KUCHING: School principals must carry out their responsibilities professionally and not be influenced by politics or ideology.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, whose text of speech was read out by Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong, stressed that one of the key responsibilities of a leader was to inspire others to do their absolute best.
“Leaders should uphold the principle of leading by example by getting themselves involved in the process.
“The role of instructional leaders is crucial in determining the excellence of a school. A quality principal will certainly produce an effective and outstanding school,” he said at yesterday’s 54th Sarawak Secondary School Principals Association (PPSMS) Education Management Conference here.
“Often, a brilliant principal can be defined as a decisive and hard-working individual who acts as an informer centre, keeping close contact with people and recognising the unique styles and needs of teachers. He helps teachers to perform well,” he continued.
According to Abang Johari, a good leader is also open-minded and visionary.
He urged school principals to uphold strong leadership in order to support positive student learning.
“All principals should work towards more holistic development of our children based on the six student aspirations as envisioned in the Malaysia Education Blueprint — future generations with knowledge, thinking skills, bilingual proficiency, leadership skills, ethics and spirituality and strong national identity,” added Abang Johari in his speech.
In relation to the six aspirations, he pointed out that the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) was a platform for the population to compete in the global marketplace and this could be a reality with the support of credible leaders.
He also commended the timely conference in preparing principals and providing them with a platform to address their challenges, while contributing to their continuous professional development.
He urged the attendees to optimise this golden opportunity to initiate thinking and generate solutions to enhance the quality of leadership.
Meanwhile, Manyin also shared his input that “our education system induces the teaching of a subject, but unfortunately not necessarily teaching the student.”
In justifying this setback, he reasoned that this was because the public expected results for their children to be able to continue on to universities and obtain jobs, hence the strong emphasis on academic teaching of subjects.
“We do not care enough about character and personality, but we should actually teach the students, not the subject. We have to reconsider our ways,” he stressed at the conference themed “Shaping Future Leaders,” added Manyin.
