School principals: core actors in educational - unesdoc - Unesco

542 Pages·2005·1.32 MB·English

School principals: core actors
in educational improvement
An analysis of seven Asian countries
prepared for ANTRIEP
by
Maheswari Kandasamy and Lia Blaton
Paris 2004
UNESCO: International Institute for Educational Planning
School principals: core actors in educational improvement
An analysis of seven Asian countries
This document is the result of research undertaken by the Asian
Network of Training and Research Institutions in Educational
Planning (ANTRIEP). The views and opinions expressed in this
volume are those of the authors and should in no way be attributed
to UNESCO, the IIEP or to any of the institutions which are
members of ANTRIEP.
This volume has been printed in IIEP’s printshop
Cover design by Corinne Hayworth
International Institute for Educational Planning
7-9 rue Eugène Delacroix, 75116 Paris
ISBN 92-803-1254-5
© UNESCO 2004
Contents
Introduction 7
I. Basic facts and data 13
1. Background information about the education
system 13
1.1 Administrative set-up 13
1.2 Structure 18
1.3 Intermezzo: the public-private distinction 23
1.4 Level of expansion and quality of education 25
2. Statistical data on head teachers 35
2.1 Distribution by gender 35
2.2 Distribution by age and teaching experience 37
2.3 Distribution by qualification 39
II. Roles and functions of head teachers 41
1. The management of schools at local level 41
1.1 Hierarchical structure in schools 41
1.2 Administration and management 50
1.3 Community representatives 53
1.4 Conclusion 60
2. The role of head teachers 60
2.1 Official job descriptions of head teachers 61
2.2 Main functions 62
2.3 The role of the head teacher: some comments 74
2.4 Strategies used by head teachers 74
2.5 Main problems 76
III. The management of head teachers 79
1. Recruitment 79
1.1 Qualifications of candidates 79
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Contents
1.2 Who is in charge of the appointment? 84
1.3 Recruitment procedure 88
2. Financial conditions 95
2.1 Salaries 95
2.2 How do salaries of head teachers compare
with other salaries? 97
2.3 Special allowances 99
3. Posting and transfer practices 101
4. Career development 105
4.1 Career prospects and promotion possibilities 105
4.2 Evaluation of head teachers 106
4.3 Dismissal rules and practices 110
5. Training 112
5.1 Induction training 112
5.2 In-service training 116
6. Support 123
6.1 Manuals 123
6.2 Regulations/law 124
6.3 Support from supervisors/inspectors 126
IV. Main problems and major innovations 133
1. A reminder of the main problems 133
1.1 Autonomy and support 134
1.2 Specific management issues 135
1.3 Relations with the community 136
2. Major innovations 139
2.1 Structure 140
2.2 Personnel management 142
2.3 Training 144
2.4 Finances 145
Conclusion 147
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International Institute for Educational Planning http://www.unesco.org/iiep
Introduction
This volume discusses and describes from a comparative
perspective the role of head teachers in seven different Asian
countries: Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines,
Republic of Korea1, and Sri Lanka.
The report is based on a series of studies written by institutions,
which are members of the Asian Network of Training and Research
Institutions in Educational Planning (ANTRIEP).2 These studies
were presented at an international seminar organized in September
2000 in Shanghai on Better school management: the role of the
head teacher. This introduction first explains why that particular
theme was chosen and then presents briefly the socio-economic
situation of the seven countries under study.
1. Objectives and scope
The seminar started off from the conviction, supported by
much research, that the quality of education primarily depends on
the way schools are managed and that the capacity of schools to
improve teaching and learning is strongly mediated by the quality
of the leadership provided by the head teacher. Most countries have
made those conclusions their own and have therefore undertaken
actions to support decentralization and to strengthen local
management. These reforms invariably affect internal school
1. The adjective ‘Korean’ is used in this document to refer to the Republic
of Korea.
