School year calendar

School construction means in concrete terms the action of building a new school and implies beforehand the decision-making process of the building, followed by the construction in itself, together with maintenance and reparation. School construction has a certain impact on learning outcomes because if buildings are not ready on time for school year or if rehabilitation or maintenance is needed, class cannot be given to pupils properly. Generally agreed strategies exist in the literature to ensure that school spaces are safe, healthy and sanitary, inclusive, gender sensitive and involving the community. More specifically, some materials are chosen according to the local climate or other natural characteristics (natural hazards, animals and insects, possible diseases). In areas prone to natural hazards or conflict, school buildings must ensure safety and can even be transformed into shelters as short-term solutions, so it does not impede classes from starting again. This is why permanent schools should also be disaster resistant, cost-effective and environmentally-sensitive. See more...

School-based management (SBM) is a broad term that covers different degrees of autonomy for schools in terms of decision-making and areas where the schools have decision making power. It includes not only staff management in terms of hiring and firing the personnel, but also includes budget and financial resources management, as well pedagogical-related issues. School management has two main dimensions: political and educational. It impacts not only the balance of powers between the central and local level, but also the learning outcomes of the pupils. School-Based Management (SBM) is often described as a good political solution to run schools efficiently. Its objective is to decentralize the decision-making process and to diversify the stakeholder involved. Teachers parents and the community are the three main groups of stakeholders to consider in the implementation of SBM. Even though it is a strategy generally agreed-upon among the international community there also are some concerns about the way governments implement it. Therefore transparency, accountability and resources management are three prominent criteria to ensure the right and efficient decentralization of school management, and more generally education quality in a country. See more...

For different reasons, school buildings may sometimes be out of use, and prevent pupils from benefiting an efficient education. The usability of a building, including schools, depends on the quality of its infrastructures, the risk exposition within and/or outside the walls. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programs aim at saving lives and prevent injuries, interruption of education and develop a resilient community. It includes the promotion of DRR in teaching and learning, the promotion of school safety and disaster management and the provision of safe school environments. To prevent some disasters from happening, technical assessment and evaluation of school buildings are useful. Indeed, there is a correlation between school safety and learning outcomes, since it is easier to concentrate knowing that there is no danger of any nature around the school space. See more...