HE describes himself as being very unconventional, and this is the sort of approach educator Albert Corcho has been taking in carrying out his duties as the newest principal for Calabar High School.

He has only been in this post for six weeks, but that has been more than enough time for him to get a clear understanding of where he wants to take the all-boys school. Already, he has implemented some changes which he feels will help to position the 100 year-old institution to become the school of choice for boys in Jamaica.

“Boys don’t learn the traditional way. We are fooling ourselves as educators to feel that what happened 10 years ago or even five years ago is going to work for these boys,” he said. “We want to provide a relevant education for the young men. I think where the economy is going now, the doctors and the lawyers are very important, but these are young men, so we want the focus now going forward to be in the area of technical education, the vocational education, because that is where the world is going now.”

Prior to going to Calabar, Corcho spent two years as principal for Munro College in St Elizabeth and has often been credited for a number of positive changes at Tarrant High School where he spent 10 years as a principal. His longest tenure in the classroom was at Campion College, where he was a senior teacher for 15 years.

He is convinced that Calabar is where he will be retiring as an educator.

“I am very excited about where I want to take Calabar. I think that I have some excellent young men who are poised to do very, very well. We have some young men who are very focused; we have some young men who are just willing and ready for the opportunity to make their contribution at Calabar and by extension at the national level,” he said.

“I really want to make a significant difference in the lives of the young men who come to us,” added Corcho, who is the father of two boys.

The challenges of getting the school’s over 1700 boys to the point where they can realise their potential are many. There are students who are coming in who are functioning below standard and there are those who the principal describes as being “a little rough around the edges” as a result of their upbringing.

Going forward, Corcho said a lot of focus would be placed on the personal development of these boys in addition to increasing their interest in sports and extracurricular activities, against the backdrop of the school’s main focus which is improving their academic performance.

The fact that Calabar is currently the holder of the School Challenge Quiz and the Boys’ Champs trophies is proof Corcho believes that the school has been balancing things so that their students become well rounded individuals.

“I am really hoping that more of our young men as we move forward, get into tertiary education. I think we all know what’s happening at university now — that only about 10 or 15 per cent of the population there is actually male. So I think Calabar is now poised to make a difference,” he said. Corcho credits his predecessors for laying a good foundation which he plans to build on. His staff, he said, have been very supportive, and have gone all out to ensure that the vision to get the school on top is achieved. Even the students, the principal said, have been very receptive to this new thrust, although he has been a firm disciplinarian.

In addition to sending home those students who bleach their faces and wear extremely tight trousers, he also makes a habit of visiting the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre to monitor his students, and has been firm about closing the school’s gate at 8:30.

“The idea is to get them to understand that school is very simple — your job is to come to school and learn the positive things,” he said. The new principal is very excited about helping to teach the boys some of these positive things. His aim as an educator, he said, has always been to make a difference wherever he goes, and he is optimistic that he will be able to do so at Calabar.

Although he is currently pursuing his PhD in finance, he said he has no intention of switching gears.

“I want to do nothing more than education. That has been my passion from day one,” he said.