Governance and Leadership for Achieving Higher Quality in School Education: A Study of Sikkim

Abstract

Studies related to governance and leadership contributing to quality are rare in education. Sikkim has been chosen for this study to fill the gap. The article argues that good governance is a means or a process through which network governance can be effectively applied in the education system that is operationalised through leadership for achieving higher quality. The study indicates that the influence of ministerial leadership in public administration flows from the state level to schools. The lead-organised governance network at the state level characterises educational functions ranging from identifying needs to build a vision for an education system and exploiting ICT for the ease of administration. A network administrative organisation at the district level characterises establishing networks, aligning the focus between the state and school levels, creating a network of leaders at the school level and spreading innovations and good practices to all schools in the district. Participant governance at the school level mainly translates the state’s vision into action, engages in professional development of teachers, creates a climate for experimentation, distributes time equally between academic and administrative activities and builds networks with district- and state-level officials for improving schools. Through these processes at all levels, good governance acts as a means for apt application of network governance. Relevant leadership practices ensure good governance for higher quality education.