As educational consultants, we have assisted several schools to formulate, write and edit Strategic Plans (SPs). For instance, we have worked and walked with Utumishi Boys and Utumishi Girls in Nakuru County, Machakos Girls High School and Katheka-Kai Secondary School in Machakos, Ribe High School in Kilifi, Chakol Girls High in Busia, Maralal High in Samburu, Kadika Girls High in Migori, and Moi Siongiroi Girls High School in Bomet.
Now, we are sprucing up SPs for Bura Girls High School and Senior Chief Mwangeka Girls’ High School in Taita-Taveta County, among others. Today, we are poised to visit Ndururi High School in Laikipia County: to train them on the same important assignment.
Ideally, a Strategic Plan is a document that gives an institution sense of vision and purpose. It enshrines stupendous strategies worth implementation with specific timelines — in most cases 5 years or so. It acts as a yardstick that guides school arrowheads to remain transformative, visionary and strategic in their leadership style.
Strategy formulation and strategic implementation forms the central plank of strategic management. Strategic formulation entails defining institutional philosophy and mission, setting long term and short-term objectives, and selecting strategies to use to achieve the objectives.
The strategic planning process entails examining history of the institution and assessing the present situation and the capacity to change and improve. It focusses on looking into the future, determining goals of the institution and identifying objectives of the institution. Data collection occurs through strategic planning workshops, poring through the previous Strategic Plan, focussing on oral and written interviews, and issuance of questionnaires and collation of reports from key stakeholders.
In School Administration and Management, Geoffrey Wango avers that a Strategic Plan is one of the documents principals rely on to assist them steer schools in the right direction. It is an important document used in deft management practices. When it is there, it is easier to manage change and transition.
In a heroic book titled the Tower of Transformational Leadership, the late Prof George Magoha admits that in his 10-year tenure as Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, having a Strategic Plan helped him provide legendary leadership in that iconic institution.
Therefore, it is crystal-clear that SPs aid leaders to stand at a vantage point with a panoramic vision. To some extent, it is also a resource mobilization document, more so when it has a carefully-crafted prioritized development projects and implementation budget projection.
When a Strategic Plan is available, it makes managers to see beyond the sea. In the Art of Institutional Leadership, Prof Laban Ayiro, Vice Chancellor of Daystar University, postulates that vision is a picture of the future which produces passion in people. In the sacred scriptures, Habakkuk implores vision-bearers to write the vision on the table and allow those who can read run with it. Habakkuk 2:2-3.
A classic case to visionary approach is the inventor Thomas Alva Edison. He made the first public demonstration of his incandescent light bulb on December 31, 1879 in Melo Park New York. With the good gift of foresight, he heralded: “We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.” Consequently, Wright Brothers pictured a radiant day when they would soar high like birds in the sky. Through vision, they saw a ‘metal capsule’ with wings wending like wisps of wind.
On December 17, 1903, the Wright Flyer made its maiden take off from the sandy beaches of North Carolina.
School principals can hire experts like the weaver of these words to help them craft and draft the document — write and edit it.
The SP should focus on the implementation plan matrix. There should be a table clear on strategy, activity, person responsible, period, resources required, sources of funds, assumptions plus output indicators. There should be budgetary projection focussing on cost estimates, sources of funds, year of action, key projects and implementation.
There is the implementation checklist which focusses on people with responsibility to implement, proper allocation of resources and reconciling assumptions made, and detailed operational and tactical plans and an implementation timetable.
The epilogue should enshrine Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Committee that will spearhead the impressive implementation of the SP. In table form, M&E should capture the stage and type of indicator or nature of data.
YOU MAY ALSO READ:
By Victor Ochieng’
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
