Governance theory advocates diversified social management, attaches importance to the participation of social organizations and groups, and holds that public utilities such as education cannot be managed by the government alone. Besides the government, educated individuals and institutions belonging to the third sector also need to participate in management and supervision. The role of the government in education is not infinite, but relative to the role of schools, society and individuals, which determines the limitation of the government's educational administrative function. The current unified pattern of educational administration in China is not conducive to the government to play its due role, nor to mobilizing forces outside the government to participate in educational management. Therefore, it is necessary to change the status quo of the main unit of the national all-inclusive education and unified management of schools, and realize the diversification of the main body of education management.
It is necessary to change the infinity of the government's educational administrative function and limit it within the statutory authority. Give full play to the macro-management functions of government education administrative organs: determine the direction of education, provide educational opportunities, balance educational needs and improve educational efficiency. Change the high degree of control over education, from an education provider to a guarantor of education quality and fairness, and give educational institutions and schools greater autonomy. Establish a certain mechanism so that both society and individuals can participate in education management. Abandon the unit value orientation and turn to the pluralistic value orientation. On the premise of ensuring the "unit governance" power that the government should have, we should return those powers that do not belong to the government to citizens, schools and society.
(2) change the way to perform functions.
The current administrative management system of basic education in China determines that the government mainly carries out mandatory management through policy formulation and document issuance when performing management functions. From the perspective of governance, it emphasizes the interactivity of the process and advocates managing public affairs through cooperation, consultation, partnership and establishing common goals.
In the management of basic education, the government is still the protagonist and plays a major role. However, this does not mean that the government can act independently and must attach importance to cooperation with other institutions and individuals. The relationship between institutions is equal, and it is no longer a subordinate relationship between superiors and subordinates. The mode of operation is no longer the mode of commanding and being commanded, but the mode of cooperation through equal consultation. The government no longer relies on mandatory policies to operate, but regulates the behavior of various actors by formulating laws and rules. In the process of educational management, formal compulsory management is combined with democratic consultation, negotiation and compromise among actors; Formal laws and regulations are combined with informal measures voluntarily accepted by all actors, and all actors seek common ground while reserving differences in mutual trust, mutual benefit, coexistence, participation and cooperation.
In the process of managing basic education, the government should focus on grasping the direction of education, supervising and evaluating the quality of education, rather than interfering with specific school-running behavior. In other words, the government should do the following:
First, study the party's educational policy and standardize school-running behavior.
Second, entrust specialized agencies to formulate academic standards for basic education.
Third, organize level tests regularly and organize specialized institutions to analyze, feedback and guide students' academic level to ensure the quality of education and teaching.
Doing the above things well by the administrative department of basic education is not only conducive to alleviating the pressure of the administrative department, but also conducive to alleviating the pressure of running schools, reducing the burden of students' schoolwork, activating the enthusiasm of running schools and promoting the all-round development of students.
(3) Improve the governance network system.
Governance theory holds that in the field of social public management, the government should not be opposed to other social organizations, but should jointly form an interdependent governance system. Although education has the characteristics of externality and non-profit, government education administration has always been in a dominant position in the whole education management system, but this does not exclude other social organizations from participating in education management. Under the governance model, the government is no longer a single power center, but also includes non-governmental organizations and educated people.
But in reality, China's diversified business entities are not mature. The existing so-called non-profit organizations either use the exclusive resources endowed by the state to carry out quasi-mandatory management in their fields, so that their behavior is close to that of government organizations, or use them as tools for some individuals to obtain economic benefits and artificially create public demand. There is no procedural track for consultation and cooperation in independent participation in public affairs management, let alone forming a two-way and mutually beneficial relationship with the government.