RECONCEPTUALISING EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING MODELS FOR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA: A THEORETICAL SYNTHESIS

This conceptual paper reconceptualises educational management and planning in tertiary institutions through the development of the Educational Management and Planning Synthesis Model (EMPSM), a context-sensitive framework grounded in global theory and local institutional realities in Edo State, Nigeria. Drawing on structural-functionalism, strategic management theory, complexity theory, and the resource-based view (RBV), the study conceptualises tertiary institutions as complex adaptive socio-technical systems in which governance, leadership, planning, and digital systems interact dynamically. The EMPSM integrates four core dimensions: systems-based institutional governance, strategic and evidence-based planning, transformational and distributed leadership, and digital and knowledge management systems. These dimensions are embedded within a contextual adaptation layer reflecting regulatory frameworks, socio-economic conditions, technological infrastructure, institutional autonomy, and human resource capacity. The model further incorporates digital governance perspectives, highlighting the increasing role of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and e-management systems in institutional decision-making processes. The paper contributes theoretically by synthesising systems theory, RBV, and complexity theory within educational management scholarship and by advancing an integrated planning–management framework for tertiary education. Practically, the EMPSM provides policymakers and institutional leaders with a holistic framework for improving governance effectiveness, strategic resource allocation, leadership capacity, and digital transformation. The model also offers a multi-level analytical framework for empirical investigation