Preventive Maintainance System in Primary Schools

Everything built by man requires preventive maintenance especially schools built for the education of a country’s citizens. For Primary Schools to continue being ideal places of education for pupils and teachers alike, preventive maintenance should be regarded as an important aspect of the schools program. Commenting on preventive maintenance, PC Kaiser and Harvey H say this; “Preventive maintenance” means scheduled maintenance actions that prevents the premature failure or extends the useful life of a facility, or a facility’s systems and components that are cost-effective on a life-cycle basis.

– (PC, Kaiser, Harvey H 1991: 9-10)

In this paper the term preventive maintenance has been used in a broader sense to include all those activities that are desirable and regularly scheduled to prevent premature failure or to maximize the useful life of a Primary School facility. This has been referred to as Preventive Management System and abbreviated PMS. For the purpose of this essay, preventive maintenance will be understood as planned and scheduled maintenance to all building systems, lawns, flowers, trees, school gardens, instruments, fittings and production unit.

Scheduled activities includes things like daily sweeping and dusting, roof inspections, repainting of classrooms, door hardware adjustments, lubrication of mobile equipment, replacements of broken windows, caring for lawns and flowers, and pruning of trees. This paper has been divide into two main parts . The first part will look at five reasons why preventive maintenance system is important in a primary school. The second part will consider how preventive maintenance system is organized with reference to my school.

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It will also look at the challenges faced and suggested ways in which these challenges can be overcome. The first and most important reason why PMS is important is that it will maximize the useful life of School buildings. Huge public funds go into construction of these school facilities and therefore, to extend useful life span preventive maintenance must be carried out. Primary Schools are unique and exceptional from other building types due to their intense use and abuse and young occupants.

If a preventive maintenance system is implemented in a primary school, it will ensure that a regular schedule of care and maintenance is followed. Any problems with the building and other school facilities are identified and corrected before they actually lead to a failure. This in itself will improve the useful life of the school buildings and improve the way they look. Some of this maintenance especially to buildings would require specialized services and cost some money. The school administration should arrange this through the ministry of education.

In avoiding costs of major repairs, preventive, maintenance creates efficiencies. ”(Marilyn Howard 2006: 4) Indeed replacement costs are avoided because repairs are done during preventive maintenance. The second reason is too prevent premature failure of buildings in the school. A preventive maintenance system if properly implemented would prevent premature failures to any building or school facilities that would interrupt occupant’s activities and the delivery of lessons.

School buildings that operate trouble-free allow teachers to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. Because preventive maintenance includes regular inspections and replacement of equipment crucial to operating a building, maintenance staff reduces the problems that might otherwise lead to a breakdown in learning activities. Faults in school desks, windows, doors and many other facilities will be prevented as these things are maintained before they break down. This in effect reduces cost of replacements should item be left to completely wears out.

When maintenance is delayed, one risks losing the true value of the capital, premature equipment failure, and product damage and production delays. ”(Hardman1998:3). In terms of school infrastructure, well maintained buildings will not collapse or the roof will not be blown off during the rain seasons. This will improve the safety of both pupils and teachers. The third reason why PMS is important is that it can sustain a safe and healthful environment by keeping school buildings and their components in good repair and structurally sound.

The school surrounding is an important aspect of learning environment. “A classroom with broken windows and cold drafts doesn’t foster effective learning. ” (Forrojalla 1993: 15)Preventive maintenance in schools should include the regular watering of flowers and lawns and planting of trees. Trees and flowers should be an integral part of any learning institution. Proper care should be taken to ensure that these things do not pose any problems to buildings and pupils. Szuba T and R Young mphasize the fact that preventive maintenance is “…is about providing clean and safe environments for children. It is also about creating a physical setting that is appropriate and adequate for learning. ”(Szuba T & R Young 2003:11) The fourth reason is that a well developed preventive maintenance system involves all members of staff at the primary school and the pupils. Involvement of pupils in the preventive maintenance activities will instill a sense of responsibility in the pupils and help them to grow into responsible citizens.

