Self-Financing Management in Non-Governmental Schools: Resources, Challenges, and Practical Strategies of Principals
Keywords:
Educational financial management, self-financing, non-governmental schools, income diversification, financial resilience, descriptive phenomenologyAbstract
The present study was conducted with the aim of elucidating how self-financing is managed in non-governmental schools in Iran, with a specific focus on identifying financial resources, existing constraints and challenges, and the practical strategies employed by school principals. The study adopted a qualitative approach and employed descriptive phenomenology based on Colaizzi’s method. The research participants consisted of 15 successful principals of non-governmental schools who were selected through purposive sampling, and data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews. The data analysis process was conducted in accordance with the seven-step procedure of Colaizzi’s method using MAXQDA software. The findings indicated that self-generated financial resources in non-governmental schools are diverse in nature and include student tuition fees, parental contributions, support from benefactors, economic utilization of school physical spaces, provision of supplementary educational services, sale of products and digital content, as well as interaction and collaboration with the private sector. The results demonstrated that diversification of these resources and movement toward entrepreneurial management play a fundamental role in achieving the financial sustainability of schools. Furthermore, managerial actions and operational steps—such as assessing and analyzing financial status, formulating strategic plans, designing educational business models, expanding communication networks with stakeholders, developing digital services, and enhancing financial transparency—have a decisive impact on increasing and stabilizing school financial resources. Conversely, obstacles such as regulatory instability, banking and tax restrictions, high maintenance costs, limited financial literacy among principals, and negative societal perceptions pose significant challenges to the self-financing process of non-governmental schools. The findings suggest that the coherent and systematic implementation of managerial strategies can mitigate the severity of these challenges and contribute to strengthening schools’ resilience and financial autonomy. Overall, self-financing management in non-governmental schools is a multidimensional phenomenon that emerges from the interaction between internal organizational capacities, managerial agency, and the policy environment. The results of this study may serve as a foundation for supportive policymaking and for the design of capacity-building programs for principals of non-governmental schools.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Fatemeh Izadiyan (Author); Mohammad Ali Nadi; Mohsen Amini Khozani (Author)
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