What consideration should be made while keeping school records?

What consideration should be made while keeping school records? 

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Answer:

 Need for School Records Every institution that is permanently organized should maintain their certain records from which its origin, its growth and development, its condition and circumstances at various periods, its aims, its aspirations and achievements, its efficiency and usefulness can be clearly known and estimated. This is also true for a school which is a permanent public institution. This school is answerable to several bodies for its effective functioning. To the parents in the first place, it is responsible for the proper training and instructions of their children. They pay fee, and for some of them it is considerable sacrifice; and even in cases where education is free; they pay for their children’s education indirectly through rates, cusses and general taxation. At any rate, they are deprived of their children’s services at home or of their assistance in earning a livelihood. To society, of which the school is an organized agency, it has to render an account as to the manner in which it discharges its trust of preparing its need for school future members. 

The central or local government, which maintains the school or shares the costs of its maintenance, as whatever the case may he, has to be satisfied that the maintenance costs incurred or the grants paid out of public funds have been applied to appropriate purposes and that efficient conditions of work are provided in the school. Lastly, the management and staff owe it to the pupils to know them, individually, to watch their progress in studies carefully and systematically, ascertain and appraise their general attainments and capacities and properly to condition their conduct and general behaviour. The observation and study of the pupils from day to day and from year to year is an id in the school’s endeavor to help forward in the desired direction of their individual and collective development. 

In order that the school may collect and furnish adequate information to all the parties concerned or interested in its proper functioning and may make the best use of the information thus collected for the furtherance of its own aims and purposes, it is necessary that complete and systematic records should be maintained. In the light of these records, pupil’s careers are directed and a better adjustment is brought about between them and their work, and thereby the true ends of democratic education are served. It is with the help of these records that reports to parents regarding the progress, merits, and shortcomings of their children are sent, and the parents’ co-operation in the school’s endeavor is enlisted. Further, these records are necessary for furnishing to the State or local educational authorities facts and figures, called “returns,” from which the present condition of the school is known, and from which also the educational progress and needs for particular localities, and even of the state as a whole, are judged, and on the basis of which lines of future development and expansion are determined. 

Essential Requirements of School Records 

These records, if they are to be of real value, should be full and complete in detail. At the same time, they should be maintained in such a way that the minimum of clerical work is involved. At any rate, they should not take so much of the headmaster’s time as it will hamper him to discharge his other duties relating to class teaching and the organization and supervision of school activities. Another essential requirement for the school records are for the test of the honesty of those who have to maintain them. Accuracy is ensured to a great extent by promptness of entries in the records are important documents-in fact, they are the most valuable part of school equipment-they should always be available in the school premises and kept in a safe place under lock and key. They should not on any account be removed from the school. In view of the failure to observe this rule in practice, some educational authorities have thought necessary to issue instruction that not only teacher follow but even inspecting officers should not remove records from the school premises for the purpose of security, and not even the Visitor’s hook.

From an analysis of the records maintained in representative high schools in the different parts of the country, it was found that they were designed to serve five purposes. These are: (1) To assist in guidance, including classification and placement of pupils. (2) To improve class-room teaching methods by giving the teacher information regarding the individual differences of pupils. (3) To assist, in educational research. (4) To meet requirements of, and provide basis for, reports 19 state and local authorities. (5) To motivate pupils’ work. Of these, records serving the first two purposes are considered to be primary importance as concerned with the work carried on in the school. 

Kinds of Records to be Maintained

 Administratively, the records which has be maintained in secondary schools are broadly under the following heads; General, Financial, Educational and those relating to equipment. The list of records to be maintained in a secondary school as given below, may appear formidable; and, indeed, in many schools all these records may not be necessary. The criterion for adoption of any record is whether serves any useful purpose in making the management of the school more effective. A characteristic weakness of school administration is the recording of data that is without any purpose by making a fetish of maintaining through and exhaustive records covering every from school activity without realizing that they do not merit the time and labour e pended on them. A careful discrimination between hat is really incessant and S% hat h really dispensable should be made, if the school office is lot to become a store-house of information of little value in either making the school work effective or helping educational authorities in the planning of educational reform and development. Approval of the inspecting officers is, however, necessary as to the selection of the records to be maintained in school. 