This is also cost effective way of maintaining the school environment while inculcating the spirit of team work in the pupils and teachers. The overall benefit of a good learning environment as a result of the preventive maintenance system will make learning enjoyable for pupils. Pupils will grow with a sense of responsibility for public property and are more likely to avoid vandalism. The fifth and final reason considered is that a well organized PMS will ensure that buildings and surroundings function the way they were intended to do.

This will reduce inefficiencies and make the building safe for the pupils and teachers all the time. There have been numerous reports of some remote schools in Zambia where roofs from classrooms are blown off during the rainy season while pupils and teachers are in class. This cannot happen where a serious preventive maintenance system is in place. The loose iron sheets could be identified and the problem rectified at minimal costs. A well organized preventive maintenance system is not a one man show. It requires that everyone be involved from the school headmaster to the pupils in the lowest grade.

With a well planned mission and vision, different committees will be formed to participate in various aspects of the preventive maintenance and this will ensure team work amongst teachers and pupils working towards the same goal of making the school a safe place for effective learning. As different members of the different committees interact, they will learn to work together thereby fostering the spirit of teamwork. “Participants’ involvement in school facilities maintenance ranged from one to 30 years.

Ten participants had experience of less than 10 years, three with less than 20 years, two with less than 30 years and one had 30 years of experience. ” – (M I Xaba 2012: pp3). By involving different teachers in the committees with varying experiences, the PMS in primary school can work effectively and interactions amongst teachers and pupils fosters the spirit of team work which is a vital in society. In the light of its significance, it is necessary that a preventive maintenance system be accorded high priority as part of a school’s schedule aimed at promoting teaching and learning goals with effectiveness.

As Coll and McCarthy put it, “School facilities can be broadly be classified into buildings, grounds and service systems. School buildings consist of the external building envelope, which comprises the building foundation and external walls of buildings, which, in conjunction with the roof, windows and external doors, separate accommodation from the external environment” (Coll & McCarthy Architects, 1998:3-02)In this regard, the preventive maintenance system in a primary school is headed by the School Head teacher. This is the main Committee of the PMS.

In return the head teacher puts in place various sub committees and appoints chairpersons for these committees. The deputy head teacher is appointed chairman general for all these committees and reports directly to the head teacher. In this way, despite having a busy schedule, the head teacher is the overall supervisor and system owner for the PMS. The main PMS committee is chaired by the Head teacher and comprises the deputy head as secretary, the PTA chairperson, and all teachers who are chairpersons of various sub committees.

In many instances, the Head teacher is also the financial officer of the organization and is therefore in a position to provide guidance when it comes to budgeting for requirements. This committee sits to draw up programs and policies and schedules and budgets for the entire school PMS. “Good plans include short- and long-term objectives, budgets, and timelines, all of which demonstrate organizational commitment to facilities maintenance. ”(Szuba T & R Young 2003: 13) The chairpersons of the sub committees will then take these decisions made for implementations in their areas.

The main PMS committee therefore is responsible for the overall implementation of the programme. The main sub committees has been made to ensure that PMS runs properly are buildings and Construction Committee, School Furniture Committee, School Environment Committee, School Sports facilities Committee, School Production Unit Committee. Each committee is headed by a chairperson who ensures that policies and objectives of the school regarding PMS are implemented in his area of appointment. Teachers eading these committees may or may not have specialized training in these areas but they work in consultations with the school deputy head teacher and the head teacher. Building & Construction Committee usually headed by the industrial arts teacher is responsible for the maintenance of all buildings all class teachers and the pupils are also involved in maintaining their classrooms in a clean state. The buildings and Construction committee implements, all programs to do with inspections of buildings, painting, replacement of window panes, roof maintenance and any construction works that are being undertaken.

The chairperson records and updates the Head teacher and the deputy regularly on the success and problems faced during any period under review. The School furniture committee comes second to buildings and is comprised of the chairperson who is a teacher and includes several other class teachers. This committee ensures that all furniture in the school is in good condition especially pupil’s desks. They carry out regular inventories of all school furniture and allocate required numbers to various classrooms and offices.

