Every stakeholder of an institution is important and significant in their own way. However, we mostly focus on the Teaching staff that benefits the students. Let's discover how irreplaceable the non-teaching staff is in any school, college or university.
A school is considered a second home for students, and teachers as a second set of parents. However, it is often the non-teaching staff that helps run the school as an institution.
What are the different categories of non-teaching staff in schools?
To understand the extent of duties and responsibilities performed by the non-teaching staff at school, it is important to take a deeper look at the different categories and jobs they do across the hours of the day:
- Administrative staff- They are responsible for keeping a record of day-to-day activities, while also maintaining overall discipline and structure.
- Infirmarian- The infirmary consists of the school nurse and other medical practitioners who care for students and teachers in case of a medical emergency.
- Cleaning staff- It is said that cleanliness is next to godliness. The cleaning staff maintains hygiene and neatness in the institution.
- Transportation staff- Students must be attended to not just within the school building but also to and from their homes. In this respect, the transportation staff plays an important role.
- Accounts and Finances- At the end of the day, a school is a business which is why all accounts and finances must be kept in order.
- Librarian- A holistic education means exposure to subjects which are not only academic in nature. Librarians hold a special position in the non-teaching list because they must carefully curate books for students of all ages and reading abilities.
Does the non-teaching staff play an essential role in the school?
A child goes to school for academic training, moral excellence, and social performance. After all, the mark of a good disciple is their ability to adjust and integrate themselves into a community for mutual growth and sustainability. Being in the presence of non-teaching staff in schools highlights how the above can be fulfilled through a variety of occupational choices.
It also shows students the importance of every agent in an ecosystem such as a school. It is only because of the non-teaching staff members that the classrooms are kept clean, teachers' salaries are paid, notices and routines are delivered on time, etc
Who are non-teaching staff in school?
The non-teaching staff includes those individuals who are not immediate part-takes in a classroom for teaching but still play crucial roles to support the school system and its various functionings. Their responsibilities range from administration and healthcare to maintenance and student support.
What are the main departments of the non-teaching staff?
Non-teaching staff members are divided into various departments, each contributing to a school environment. Here are a few common ones:
- Administrative Staff: To record day-to-day activities, maintain discipline in the school, and provide leadership roles.
- Infirmaries: An in-school doctor or nurse for immediate health concerns of students and staff. They offer first aid and emergency care too.
- Cleaning Staff: To keep classrooms, laboratories, washrooms, and the entire campus clean.
- Transport Related Staff: Manage school transportation, ensuring students' safety while commuting.
- Accounts & Finance: The office staff that maintains financial records, often fees payments from students too.
- Storekeepers: Manage inventory and supplies, books, copies, and uniforms.
- Librarians: To provide an environment for learning and research.
- Counsellors: Mental support for students, and staff. They are usually certified.
How does the absence of non-teaching staff impact schools?
Without the non-teaching staff, the everyday work of an institution dwindles. Without their contributions, areas such as administration, health services, cleanliness, and logistics could suffer, affecting the overall quality of education and student experience. A campus must treat its non-teaching members with equal importance to make them realise how absolutely necessary their role is.
In fact, the non-teaching staff members could be called the backbone of an educational institution, they make sure everything is clean, organised, recorded and readily available. Their efforts, although often behind the scenes, significantly impact the students, teachers, and the entire school community.
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Introduction
A school is made up of different departments just like any other organization. If the teacher can be seen as analogous to the brain of a school, it is the non teaching staff that does the operations that the teachers require to make their contribution functional and reach the students in the right way. Then only stuff has a very important role to play in the functioning of a school and it is one that should not be taken lightly.
Who are Non Teaching Staff?
Non teaching staff consist of people who are in the school system but do not function as people who impart knowledge directly to the students. They do not have a direct stake in the education of the student but their absence can severely impact the same. Non teaching staff are an integral part of the school system and their everyday functions are what helps the school function normally and seamlessly without any hiccups or hindrances along the way. They are people who work on the sidelines and yet their effect is felt directly in each and every student as well as teacher with respect to their everyday activities in school.
Departments of Non Teaching Staff
There are several members of the non teaching staff who are essential to the smooth functioning of a school. Given below are a few examples of non teaching staff and what they do from the standpoint of their professional responsibilities.
Administrative Staff
The role of the administrative staff is taken care of by different people and it varies from institution to institution. Administration basically means taking care of all the day-to-day activities of a school, supervising the daily happenings of the school and maintaining discipline and order. The administrative staff may contain the principal, vice principal, and sometimes even senior faculty members.
Infirmary
The school infirmary is one of the most important centres of non teaching in a school. It contains a school dance which tends to the immediate and emergency problems and health issues of students as well as teachers at times. The school infirmary is the place where you will find the school nurse. School nurse is part of the non teaching staff and has a very important role in the life of students. They are responsible for tending to the injuries of students and even administering first aid if the situation gets serious. They might not be teaching any student but their effect is evident from the lives of students.
Cleaning Staff
The cleaning staff is one of the most important if not the most important part of the school. :Without them, the classroom would be filthy and unhygienic. They are supposed to maintain the average hygiene standard of a school and must maintain the school's overall cleanliness.
The Transport Related Staff
These include the bus conductors and drivers of the school. Almost every school has a transport system for bringing children to school and getting them back to their homes. The task of ferrying them between school and home is entrusted to the conductors and drivers of the school. This has a lot of responsibility attached to it because the literal safety of students need to be taken into consideration.
Accounts & Finance
Maintaining the accounts of a school is one of the most important aspects of running it. The accounts section is not only the most famous non teaching position there is, it is often the busiest as well. Keeping the finances of an educational institution in check is paramount for the overall success of a school so their contribution requires special mention.
Storekeepers
The store keeper is the person who maintains an inventory of all the commodities being sold in the school store. The storekeeper’s job may seem simple, but it is much more important than what it is given credit for. If a proper inventory of all the things being bought and sold is not maintained, it can lead to financial losses and so, their contributions are quite valuable to the school.
Librarians
The case for a librarian being part of the non teaching staff is kind of a bit of a mixed bag because while some librarians are considered non teaching staff because their role does not involve taking classes in schools, there are cases where there are an inadequate number of teachers or staff in general and certain teachers are given the responsibility of being a librarian in addition to being a teacher, so even though there rule is fundamentally not one that require teaching it may still be carried out by a teaching staff. Interestingly a librarian is sometimes also called a library teacher in schools.
Counselors
Counselors are people who are given the responsibility of maintaining the mental health and overall well-being of students at school. They offer moral support to the students and help them with their learning needs, assisting them in figuring out what is not working for them and what to do to improve themselves over time.
Conclusion
So it is clearly seen that the non teaching staff in an educational institution has a significant role to play in the functioning of the school and in the overall being of the students in the school but the absence of the contribution can have a very negative effect in the overall functioning and fabric of the same. Their contributions might seem invisible at first, but it is actually very evident their contributions are the reason for the smooth functioning of the school system.
Some schools might even have other not teaching staff who have roles that are not mentioned here as well. For example, there might be a dedicated canteen staff if the school or educational institution has a very large canteen to maintain. So the number of non teaching staff and the various roles they play changes from institution to institution.
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