Focus on commitment to high standards & success of all students
It is rightly said, “A motivated principal inspires dreams, encourages curiosity, instils creativity and changes lives forever”. The growth of an educational institution and students is inseparable. It rests primarily on a strong leadership of the principal and management. The growing emphasis on true leadership highlights the role of schools being accountable for the academic progress of all students.
The core notion of leading is to maintain balance along with performing the key functions of teaching, learning, and operating school activities. To improve the student achievement, it is imperative to have an effective and efficient educator and mentor who can place students’ learning and overall development on top priority and encourage collaboration amongst professionals while serving as a “connector” between teachers, students and parents.
As a school leader, the principal plays a pivotal role in accomplishing the school-wide vision of commitment to high standards and the success of all the students. Having a strong belief in sharing interesting ideas, research and collaborative learning, we at BGS Vijnatham, understand that an effective principal ensures academic success for all and underpins a school-wide learning improvement agenda that focuses on goals for student progress.
Principal leaders play a major role in developing a “professional community” of teachers who guide one another in improving instructions by sharing best practices. A principal is just like the ‘captain of a ship’ who makes sure that the ship is sailing ahead in right direction to have the journey as beautiful as destination thereby ensuring to create a positive and conducive learning environment that sets performance goals both for the students and teachers.
The responsibility of a mentor is also to ensure that school facilities remain safe for students and faculty and a plan is in place for regular maintenance of school grounds and learning spaces. We also firmly assert that a principal leader is in sync with the latest research and progress in the field of education by acquiring new skills and resources. This demands ‘cultivation of leadership’ in faculty and parents too. This can be achieved by open communication, conducting regular workshops and capacity building programmes which greatly impact students’ learning and achievement. There is an old saying, ‘if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together’, and this is the golden mantra for any effective leadership of a good principal who wishes to achieve the ‘holistic development of the students’ - the underlying vision and mission of any educational institution.
Minakshi Khurana, Principal, BGS, Vijnatham School, Tech Zone VII, Greater Noida (West). Views expressed are personal.