ABSTRACT
The perspective of history shows the spread of administration as no more than parasitic growth, an aspect of decadence. As life grows more complex and government enters into personal affairs increasingly and in more subtle ways so the need increases for those who feel concern about the way society develops to try to make the processes of government work better. Perhaps it is fitting that entry to the world of educational administration should be so fraught with paradox. In a democracy, state education reflects rather than moulds public opinion. In emergent nations there may be earlier stages when standards of teaching and the production of constructive attitudes are the first consideration, but in a developed society freedom may count for more than efficient or highly skilled education. In seeking a middle way the education officer appears to strike academic attitudes in the administrative world and on the other hand apply bureaucratic standards to educational issues.
