Inaugurated Today, 104 School Principals in NTT to Undergo Performance Evaluations Every Two Years
East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena officially inaugurated 104 school principals for SMA, SMK, and SLB. The inauguration took place at the El Tari Hall in Kupang on Wednesday (25/3/2026).
In his speech, Laka Lena stressed that a principal’s success can be seen in how they carry out their duties to improve the quality of education in their respective schools.
“The success of a school principal is measured by their ability to enhance educational quality more effectively. Every two years, or even less, they can be directly evaluated. We will check whether the principals are capable of building higher-quality education or not,” Laka Lena asserted in his speech.
He added that the inaugurated principals are expected to carry out their duties well to strengthen the quality of secondary education in NTT.
“Today’s inauguration is not just an administrative requirement. Rather, it is about how the mandate received can truly prepare educational units well in NTT,” he stated.
According to him, one of the challenges in education in NTT is how schools can improve educational quality and shape the character of students for the better.
“The challenges in education in NTT are immense, starting from shaping the character of students, which is the most important,” he said.
Principals Must Identify Students’ Potentials
In addition, Laka Lena instructed the principals to identify students’ potentials according to their respective abilities, whether for the TNI, Polri, civil service schools, or continuing education abroad.
“Principals, I ask you to identify each student’s potential and prepare them well according to their background,” Laka Lena emphasised.
The Golkar politician stressed that the regional government has established a governor’s regulation (Pergub) regarding education financing. He asked schools not to collect additional fees from students’ parents.
“We have set in the Pergub a levy of Rp 100,000,” he said.
Separately, the Principal of SMA Negeri 1 Loli in West Sumba Regency, Matius Umbu Dassa, expressed gratitude for the inauguration. He assessed that the mandate given must be carried out with full responsibility.
“I am grateful to have been inaugurated today as the Principal of SMA Negeri 1 Loli, West Sumba. What the Governor has assigned is a mandate that must be fulfilled,” Matius explained.
He also affirmed his readiness to accept criticism and evaluation of his performance as a principal. “I am not against criticism, and I am also ready to be removed if my performance does not meet the expectations of the Head of the Education Office and the Governor,” he added.