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What are the Major components of the school Plant
The school plant is the sum total of building, equipment, textbook including the surrounding where teaching and learning takes place. The school plant includes all permanent and semi – permanent structures in the school.
The major components of a school plant are as follows:
- Class-rooms: Class-rooms are the major component of the school plant. There should have a classroom for each section of students and there should be as many classrooms as there are sections in different classes in secondary schools. The classrooms should provide sitting arrangement to accommodate 40 to 50 students with adequate space for students and teachers to sit, stand and move freely for using maps, charts, pictures etc. The classroom should be ideal and a workable one according to the present need. The size of a classroom depends upon the number of students in the class.
- Subject Rooms: Besides the class-rooms, the school plant should have accommodation for teaching of some specific subjects like Science, Mathematics, Geography, Drawing, Crafts, Music, and Home Science etc. In the modern school system, where the new teaching devices like project teaching, individualized instruction, laboratory work, discussion and debate, audio-visual instruction etc. are followed, it is not desirable to provide a general classroom which is meant for teaching subjects for general nature. The subject-rooms helps economizing time, energy, when the equipment, apparatus and other teaching aids are not moved from one end of school to another. So the schools which provide for the teaching of different practical subjects must have different special rooms for the purpose.
- Library Room: Every school building should have a separate wing for library and reading room. Where resources permit, reading room should be separated from the library hall. The library room should be “attractive, colourful and inviting.” It should be well decorated, so as to present a homely look. It should be centrally located so that it may be easily accessible to pupils.It should be well-equipped with nicely selected books and literature, which should be easily approachable and accessible to one and all. It should be kept neat and clean. The library should create a conductive reading atmosphere to encourage students to read general books. It should provide useful social experiences. Therefore, the school should have a library with a full-time librarian to stimulate learning. So library should be an intellectual hub in school with a qualified librarian.
- The School Office: The school office is the controlling place for the working of the effective organisation of the total school programme. So it should be centrally located to serve as a good coordinating centre for the school. It should be as near to the Headmaster’s office as far as possible. Their school office should be provided with necessary equipment such as typewriter, duplicators, rubber stamps, etc. This room should have adequate arrangement of the drinking water and attached bath-room and lavatory. The store-rooms of the school also be quite adjacent to the school office.
- The Staff-room: There should be a common room for the teachers in a secondary school. This staff room is meant for the teachers to meet each other, to work together or individually. In this room teachers can rest in their vacant periods. This may be a waiting place for teachers in between working periods. It should be spacious enough to accommodate the whole teaching staff of the school. It should be situated at such a place where there is least disturbance of the classes and also should not have much distance from the headmaster’s office.
- School Laboratories: Every secondary school must possess well-equipped and well-planned laboratories for teaching science subjects. The size of this room should be more spacious to accommodate all the laboratory equipment’s. It should also have one or two attached rooms used as stores. The service connections for gas, electricity and water are to be provided in the wall of this room.
- The School Hall: Every school should have a big hall where assembly of the whole school may be possible. Here all the pupils assemble for general meetings, dramatics, lectures, exhibition and many other school activities for all the students whenever required by the headmaster. It should be located on the ground floor ensuring easy access to the pupils, teachers and the public. It must be situated in an isolated wing of the school building to ensure safety from crowds and for reduced sound interference. The school hall can be used as multipurpose room as an auditorium, as gymnasium, refreshment room, the audio-visual room.
- The School Play-grounds: Play ground is said to be the cradle of democracy. Games and sports are the essential parts of the total education. So every school should essentially have a due provision for the playgrounds. Play grounds are needed for all types of physical activities, sports and games, regular physical exercises etc.