2. More information on this network can be found at the end of this volume.
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School principals: core actors in educational improvement
An analysis of seven Asian countries
management and the role of the school heads. The gradual move
towards school-based management and enhanced autonomy of
schools automatically implies that the educational institutions are
entrusted with more responsibilities. It also demands different, non-
traditional managerial skills from the head teacher. The way head
teachers manage and lead their schools and teachers is not only
influenced by their capacities and skills, but as much by recruitment
and posting procedures, evaluation practices and by the provision
of incentives, such as an attractive career ladder. This implies that,
in order to strengthen the role of the head teacher, it is not sufficient
to examine the way they manage their schools, but one also needs
to look at the efforts made by national authorities to develop the
job of head teacher into an attractive profession.
The seminar’s overall objective was to identify policies and
strategies that would improve the quality of schools by strengthening
the leadership and management capacities of head teachers. In the
workshop, an overview of the situation in different Asian countries
and government policies concerning the management of the
profession of head teachers was presented. Promising strategies to
improve the role of head teachers in leading and managing schools
were explored, and existing capacity-building activities for head
teachers were examined. Strategies to reinforce them were also
discussed.
The objectives of this comparative analysis, which strongly
reflects the seminar’s discussions and conclusions are, firstly, to
present the basic information on head teachers in different Asian
countries; secondly, to analyze their roles and functions and the
ways in which they are being managed; and finally to suggest
innovative strategies in order to strengthen their impact on the
quality and effectiveness of schools.
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Introduction
2. Background: social and economic development
of the countries
According to the Human Development Index3 and the Human
Development Classification4 (Table 1 shows selected indicators
of human development) the countries of this study can be divided
into three groups: the Republic of Korea falls under ‘countries
with a high human development’, the second group consists of
Malaysia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka and has a ‘medium
human development’, and Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh fall
under the category ‘low human development’.
3. UNDP. 2002. Human development report 2002. Deepening democracy in
a fragmented world. UNDP (www.undp.org/hdr2002).
4. All countries are classified into three clusters by achievement in human
development: high human development (HDI 0.800 or above), medium
human development (HDI between 0.500-0.799) and low human
development (HDI less than 0.500).
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School principals: core actors in educational improvement
An analysis of seven Asian countries
Table 1. Human development indicators5
Life Adult GDP per Human HDI
expectancy literacy rate capita development rank
at birth (% age 15 Index
(years) and above) (PPP US$) (HDI)
2000 2000 2000 value 2000
High human development
Korea (Rep. of) 74.9 97.8 17,380 0.882 27
Medium human development
Malaysia 72.5 87.5 9,068 0.782 59
Philippines 69.3 95.3 3,971 0.754 77
Sri Lanka 72.1 91.6 3,530 0.741 89
Low human development
Pakistan 60.0 43.2 1,928 0.499 138
Nepal 58.6 41.8 1,327 0.490 142
Bangladesh 59.4 41.3 1,602 0.478 145
Table 2 completes these data with other background
information, indicating huge differences between the countries.
The percentage population living in the urban areas reflects the
level of development, so does to a lesser extent the foreign aid
they receive: the Republic of Korea is actually a donor, while in
particular Sri Lanka and Nepal receive a significant amount of
foreign aid, when expressed per person.
5. UNDP. 2002. Human development report 2002. Deepening democracy
in a fragmented world. UNDP (www.undp.org/hdr2002).
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Introduction
Table 2. World development indicators6
Total population Urban population Aid per capita
(millions) (% of total population) (US$)
2001 2001 2000
Korea (Rep. of) 48 82 -4
Malaysia 24 58 2
Philippines 77 59 8
Sri Lanka 20 23 14
Bangladesh 133 25 9
Nepal 24 12 17
Pakistan 141 33 5
Though the study focuses on the management of head
teachers, it is necessary to keep in mind these economic and social
differences and similarities.
3. Method of comparative analysis
The national diagnoses, which were all prepared following
similar guidelines, had as a main objective to develop a
comprehensive understanding of the role and functions of head
teachers and of the critical issues involved in the management of
head teachers by national and sub-national authorities.
The diagnoses generally covered primary and general
secondary schools, while making a distinction between these two
levels. Furthermore, differences between private and public schools
6. Data from World development indicators database (www.worldbank.org).
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