Principals...are they relevant to our schools?

In our Malaysian schools, the primary school head is known as the Guru Besar or Headmaster. In the secondary school he's known as the Pengetua or the Principal. When I was schooling, we used to look up to our Headmaster and Principals with awe and fear. There was this Principal who struck fear in the students but under his watch, my alma mater went on to become one of the top schools in the state and country. Effective heads are important. They are the captains of the ship and an incompetent captain will run his ship aground.

So, what with our schools now? Are our heads still relevant? I have been in the teaching service for more than 15 years. In that time, I've served under numerous heads...9 to be exact. My first boss was competent enough but I was a rookie....I transferred out into a school which gave me the opportunity to explore myself. My boss then was a visionary. At a time when technology was in its nascent state, he dared venture into the unknown. I enjoyed working under him and he gave us lots of opportunities to advance ourselves. But more importantly, he was a fair head. Race was not an issue with him. As long as you are competent, that was fine with him. That was more than 10 years ago. It's hard to find a boss like that now.

After him, came one who was competent enough but he was more of an administrator rather than an educator. His meetings were really long....one that stood out was a marathon meeting which lasted till almost 7 p.m. One of my colleagues' wife actually called to look for her husband. It started at around 12 noon. Until today I still cannot understand the need for such long meetings.

The next boss was, well...forgettable. Her head was in the clouds most of the time. She ranted and raved quite a lot. But the more scary thing about her was she was vindictive. That is one boss I'd rather forget for I went through an experience of a lifetime. But that is another story for another day.

This was followed by another lady boss whom I have great respect. She was a professional in every sense of the word. Under her watch, the school that I was in improved in every aspect. She seemed aloof but underneath that tough exterior, she is one boss whom I think of really well because she walked her talk and led by example. She taught real subjects too ...she was the first HM I know who actually took an exam subject and really taught, as in go into her classes. Many HMs teach on paper but in reality, those are phantom periods. She knew who the problem students were. I have utmost respect for her. If all schools have heads like her, I think our institutions would be world class.

After her came 'forgettables'. One was constantly in the canteen. Another one was just too 'nice' to be a Principal. Another one seemed to have the heart in the right place but she just couldn't gel everything together. However, under her watch, the school saw some improvements. Shows that her desire to see the school move forward made a difference. But she allowed her emotions to get the better if her most of the time. Then there's this one who seems not to be around most of the time... busy with out-of-school duties.

So, do Heads make a difference? I think they do. I think school heads should stay put more in school. No point having a head if they are not there to see to the day to day matters. You cannot run a school effectively 'remote control' style. They should be educators at heart, not just administrators. The state of a school is highly dependent on the head. So, if we consider our schools today as not up to standard, then part of the problem lies with the kind of people heading it.