A. General 

1. Calendar 
2. Log Book 
3. Visitor’s Book
4. Service Registers 
5. Register of Loans of Buildings 
6. Order and Circulars of the Educational Authority 
7. Staff Leave Register 
8. Memo Book 
9. “From” and “to” Registers 
10. Local Delivery Book 

B. Financial 

1. Acquaintance Roll 
2. Contingent Order Book 
3. Contingency Register 
4. Register of Fee Collections 
5. Abstract Register of Fees 
6. Register of Receipt & Expenditure (Games) 
7. Register of Receipts and Expenditure (Union) 
8. Bill Register 
9. Register of Donations (for private schools only) 
10. Register of Scholarships 
11. Practical Arts Section Bill Book 
12. Practical Arts Section Order Book 

C. Educational 

1. Pupils’ Attendance Register 
2. Teachers’ Attendance Book 
3. Class Time-Tables 
4. Teachers’ Time-Tables 
5. General Time-Tables
6. Teacher’s Monthly Programme of Work 
7. Pupils’ Progress Record 
8. School Tests Records 
9. Headmaster’s Supervision Register 
10. Admission Register 
11. Transfer Certificate Book 
12. Public Examination Records 

D. Equipment 

1. Stock Book of Furniture and School Appliances 
2. Library Catalogue 
3. Accession Register 
4. Library Issue Book 
5. Stationary Issue Book 
6. Stock and Issue of Games Materials 
7. Register of Newspapers and Magazines Received 
8. Register of Supply Slates and Books, etc., Received and Distributed 
9. Register of Articles Manufactured in the Practical Arts Section 
10. Register of Stock of Raw materials for the Practical Arts Section 

E. Correspondence 

1. From and “To” Registers 
2. Peon Book 
3. Manual Book 
4. File of Departmental orders and Circulars 
5. Public Examination File 
6. Register of Causal Leave Granted 

In addition to those mention under the heading “Financial” the following for records have been found helpful in maintaining school accounts: 

1. Cash Book for entering daily receipts and payments 
2. General Ledger or Classified Abstract of the monthly totals 
3. Remittance Book for the purpose of making Remittance to the Treasury or bank. 
4. Register of Pay Bills 

The following few points concerning the proper mode of keeping school records might usefully be born in mind by fresh and inexperienced head-teachers.

Mode of Keeping Records 

1. In every institution it stock list of registers maintained should he prepared. 

2. On the outer cover of each register the following particulars should be distinctly written: 

• The name of the school. 
• The serial number of register. 
• The name of the register. 
• Number of the volume. 
• The number of the pages in the volume and dates on which the volume was opened and closed. 

3. When a register is opened the pages should be numbered consecutively, either in red ink or with numbering machine, and no leaf must he inserted in to, or detached from any register. If a page is disfigured by faulty entries or otherwise, the entries should be secured off with the remark “cancelled”. 

4. Registers should be kept tidy. Writing and figuring should be such as will give a neat appearance to the entries. Figures must not be joined. Noughts in money columns should be avoided, as they are liable to lead to confusion in totaling and admit of alteration. Registers should not he folded or the pages crumpled. 

5. If it is necessary to correct any, entry, the incorrect one should not he scratched out, but a line should be lightly drawn through it in red ink so that the original entry and the alternation made may both be clear on the face of the record. 

6. The head of the office should authenticate each correction of interpolation made, by setting his dated initials against each such correction or interpolation. 

7. All entries must be in ink. But in entering balance or totals it desirable to check their correctness before noting them in ink. 

8. All horizontal lines should be thinly ruled in red ink. One line above every total and two lines underneath every final total should be drawn. The money denomination, namely “Rs.” should be indicated by the side of each total, thus: Rs. 195-10-4. 

9. The totals of both sides of an account should always be noted in a line with each other, even though there may not be the same number of items on both sides. 

