The admin team that keeps school systems running smoothly includes (from left) Mdm Tan Shee Poh, Ms Farah and Mdm Norwati Azman.

Setting high standards

As principal Mrs Elaine Quek says appreciatively, "Ms Farah plays a pivotal role in ensuring that service standards within the school are kept robust, efficient and effective. This is done through regular monitoring and reviews so that these standards are updated and relevant, continually serving the needs of the school community."

"All our systems are pupil-centred," Ms Farah affirms. With her staff of two full-time and two part-time Corporate Support Officers, she oversees the administration of the school. This spans various functions and departments such as finance, personnel, stores, pupil matters, special assistance schemes and customer service. The school's financial system, for example, achieved Band A in the 2008 financial audit, and the school also boasts a communication system similar to that of a corporation. For example, the standard operating procedure (SOP) for communications establishes that there should be one point of contact (the general office) for all incoming calls, that all calls should be answered within three rings and with a standard greeting, and that a customised "pink slip" template should be used to take phone messages.

"These are not complicated steps, but they really help us to be efficient," explains Ms Farah. The dedicated "pink slip" for instance, has printed headers for the time of call, caller's name and contact number, who the message is for, and a summary of the request; in other words, all essential information is clearly recorded and always presented in the same order. The SOP also dictates that calls must be returned by the next working day (if received after noon), and incoming email is treated with the same stringent standards.

"We want our teachers to focus their attention on teaching and learning, so our systems simplify various processes so they won't have to spend too much time worrying about them, such as if a message gets directed to the wrong person or if important information is not forwarded promptly," adds Ms Farah. "At the same time, we need to be accountable to parents and our other stakeholders. With this type of SOP, everyone benefits."

Keeping track of details and making systems more efficient are all in a day's work for Ms Farah.

Sharing with other schools

Ms Farah is often called upon to handhold new Administration Managers from other schools. "As their mentor, I have the opportunity to guide them on their responsibilities. I've also helped to oversee the handover of duties in some of the schools in our cluster when there was a change in Administration Managers, so as to minimise disruption to that school's daily activities," she says. Administration Managers and Corporate Support Officers from other schools have also come to Chongzheng Primary School on attachments to discover first-hand how things are done here.

At the same time, Ms Farah keeps abreast of the latest updates on policies and directives from MOE so that "we have the latest information as we speak to parents and vendors". In addition to other courses and workshops to improve her administration skills, in 2008 she had the opportunity to go on an attachment at MOE's Schools Division, where she saw and appreciated what she calls the "big picture perspective".

After seven and a half years at Chongzheng Primary School, Ms Farah describes her stint as "very enriching" and is glad to have contributed to the smooth running of the school. She receives numerous letters of appreciation and thank-you notes every year from colleagues, parents and other external stakeholders - a clear testimony to her dedication and effectiveness.