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Bureaucracy as a Tool in School Administration, a Study of Max Weber's Approach to Bureaucracy.

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Bureaucracy As A Tool For Administration In Schools, A Study Of Max Weber’s Approach

By Andrew Muringani.

Bureaucracy is one of the rational structures that are playing in an over-increasing role in modern society. Thus bureaucracy is the key feature of an organization. In schools bureaucracy endures because of the assurance of order, rationality, accountability and stability it provides to the public. The school as a system has goals to meet. The need of mass administration makes it today completely indispensable. Thus this write up will examine Max Weber’s theory of bureaucracy and it will explain its applicability into the education system.
Bureaucracy is identified as an organization with a hierarchy of paid, full-time officials …show more content…

This implies that the school is a formal organization which is hierarchical in nature from old development community, Head of the station, senior teacher, staff, prefects and finally pupils. The positions within structures are occupied by members who consciously relate to each other to achieve a set of objectives. In bureaucratic model schools are viewed as having hierarchical authority with formal chains of command between the different levels. Schools pursue those goals determined by the official leaders at the apex of the pyramid. Decision-making is still deemed to be rational, based on a careful evaluation of alternatives and a considered choice of the most appropriate option. Thus the existence of various administrative offices reduces the workload and congestion at school. The issues can be solved at classroom level by the teacher whereas cases of indiscipline such as breaking school property can be solved by the head and the disciplinary committee. This means that the school administrators strictly controlled and disciplined activities since they have legitimate power.

However the issue of hierarchy slows down the pace at which things are to be done. For example if the teacher wants to go on leave, be it a vacation or manpower development leave. The teacher is not allowed to desert the station before the permanent secretary's approval. The forms need to pass through various

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