PRINCIPLES AND PRINCIPALS

Coming back to Principals — is there any training for these Government posts or is the policy to keep them in office until retirement age deems it necessary? Is there no better way to ensure that our children do not have a fairer deal than what they now receive? (I am speaking mainly of out station schools).

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My own suggestion has been that parents could be given a greater say in school affairs. Perhaps they should interview prospective Principals who are now arbitrarily foisted on them. They can then see whether the candidate is suitable or not for their school. Parents are well able to judge and I feel a certain input from them would be very useful to all concerned.

We are told that our new Minister of Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya , is changing Dept. of Education methods and curricula to suit the age of Al. Principals could also be given a greater say in how such new subjects are taught. I believe it used to be done on a day by day ordering by the Dept. of Education. Principals could not deviate from this. Innovative methods were not the order of the day. They could not introduce anything new into the daily routine. In short they might as well have been automata.

I recall that about 20 years ago a Principal was severely reprimanded because he had allowed Drill periods at a time which was not officially laid down. Such lunacy did not bode well for the education of our children.

To be a successful Principal requires so much more than simply being an A Grade teacher in Government service. It is time the Government took a serious notice of the type of person to whom they hand out these positions of control specially when they are dealing with the youngsters of our country.

Experience has been described as “Compulsary Education” Whatever poor experiences we made in the past will hopefully become useful experiences for the future modern and new systems in Sri Lanka.

GOOLBAI GUNASEKARA