Six school heads inducted into Executive Principals’ League
SIX principals who head secondary, primary and pre-primary institutions across Jamaica have been chosen as the first set of members to be officially inducted into the National College for Educational Leadership’s (NCEL) Executive Principals’ League (EPL).
The EPL, which is under the patronage of Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, was officially launched at a breakfast function held at King’s House in Kingston, yesterday.
The league was developed by the National College for Educational Leadership as a means of promoting excellence and quality leadership to highlight principals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities as well as sustained acceptable levels of academic performance within their respective schools and modelled excellence for their colleagues.
The members of the EPL are Carlene Morene Bonner-Chambers, principal of Duanvale Primary School in Trelawny; Lawrence Rowe, principal for Mile Gully High School in Manchester; Nicolette McDonnough-Foster, principal for the Alpha Infant School in Kingston; Margaret Henrietta Bailey, principal at the Rollington Town Primary School, also in Kingston; Pauleen Reid, principal of Holland High School in Trelawny; and Ruel Reid, who is the principal of Jamaica College in Kingston.
“We give the commitment that we will continue to engage in creating an educational leadership landscape; one that is characterised by school-wide focus on student achievement,” said inductee Pauleen Reid in her remarks.
The Holland High principal encouraged her colleagues not to become complacent but to continually serve with humility and sincerity as it is not about popularity or the accolades of men but the lives they are able to touch and transform.
The governor general, meanwhile, spoke of the importance of keeping students at the forefront when it came to education.
He charged the EPL members to ensure that the students are not only imparted with technical knowledge needed to get a job, but also to inspire students with the principles of truth, obedience, integrity and purity.
“Principles that will make them a positive force for the stability and upliftment of society and, above all, I charge you to love, because without love in your hearts you cannot be a teacher. We have too many of them (students) that have wandered from the classroom and wandered into other endeavours that we would like to get back into the classroom and under our instruction,” Sir Patrick stressed.
He encouraged the principals to set their hearts in readiness to go the extra mile on behalf of their students.
The six principals were presented with an Executive Principals’ League emblazoned blazer as well as a lapel pin.
According to the National College for Educational Leadership, the EPL will be a vehicle through which its members will share best practices and innovative ideas while serving as ambassadors for the college and the principalship.
Membership to the EPL in the first instance was determined by the college and individuals have and will become eligible if, firstly, they have received a rating of ‘Exceeds Expectation’ in round one of the Effective Principals’ Training Programme.
Prospective members should also be in the post for at least two or three years prior to their institution receiving a rating of good or exceptionally high by the National Education Inspectorate and are registered, tenured and licensed for a minimum of three years.
The final requirement is that individuals have to provide evidence of ongoing professional development, mentorship and community involvement.
A review will be conducted every three years in order to grant continuous membership and it will be determined by virtue of continued excellent leadership and performance, as well as peer and teacher reviews.