Yousuf Al-Mohaimeed
Al-Jazirah
Decentralization of power reigns supreme if we look at the reasons for the educational progress of many countries, especially in America and Europe. They have set out a number of standards for educational advancement and instructed schools to follow them strictly.
In some countries such as the United States, schools are given freedom to select curriculum and textbooks that would help them achieve the educational standards set by governments.
Decentralization does not mean leaving everything to the whims and fancies of the school management or allowing them to do whatever they wish without considering the required standards. On the other hand, legal and educational authorities have to be assigned to monitor the performance and achievements of schools.
Undoubtedly, the educational standard of our country is poor and backward, compared to our marvelous achievements in other sectors. Parents are not happy with the academic results and performance of their children while teachers express their disappointment at their pathetic condition caused by low salaries and disrespect to their profession.
All these factors have negatively impacted the Kingdom’s progress and its future. We know that students are the country’s future. Our education has failed to instill the values of discipline, promptness, respect for work and professional ethics, and a sense of responsibility in the minds of children. Discipline and a sense of responsibility are essential values that build nations and civilizations.
I would like to appreciate the decision taken by the education minister giving new powers to school principals after removing some powers that were given to them four years ago. These are important powers and not structural ones. They include approving names of teachers for the special allowance for teaching extra hours, above the mandatory 24 weekly hours, in place of their colleagues who fail to report to work.
Principals are also given powers to select resource persons to teach professional development courses, appoint cleaning workers, sign contracts for school maintenance and change operational budget sequence in accordance with school requirements once in a year.
Principals can also name some school facilities such as lecture halls and stages after martyrs who died fighting for the country, individuals who have sponsored construction, or outstanding school officials. They can sanction leave for a teacher following the death of a relative or the birth of a child.
These new powers will certainly reduce the bureaucratic burden. At the same time, authorities should make sure that people do not misuse those powers, bringing chaos and confusion to school premises, harming the educational system.
Regional educational departments should make sure that school authorities implement these new powers effectively, contributing to the efficient management of school affairs, avoiding bureaucratic delays that are mainly caused by the concentration of decision-making powers in a few hands.