10. When standardized printed registers are not available, a stiff bound notebook should be used of a size uniform with the majority of the other registers. 

11. A new volume of a register should not be opened every year when the previous volume contains a large number of blank pages. Whenever a fresh hook is put in to use, a remark on the fly sheet of the book that the previous volumes has been fully used and lodged in the record should be recorded with, and the date from which the new register is used and the number of pages it contains should be noted. 

12. Every column provided in a prescribed register should be filled up. No blank space should be left between entries; and subsequent insertions should be avoided. A few of the important school records, relating mainly to the educational side of School administration, are described below: 

1. School Calendar

 The school calendar is drawn up at the beginning of each school year. The school year, should be noted that it is different from the financial year and the calendar year. While the financial year begins on first July and the calendar year on January lst, the school year commences on the date of reopening of a school after the long vacation. The school year is therefore the year arranged for teaching purposes and is not identical with either the financial or the calendar year. It is generally advisable that all schools in the same provinces or, at any rate, in the same local area, should have a uniform school year. So that children who unavoidably have to migrate from one school to another at any time of the year may not he handicapped by an appreciable difference in the progress made in the courses of studies in the several schools. According to the general educational requirements the headmaster of every school should prepare a calendar by the end of June each year, and submit one copy to the inspecting officer in-charge of the school and have another posted up in his office room. 

The calendar should contain the following items of information and such others as concern the work of the institution:

1. General, partial, and local holidays. 
2. Dates for the submission of monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and annual reports and returns. 
3. Dates of public and school examinations. 
4. Dates for sending up applications for public examination term certificates, etc. 
5. Lessons to be done on each partial holiday, so that no subject shall suffer through continual loss of periods of works. 
6. Dates of meeting of school committees, Teachers’ Associations. Debating and other societies, local excursions, school tournaments, etc. 
7. In Schools where the system of periodical class test is in vogue, the dates on which such tests will be conducted, and the subjects in which they will be held. The school calendar ensures regular and timely submission of periodical Returns and reports and conduces to the better and systematic organization of school activities. 

2. Log Book 

Educational rules require also the maintenance of a log book also. The logbook is a record of events, and as such it furnishes material for a history of the school. It should contain mention of special events, the introduction of new text-books, apparatus, or courses of instruction, and plan of lessons approved by the inspectors, the visits of the Inspecting Officers and other distinguished persons interested in education, closure or changes in the working hours of school on account (if epidemic diseases, and any oilier deviations from the ordinary routine of the school. or any special circumstances effecting the school, that may deserve to be recorded for future reference or for any other reason. The logbook is a school diary. It should contain only statement of facts and no expressions of opinion on the work or conduct of teachers, or remarks as to the efficiency of the school. The entries in the logbook should he made by the head master, as occasion may require. It is a permanent record for future reference. 

3. Admission Register

 The Admission Register is one of the most important school records, and the head master is personally responsible for therein. Alter satisfying himself that, the information furnished by the parents in the application for admission to the school is correct, the head master should state at the bottom of the form whether the pupil was admitted or rejected. All application forms received should be serially numbered and filed separately for reference. In the case of pupil seeking admission after a course of private study a careful investigation concerning the pupil’s previous educational career, as declared by the parent or guardian, should invariably he made before making admission. The headmaster should resist the pressure or importunities of parents’ tor admission of children by evasion of the rule. Admission of pupils migrating from outside the jurisdiction of the local educational authority should not be made, even though the candidates may be eligible according to their transfer certificates, until the certificates have been countersign by the educational officer who should be having administrative control over the school issuing the certificates, and until the equivalence of standards has been determined. No such pupil should he admitted to a class higher than the first-year class when two or more classes constitute one unit from the point of view of the course of instruction. 

1. Bauer, T. 2011. Die Kultur der Ambiguität: Eine andere Geschichte des Islam. -Berlin: Verlag der Weltreligionen/Insel. 

2. Bell, M. 2014. “Liberal Attitudes and Middle East Realities.” Transatlantic Academy Paper Series, June. 

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