing as well as controlling, staffing is very important. It is an activity that is pervasive, continuous, and effective, enables the placement of the most efficient and effective personnel to the right jobs and it is also done by each and every manager. For this particular project the following are the required staff members: Staff Number task The project manager 1 -Organization of the activities for the projects -assigning of the activities to all the team members -ensuring all the activities delegated are done the right way The assistance project manager 1 Helps the project manager to Organization of the activities for the projects -assigning of the activities to all the team members -ensuring all the activities delegated are done the right way The project coordinator 1 Coordinates all the activities of the project Project Evaluator 1 Deals with the monitoring as well as evaluation of the activities in the project to ensure sustainability as well as the objectives are me and in an effective as well as efficient manner Centre Assistant 1 Assists in the coordination of the activities in different centre. This is because each centre will be dealing with different activities at different time technicians 10 The professional trained in the area of fire and rescue. They will be involved in the actual activities in the field involving recue mission. 2.0 Background 2.1 Target group Students are very vulnerable to fire and other emergency risks. This is because they are usually overcrowded in the dormitories or in the classrooms. This explains the need for them to be specially catered for (McNiff & Whitehead, 2002.). Fire outbreak in schools can be caused by a number of reasons. Fire may be due to some mechanical faults causes by the equipments used or even by the electricity fault in the school departments, fire could also be due to some procedural faulty in the laboratories processes, a traffic accident can also cause fire outbreak, carelessness in operation of the equipments can also be a causal of fire in a learning institution. Domestic fires are very different from the commercial and traffic fire outbreak but when they occur in the neighbourhood they can subject the learning institution to a risk. This means that the causal factors are also very different as well. The following are the main activities the fire and rescue service department will be involved in; fighting fire, ensuring safety in the process of using fire, rescue of the students from the accidents caused by the natural calamities as well as emergency activities which are not due to fire like the water rescue. 2.2 Needs and issues Due to the changes in terms of technologies there must been a rise in the issue of fire outbreak in the last one decade in many learning institutions. This means that many of the companies that are involved in the issue of fire rescue and management are expected to come up with models that are capable of predicting the occurrence of fire accidents as well as proper plans for the management of fire outbreak in an effective and efficient manner. Further it is important for the learning institutions to come up with a project to deal with the fire and emergency outbreaks. It should be noted that not all management plans may apply in the case of Australia as far as the process of dealing with the problem is concerned. Two models have been used to predict the occurrence of the fire incidents in the communities and other premises. The development of the two models was as a result of increase in the fire and rescue companies service provision increase in numbers while the technological environment is changing (Sodipo, 2008.). There has been a report filed which explains that there is a need for new investment in terms of new fire stations, equipments as well as technology in the learning institutions. The staff, other employees and students are also to be trained on the application of the new technologies. The investment in the buildings and the machinery is also done for to them in the form of training. Most of the fire service providers functions through some frameworks laid down by the government meaning they have to meet the laid down targets in terms of efficiency and effectiveness as well as the set indicators. Some of the risks that are in the increase hence the need for the new system are; local community risks, strategic risks like transport industrial and hospitals. Some of the lifestyles like the rate at which settlements are getting overcrowded in the schools neighbourhood as well as the emergence of poorly constructed buildings and with very poor materials like wood have caused the rise in the risk for fire outbreak. 2.3 Assets and strength It is easy to overlook the strength that the students have by concentrating on the risk they are exposed to in the institution. The student being many in the school can provide great workforce to deal with a fire outbreak. Some of them are dealing with disaster management in their learning, others are engineering student and if they all come together they can be of great help in dealing with the risks. For the students that are in the lower level of learning, they are helpful in the sense that being young they learn very first. This means that when trained on what to do in case of a fire or any other emergency they will not hesitate to follow the instructions making it easy to save their lives. 