SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AT THE APPOINTMENT CEREMONY FOR PRINCIPALS ON MONDAY 21 DEC 98 AT THE MARINA MANDARIN BALLROOM @ 3 PM

Distinguished Guests,

Principals,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Principals — The Key Leaders in Building Thinking Schools Based on Strong School-Home-Community Relations

Principals and Teachers

1. Teachers are the Heart and Soul of our education system. Everything that we need to do in our schools to achieve the Desired Outcomes of Education depends critically on teachers. Teachers do not act alone. They share and work together, drawing ideas, strength and encouragement from their colleagues in school.
2. Principals provide the vision, the leadership, the energy and the drive to propel a school forward. Principals set the tone and direction. Principals work with teachers to build a strong team to give the best possible education to their pupils.
3. Principals are therefore the key leaders in our education system. The selection, preparation, training and appointment of our principals have a profound effect on the quality of education that is delivered in each and every one of our schools.

Selection and Preparation of Principals

4. We have a rigorous system of identifying school leaders. These are caring professionals with proven abilities in motivation and leadership. They go through a careful selection process which involves the top management in MOE HQ including the Director-General of Education, the Permanent Secretaries, and other MOE Directors. Once selected, there is a training framework for all Principals to undergo.
5. They are offered a wide variety of courses to hone their professional skills in school management and leadership. The Diploma in Educational Administration, a 9-month course, focuses on organisational learning, people and information management, and communication. The five modules in this programme are ‘Schools as Learning Organisations’, ‘Action Research and Evaluation’, ‘Management of School Programmes’, ‘Governance of Singapore’ and ‘School Attachment’. The last module is an important component which requires a 3-month school attachment of participants to mentoring Principals. Other courses include the WITS’ Facilitators’ course, the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Leaders" course, and a Team-Building course.
6. There are also regular in-service workshops, seminars, and forums to ensure that our Principals are constantly updated and kept abreast of policy changes and educational trends. Principals participate in the quarterly Principals’ Forums where they engage in professional dialogue and sharing with their colleagues. They participate in the Ministry’s annual work plan seminars, the first of which was organised in September this year, where they help to formulate the vision for education in Singapore and explore strategies to achieve this vision.
7. We believe that the key to successful schools is good leadership and we are not alone in this. The United Kingdom, for example, is setting up a National College for School Leadership to strengthen their training of school heads. We will also constantly review our training programmes for Principals to ensure that they are well-equipped to meet evolving needs in schools.

Roles and responsibilities of principals in a Thinking School

8. The job of the Principal is a demanding one. As a principal you have many roles and responsibilities. The principal ensures that school programmes are planned for the total development of the child: that these cater to the whole range of pupil abilities, from the talented to the average, and to those who need more encouragement and help.
9. As a Principal you are also responsible for the professional development and well-being of your staff. The principal nurtures and motivates them; identifies and develops the talents of his teachers and provides them with opportunities to stretch and develop further.
10. As a Principal, you are team leader, coach, mentor, negotiator. You inspire, enlighten and where necessary discipline. You interpret and translate policies effectively into programmes and practices within your schools.
11. As more autonomy is devolved to schools, the Principal will need to be more than just adept at administrative and executive functions. A thinking school seeks creative solutions to its own unique local problems. Thinking students come with thinking teachers and a thinking school environment. These demand a different kind of school leadership. We need strong leaders with clear direction and who set firm parameters. You must have a clear vision for your school; be able to manage change; and have the courage of your professional convictions to move beyond what was adequate in the past to put in place what is needed for the future.
12. As we move towards ability-centred education that focuses on developing and maximising the talents and abilities of every one of our pupils, all the more so will we need good principals. Our goal is to harness the creativity of every single officer in the education system so that we may bring out the best in every single student in school.

The school-home-community partnership in education

13. The School does not exist in isolation. Nor does it have sole responsibility for the upbringing and education of our children. The key partners of our schools in the upbringing and education of our children are parents and the community.
14. Thus, Principals will also increasingly have to look beyond their schools, and build ties with our partners in the education process. Parents and the community want to play a more active role in the education of our children. We too want them to do so. We want them to do so in a complementary and co-operative way so that our children will be able to grow up in a total school-home-community environment that is supportive and conducive.
15. We want to tap the wealth of resources among parents and in the wider community to work towards the development of our students in the moral, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic spheres.

Establishment of COMPASS

16. The Ministry of Education is setting up a new Advisory Council called COMPASS, which stands for COMmunity and PArents in Support of Schools. The primary aim of the Council is to promote school-home-community collaborations. It will :
    • actively encourage parents and the community to work together with schools to help children learn better; and
    • be a forum where best practices on collaborative efforts of schools, homes and community in education can be surfaced and propagated.
17. The Council will comprise members drawn from among parents, community leaders and others from the professional and business sectors. A few principals will also be invited to sit on the Council to contribute their views and experience.
18. In COMPASS we hope to develop a set of common understandings about what are the different roles of the school, the parents and the community in the upbringing and education of our children. How for example we can work hand-in-hand to help build a child’s character, increase his motivation, develop a sense of belonging and spirit of service to the community, and create the best environment to enhance his learning. In short, to devise strategies for parents the community and the school to work in tandem to achieve the Desired Outcomes of Education.

Appointment as principals

19. As principals you therefore have many important roles:
    • being an effective translator of educational policies into practices, interpreting and applying these appropriately to suit school conditions;
    • leading by example - conveying a deep sense of mission;
    • building a supportive community by forging links with parents, alumni and the community; and
    • creating an environment to nurture growth and learning for staff and students.
20. This inaugural Appointment Ceremony serves to highlight the key role that Principals play in our education system. It recognises Principalship as a position of stewardship and responsibility.
21. Let me congratulate all of you on your appointment as Principals. As this is the first time that we have a formal appointment ceremony for Principals, the majority of you are incumbent Principals, having led your current schools for several years. Some have as many as 20 years’ experience. 40 of you are taking on another school while others are starting brand new schools. For 31 of you, this appointment ceremony will be of special significance. This will be the first time that you are taking on the responsibility of being The Principal.
22. In appointing principals, we will strike a balance. We will give a principal time to establish the school ethos, see plans through, and move the school forward. And we will periodically bring in a new school leader to provide a new perspective as well as fresh ideas to take the school to even higher levels of achievement.
23. To ensure that high standards are maintained in all schools and to provide supervision and guidance to principals, senior and experienced principals are appointed as School Inspectors and Cluster Superintendents to seed new ideas, share good practices and serve as examples for their colleagues and schools to emulate.
24. As Principals you have a heavy responsibility. But the challenges that you face are intrinsically satisfying. You touch lives. You can make a significant difference for through your hands, pass the future of the nation. I wish you the very best in your endeavours.