Qualities for school principals

Qualities for school principals

From Pikiran Rakyat

In the era of decentralization and school autonomy, school- based management (SBM) is being considered the right way to run a school. To support it, a qualified principal is required.

The following are some essential requirements for a school principal:

* Ability to serve as a role model (e.g. in terms of discipline).

* Must be neutral, objective and consistent.

* Must act on the basis of scores, not on individual interests or subjective assessment.

* Must be fair and be able to provide leadership in matters of innovation, etc.

* Must follow up on resolutions of a meeting and monitor the results.

* Should not be authoritarian, but democratic.

* Should have an open management style and have a three-column approach to information: The first column is for the school's announcements, the second for incoming information from outside institutions and the third should show daily events of the school.

* Should prioritize the development of human resources (seminars/professional upgrading, comparative studies, training, scientific writing, library, reading clubs, scientific activities etc., rather than study tours).

These qualities would then be expected to motivate all school elements and create a healthy school culture.

SULISTYAWATI, Bandung