2.4 Project rationale The management plan for any given institution is dependent of its mission and vision statements while the success of that given institution or organization is governed by it resources as well as its obligations. So many strategies have been applied by different fire and rescue service provider companies to ensure the services they provide are not only cost effective but also very efficient and effective in the sense that they meet the requirement or satisfy the needs of the people (Orr, 2004). The success is dependent on the quality of services they offer in the case of an emergency meaning any school, organization or institution needs to have a deep understanding of the needs of the customers as well as need for a company to have the best management plan to ensure the services are of very good quality. Thus the management plan for the schools must be assessed so that the soundness of the institution as far as efficiency in service provision can be established and also to be able to establish an understanding of the future preparedness in case an emergency emerge (Thompson & Martin, 2005). In summary, the project will be very significant in the following ways The employees will be able to understand what is required of them as far as the implementation of the new plan for management is concerned The education leadership’s main objective is to ensure a school succeed in meeting its mission, objectives and goals and so the project will show the performance of a school in case of emergency in comparison to other schools. The shareholders who are supporting the management plan will be aware of the risks they are being exposed to as well as the effectiveness of the institutions in protecting the lives of the students. The parents, communities around, students and other stakeholders will be able to determine the reliability of a school’s emergency service as far as meeting the needs is concerned The evaluators will be able know the level of efficiency, effectiveness and compliance with the law requirements. The system is a mixed one. This is because it is designed to serve both in the schools and the surrounding areas. The fire and rescue services will be offered to the people in the students in those learning institutions as well as the people in the surrounding communities. This is because schools will be aimed at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the process of the community and its own risk analysis as well as management (Weaver, 2000). It is characterised by very much improved training of the employees, more trainers for the communities, increased safety resources for the community like technicians for home safety, a juvenile post of fire setters and one post for the trainers or the educationists. 3.0 Project plan The approach of PMBOK entails group of processes and knowledge which are very acceptable in the project management as being the best practice (Burnett, 2008). It is one of the most recognized standard ways of project management and it can be applied in any type of project like the construction, engineering, software and automotive. The approach has a total number of nine areas of knowledge namely; integration of the project, scope management of the project, time management in the project, cost management in the project, quality management, management of the human resource, communication management, management of the risks and finally the management of procurement (Salder & Craig, 2003). The knowledge areas contain some of the very important processes in the approach 3.1 Project aim Risk management is one of the most important practices with reference to fire and rescue in schools is concerned. This means that every school’s fire and recue department should have a well defined and planned strategy to use in case of an emergency. There are so many legislations which have been drafted and put in place to be complied with to ensure the safety of the students is taken into consideration 3.2 Objectives and strategies To come up with an analysis of risk management planning by school’s fire rescue services: This will be achieved through carrying out an assessment to identify the weaknesses of the existing plan to be able to improve the new one. The exploration of how risks are identified and strategic objective are utilized to reduce risks: The objective is intended to be achieved through significantly increasing the scope and scale in terms of prevention as well as prevention activities, increasing the partnership work with relevant authorities, creating resilient emergency responses, revising and reviewing as well as deployment and deposition of emergency response (Woodward, 2005). To evaluate how progress is measured and creation of stronger, sustainable and healthier learning environment; this objective will be achieved through working closely with the local communities for the purposes of getting to provide them with sustainable solutions, Having the schools playing an influential as well as partner role in service provision, working closely with the partners to ensure the shared ambitions have added values, increasing the assessment of the public to the community dedicated facilities as well as the fire stations (Kretzmann & McKnight, 2003). To come up with the recommendation of how risk management planning can be implemented by the school’s fire and rescue service in way the environmental factors will be reduced: this objective will be achieved through a number of means namely; ensuring a broader in-depth analysis is done on the likely environmental impacts, development of a very comprehensive protection strategy for the environment, introduction of some more effective and efficient management systems for the environment and then reducing the impact the systems to be used significantly (Woodward, 2008). To find out how a very healthy, safe, representative and competent workforce can be achieved: The objective is intended to be reached in the next three years through the following inputs; further development as well as improvement of the health and also the safety system of management, fully embedding development and assessment efforts, accurately reflecting the make up of the surrounding community within the workforce and finally achievement of the fifth level of equity standard set by the local government (Kretzmann & McKnight, 2003). 3.3 Performance indicators The outcomes of the project and especially the long term outcomes are very important in demonstrating the success of the project both to the community and the learning institution. The evaluation results will be very important and the following are the main indicators of the success of the project The students’ awareness of the risks they are being exposed to as well as the effectiveness of the training. The employees both the staff and non teaching staff ability to understand what is required of them as far as the implementation of the new plan for management of fire risk is concerned The management’s main objective is to ensure management system succeeds in helping companies to meet its mission, objectives and goals and so the study will show the performance of a company in comparison to other companies. The evaluation reports to determine the reliability of the new system’s service as far as meeting the needs is concerned The evaluators report on the level of efficiency, effectiveness and compliance with the law requirements. The reduction of fire outbreaks and the efficiency in saving and protecting lives in case of risks. 