Regular reports on the status of school furniture are given to the deputy and head teacher. Another equally important subcommittee is the production unit committee. This is one of the largest main subcommittees with divisions such as gardening, poultry and School tuck shop. The committee is headed by one of the teachers known as the Production Unit coordinator. Each of the subcommittees has a teacher in charge that is responsible for direct management of the unit. Other In addition to teachers, a prefect called production Unit Captain.

The production unit teacher, gardening ensures that a suitable area is identified within the school premises and each class is allocated a specified time to take care of the garden. The Tuck-shop committee ensures that the school tuck shop is well stocked and accurate records of accounts are maintained with regular reports going to the Head teacher. They may have additional income generating ventures like poultry and this falls under production unit. The production units subcommittee of preventive maintenance usually acts as an income generating unit of the school and is therefore very important.

Apart from that, it can also result in pupils acquiring skills that can help them later in future. The sports facilities committee ensures that all school sports facilities are well maintained at scheduled times. The committee is made up of the Sports teacher, other teachers in charge various sports and a prefect called the sports captain. Together, this committee will coordinate the maintenance of sports infrasturre. Like the popular saying goes, “all work and no play make Jack a dull boy” sports play an important role in the development of pupils as responsible citizens.

The formation and composition of these committees have made preventive maintenance system possible. This also makes it easy for the Head teacher and the deputy to have control of all aspects of the PMS by meeting with members of the main preventive maintenance committee. The Head teacher may not attend all meetings but the deputy head will be there to provide leadership and guidance. In most cases, members of the community through the Parent Teachers association PTA will also participate effectively. The buildings committee will ensure that School buildings are well maintained regularly.

Regular maintenance of buildings will prevent premature failure of the buildings and preserve their original beauty. This will ensure that all school buildings including classrooms are well maintained and continue to be effective learning places. The committee has established a schedule that includes high dusting; cleaning of chalk or marker boards; emptying pencil sharpeners and wastebaskets; daily dust mopping of the floor. After the classroom is cleaned, the desks are arranged in an orderly manner, and windows cleaned.

Each class has a daily cleaning schedule during which time these activities are carried out. In order to motivate the pupils, a reward system has been put in place. Inspections are done by different teachers during the week and the points for each class are recorded. After the inspections of the cleaned classrooms, each of them is graded and the overall best is given an award by the school administration at the end of the term. The Furniture subcommittee is important because effective learning cannot take place without desks for learners to sit on and write.

The committee on furniture carries out regular inspections and all desks and teachers furniture that are not in good condition are taken for maintenance instead of waiting for them to breakdown completely. This avoids replacement costs which are high and reduces running costs. The teachers responsible ensure that learners are taught how to inspect the desks and remove those that need maintained. The school environment involves all class room surroundings, lawns and flowers. The teacher who is the chairperson of this committee has divided the entire school surrounding into zones that all allocated to different classes.

The class teachers in turn supervise their classes and ensure that these areas are well maintained. Other school maintenance staff is involved where pupils cannot manage. Szuba and Young put it this way when talking about the school environment, “Students and staff thrive in an orderly, clean, and safe environment. ” ((Szuba T & R Young 2003: pp11) When it comes to production unit activities, all classes of pupils have been assigned a specific day of the week in which to perform their specified task. This may be any of the following, watering the school gardens, cleaning the poultry and dressing the chickens for sale.

At the end of their assigned task, the preventive maintenance teacher will then do an inspection and offer some recommendations on whether the work has been done to his satisfaction. All the activities that are part of the school preventive maintenance must be planned and should be fully supported by management. “Effective maintenance plans reflect the vision and mission of the organization, include an accurate assessment of existing facilities, incorporate the perspectives of various stakeholder groups, and focus on preventive measures that ensure that capital investment is managed responsibly. (Szuba T & R Young 2003: 7)

Once the PMS plans are reflected in the school vision, it is very easy for all members to relate to them and carry out their roles. A work schedule for implementation of a PMS has been prepared which shows tasks to be carried out and times frequency. A sample of the preventive maintenance schedule is shown in figure 1. 0 for general cleaning and maintenance of school buildings and surroundings. In addition to this schedule, there must be an inspection schedule to for the Head teacher and the main PMS committee to carry out inspection. Figure 1. 0 – Schedule for General Cleaning, Classroom and environment.