Page 25 - ELG2410 October Issue 492

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Good governance

Director of Bridge Mills Galway Language Centre, Patrick Creed, takes a

look at the role of governance in promoting the development of Centres
of Excellence.

ever before in the English Language What is Good Governance? and develop the academic standards of the
Education sector has quality Governance outlines a set of guidelines that organisation. In this capacity, the Academic
and excellence been focussed determine how an organisation is managed. Committee is tasked with ensuring academic
Non so much by so many training It provides a framework to help oversee the right decision-making reflects the interests of learners,
organisations; this is an excellent period in actions and activities within an organisation, maintains standards, and is independent of
the positive development of schools and to serve the people and stakeholders in the commercial considerations of the organisation.
training organisations. organisation, and can help to drive quality The Academic Committee has delegated
This can only be a good thing for staff awareness and quality assurance standards. authority from the Board of Directors to carry out
and students alike, but as quality standards Good governance can be driven by the its function. These functions and responsibilities
increase and more organisations strive for establishment of a Board of Directors whose roles of an Academic Committee may include:
excellence, challenges still exist on how and responsibilities determine the mission and
to map that pathway to excellence for vision of the organisation. The board can also: • Providing an annual report to the Board
organisations. of Directors, encompassing all aspects of
Schools are busy places with many staff • Review and approve strategic planning the Academic Committee’s functions and
wearing many hats, and trying to find time proposals for the organisation responsibilities.
to learn about how to do things better, and • Uphold the ethics, values and culture of • Academic Oversight; providing advice and
implementing changes to promote excellence, the organisation making recommendations to the Board of
is not always that easy. • Identify and evaluate risks and monitor Directors on academic planning proposals,
A starting point to become a centre the organisation’s risk and advising the Board of Directors on
of excellence in the work that you do as • Provide oversight of financial governance resource requirements.
language training organisation, be it for and budgetary decision-making • Ensuring that systems of academic
British Council accreditation or other, • Have ultimate responsibility for compliance administration are in place, which are fit
is to look at how your school is structured with legal and statutory obligations for purpose and encompass the entirety of
and the organisational governance that • Determine how knowledge is managed and the student experience.
exists, how it works and how it can be transferred throughout the organisation • Maintaining the threshold academic standards
improved. of the education awards conferred on the
Organisational governance informs Establishing Subcommittees programmes delivered by the organisation.
the workings of any organisation and The board, of course, cannot carry out all the • Establishing and managing the activities of
with a balanced organisational strategy activities within the organisation, but can action its subcommittees, including their terms of
can help guide quality assurance, quality decisions made, and delegate responsibility to reference.
standards and overall outputs for the committees that report to the board. • Establishing and managing ad hoc committees
organisation, irrespective of size or If an organisation sets up an Academic as appropriate to deal with specific academic
organisational focus. Committee, its role can be to protect, maintain issues, such as academic appeals.
editorial@elgazette.com 25