3.4 Timeline and implementation phase Task timeframe planning Drawing and refining of the plan 1st-20th, November, 2011 Establishment Steering committee will be established Development of the required strategies Establishment of the relevant agencies 23rd November, 2011- 23rd December 2011 implementation Recruitment of the human resource Raising of awareness and training of the students, staff and non teaching staff in the learning institution Revision and review of the important policies and laws involved 1st January , 2012 and some activities like training will be ongoing monitoring Development of the monthly reports Carrying of interviews Review of the ongoing activities ongoing evaluation Undertaking the evaluation Recommendations Development of a plan to act on the recommendation ongoing 3.5 Ethical issues A number of ethical considerations shall be taken to ensure that the project will be legally implemented. First, consent shall be sort from the colleges and schools in which the projects will be implemented. This is whereby; the head of these institutions shall be presented a letter to seek permission to carry out the research and then start the implementation. Another very important precaution is to get consent from the individual people on which the project will directly affect like the students and the parents shall be carried. They shall be clearly informed about the project, the benefits and their responsibility (Fetterman & Wandersman, 2005). Secondly, before, any information is retrieved either from any institution or the government then permission shall be sort. Respect hall be accorded to all the participants and especially in terms of their opinions. Every single person is entitled to offer their on opinion freely. Some of the students may feel that their skills, knowledge and experiences are not valued or acknowledged. To avoid such complications or occurrences all of the people involved must have their opinions taken into consideration and if applicable in the project then applied. 3.6 Monitoring and evaluation plan Monitoring and evaluation of every project is very important because it shows the pours, benefits and effectiveness of the project (John, 2006)This project is aimed at the reduction of risks in learning institutions like fire and other emergencies. Risk management is one of the most important practices with reference to fire and rescue in schools is concerned (Cote, 2003). This means that every school’s fire and recue department should have a well defined and planned strategy to use in case of an emergency. There are so many legislations which have been drafted and put in place to be complied with to ensure the safety of the students is taken into consideration. The information will be gathered through site visits, parents, students, teachers, neighbouring and non teaching staff surveys. Also interviews will be carried out (James, 2007). Monthly reports and records on the ongoing activities will be used as well. The following are the main guideline questions for evaluation Was the implementation done as planned? Has the outcome been affected by any changed done during the implementation phase? What are some of the unexpected outcome? Is the project self sustaining for the purposes of the future benefits? What are the implications of the project in terms of benefits and costs? Were the objectives met? 4.0 References Burnett, K. (2008). The project management paradigm. Sidney: Springer. Charles, M. (2009). Real education. London: Three River Printers. Cote, A. (2003). Organizing for Fire and Rescue Services. New Jersey: Jones & Bartlett Learning Fetterman, D. & Wandersman, A. (2005). Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice New York: Guilford Press. Herbert, S. (2008). Education: intellectual, moral and physical. Oxford: Oxford University Press. James, P. (2007). Fundamentals of project management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. John, O. (2006). Program Evaluation: forms and approaches, 3rd Ed. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest Kerzner, H. (2009). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. London: John Wiley and Sons. Kretzmann, J. & McKnight J. (2003). Building Communities from the Inside out: a path toward finding and mobilizing a community’s assets. Chicago: ACTA Publications, Chicago Lock, D. (2007). Project management, 9th Ed. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Lock, M. (2007). The Essentials of Project Management, 3rd Ed. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. (2002). Action Research: Principles and Practices, 2nd Ed. London: Routledge Falmer. Orr, A. (2004). Advanced project management: a complete guide to the processes, models and techniques. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Peter, F., (2007). The practice of management. New York: John Wiley & sons. Salder, P., & Craig, J., (2003). Strategic management (2nd Ed.).London: Kogan Page Publishers. Sodipo, E. (2008). Project Management Explained. New York City: Lulu.com. Thompson, J., & Martin, F. (2005). Strategic management: awareness and change (5th Ed.). California: Cengage Learning EMEA. Weaver, K. (2000). Attitudes toward Cooperative Strategies: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Entrepreneurs. Journal of International Business Studies, 31, Fourth Quarter, 591-609. Woodward, J. (2005). Industrial organization: Theory and practice. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Woodward, J. (2008). Management and Technology. London: Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. Read More