Educational Administration is regarded as the process of integrating the appropriate human and material resources that are made available and made effective for achieving the purposes of a programme of an educational institution.
Educational administration is responsible for the organization and implementation of plans, policies and programmes for the realization of educational objectives. Educational administration carry out policies or decisions to fulfill a purpose and the controlling of the day-to-day running of an educational institution.
The educational administrator carries out some administrative processes that facilitate his/her accomplishment of educational objectives.
Educational Administration is also the process concerned with using methods, principles and practices to establish, develop and execute the goals, policies, plan and procedures necessary to achieve the objectives of education.
The processes of educational administration are; planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordination, reporting and budgeting.
Importance of Educational Administration
Educational administration plays important role in educational development as well as national development of any country.
The importance of educational administration includes; effective allocation of educational resources, efficient utilization of human and material resources, promotion of unity of purpose, prevention of administrative problems in educational system and provision of vital information for policy making. Some of these are highlighted as follows:
1. Facilitates the achievement of educational goals
Educational administration facilitates the achievement of educational goals and objectives.
Every country has a set of educational objectives. For these objectives to materialize, resources are required.
These are human, material and finance. Availability of these resources is not sufficient without proper coordination and steering of activities in the direction of set objectives.
Educational administration helps in steering activities for the achievement of laudable educational objectives.
2. Facilitates effective allocation of educational resources
From the definition of educational administration, systematic allocation of resources is emphasized. It is through administration of education that resources made available to education are properly allocated.
Human resources are assigned responsibilities in line with their specialization to avoid wastage. This is the emphasis of division of labour under bureaucratic principle of administration.
3. Facilitates efficient utilization of human and material resources
The effective allocation of educational resources facilitates adequate utilization of these resources. When a right man is fixed in the right job, he enjoys the use of his expertise with ease.
Not only that, material resources that are judiciously allocated also results into efficient use of such resources for the achievement of desired educational objectives.
4. Promotion of unity of purpose and direction
The unity of purpose is possible through coordination of efforts by the educational administrator who occupies leadership position.
5. Good human relations
Educational Administration fosters good human relations between the educational administrators and their subordinates.
6. Prevention of administrative problems in educational system
Educational administration helps to reveal the problems that could militate against effective implementation of educational plans. Even if there are problems, it facilitates quick intervention through administrative mechanism.
7. Provision of vital information for policy making
Through the feedback provided by educational administrators from the field, educational planners or policy makers are properly guided.
The feedback serves as input in the subsequent educational planning. This is the reason why government and educational planners should ensure participatory educational planning.
This gives different stakeholders, like educational administrators opportunity to contribute their inputs.
8. Basis for evaluation
Educational administration provides a basis for the evaluation of planning in education. To some extent, the success of any educational plan is determined at implementation.
Since educational administration is concerned with the implementation of educational plan, the result or feedback from implementation is used to adjudge the success or failure of educational plan.
