Role of School Head in Formulation and Implementation of School Development Plan in MCD Schools of Delhi

A School Development Plan (SDP) is the product of an on-going process where the principal, in consultation with key stakeholders, reviews the effectiveness of the whole range of educational experiences provided for students in the school and prepares a vision and plan for continuous improvement in the short and long term future (ANTRIEP, 2011). The definition suggests that it is a cyclical process, through which the head, in consultation with others, reviews the current needs of the school, envisions a better future, establish priorities for development and evaluates the implementation leading to a further review and a new set of priorities. In India, according to the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, every Government or Government-aided School is supposed to prepare a mandatory School Development Plan as one of the Functions of School Management Committee. The rationale behind the addition of School Development Plan in the RTE Act is its holistic view. According to SSA-Framework for Implementation of Right to Education Act (2011) “It is a Master Plan and Base Document for school's educational as well as infrastructure work along with its development in phases. It implies that it comprises of both the educational and infrastructure aspect of school and is a whole School Development Plan”. The SDP is visualized as a comprehensive plan focusing on all aspects of School e.g. Protection of children's rights, Infrastructure, Teacher availability, Classroom transaction and Child assessments, Inclusiveness, etc. Hence, School Development plan plays an important role in school improvement. School head plays an Important role in School functioning. In Indian Context, he/she plays a wide variety of roles in School. They look after Academic issues, Administrative tasks, Managerial duties (Akhtar, 2000; Govinda, 2002; Seetharaman, 2001). They also play an important role in the formulation and implementation of school programs (Voorhis and Sheldon, 2004; Berua, 2001). He/she prepares a School Development Plan with SMC and Implement it with the help of Colleagues. Therefore, they can also play important role in formulation and implementation of School Development Plan, which in turn leads to School Improvement. Hence, the process of formulation and implementation of School Development Plan was explored studying the role of School head in the whole process. The purpose of the study was to explore the process of formulation and implementation of School Development Plan in schools to find outhow much policy directives are transformed into school practices. Also, the role played by the school head in the whole process.