Tariq A. Al-Maeena
A couple of weeks ago I read a report that the minister of education had sanctioned a recommendation to change the working title of the headmaster or principal of a school to "school leader with immediate effect".
The report said that this recommendation had come up as a principal agenda item in the school leadership conference that was held earlier in the year when the heads of all public schools got together and exchanged ideas on how to improve the education system. Among the other items that had been discussed and agreed to by the attendees at the conference was that school heads must be provided with more "financial and morale incentives that will entrust more powers to them goading them to excel in their work".
Participants also called for a review of the process by which individuals are selected to run public schools and the criteria of quality and excellence used in the selection process. In addressing the Ministry of Education, they asked for all of their needs to be provided so that they could ensure a "high quality education".
Another point brought up was the merger between the education and higher education ministries into a single ministry for which they expressed their satisfaction. The minister reviewed and subsequently endorsed their requests for the title change and directed that the new title be applied in the "ministry’s organizational directory for immediate use".
Two questions came to my mind when I finished reading the report, the first one almost immediate. How would a change of title from school principal to school leader change the caliber of education? Also, do all their financial incentives have to be provided first so that these individuals can improve the quality of education?
The title change brought to mind a request once made by New York garbage collectors who felt slighted by the stigma and title of their profession and wanted it changed. And after much discourse, the title of "sanitation engineer" was introduced. While it may have pleased these workers and made them feel important within their social circle, their job still remained the same – collecting rotting garbage!
In this country, I have witnessed several departmental changes within various ministries where much emphasis is given to titles and their modifications in order to keep up with the times. Forgotten along the way is the core needs of the job that have to be addressed regardless of whether one is called "leader" or "principal" or "exalted one". Titles don’t mean zilch if the holders of the title do not bring any significant value with them.
The other recommendation was a demand for "financial and morale incentives". Granted people have to be compensated for a job well done, but they should be required to prove it first. A few months ago, another report in this paper talked about the alarming level of tardiness among school officials. If such mischief is not controlled, how can these people expect to be rewarded? Unfortunately, there are some people who live by the dictum of "pay me more so I can do more" instead of "let me do more so I can be paid more". Public school teachers and staff should look over their shoulders at the staff of most international schools who are paid far less than they are. And from the looks of things, students at international schools seem to have a better grasp of their subjects.
A final question that arose as I read that report was: Doesn’t the Ministry of Education have far better things to do in service to our youth and community? What about moving out of rundown structures posing as schools, evaluating the quality of meals served to youngsters for nutritional value and ensuring world class safety standards for our children?
— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
