School leadership

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OES) and Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), of which Saint Kitts and Nevis is a member, published the 2021 Let's REAP! — Roadmap for Principals Guide No. 3 to support principals from the OES and CARICOM to address the unique needs of individual schools. In addition to that, the 2020 CARICOM Standards for the Teaching Profession Teachers, Educational Leaders and Teacher Educators also outline the multifaceted responsibilities of school leaders, emphasizing their role in national development. Leaders are expected to shape teaching and learning, develop staff and students, and implement strategies to achieve educational goals while considering the impact on individuals and society. The standards cover seven key areas including leading student and professional learning, personal and organizational change, sustainability, accountability, and equity, reflecting the complexity of school leadership and the region's vision for development.

Roles

Setting expectations/objectives: The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that principals must formulate, with the assistance of the staff, the overall aims and objectives of the school and policies for their implementation. This includes developing and implementing procedures for parental and community involvement in the school and promoting cooperation between the school and the community it serves. Principals are responsible for the preparation and implementation of the school plan. They must also ensure that instruction in the school is consistent with the courses of study prescribed by the Act or regulations made under it.

Developing teaching and learning: The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that principals must organize and implement the prescribed curriculum for the school, taking into account the needs, experience, interests, aptitudes, and stage of development of the students, as well as the resources available to the school. Principals must also supervise and direct teachers and other staff assigned or rendering services to the school, including volunteers. They must deploy and manage all teaching and non-teaching staff of the school and allocate particular duties to them in a manner consistent with their conditions of employment.

Promoting collaboration: The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that principals must maintain satisfactory relationships with parents and the community served by the school and encourage students in the pursuit of learning. Principals must maintain relationships with organizations representing teachers and other persons on the staff of the school. They must attend meetings of the Board of Management, the Parent Teacher Association, or the school committee for the school when requested by the relevant body to do so.

Supporting staff development: The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that principals must ensure that the duty of providing cover for absent teachers is shared equitably among all teachers in the school, taking into account their teaching and other duties.

Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: The 2005 Education Act No.9 states principals must maintain order and discipline in the school, on the school grounds, and during activities sponsored or approved for the school. Principals must report promptly to the Chief Education Officer, the Chief Medical Officer, and other appropriate health personnel an apparent outbreak of any contagious or infectious disease in the school, any unsanitary condition in the school building or surroundings, and any other dangerous or unsafe condition in the school.

2.2. Selection and working conditions

Degree requirements and prior teaching experience

The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that “no person shall be employed as a teacher, principal or deputy principal in a public or assisted private school unless that person holds a valid qualification as established in regulations made by the Minister”. The statutory rules and orders on education (teachers) regulation (2011) establishes the qualifications to enter Teaching Service.

Appointment decision

The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that the appointment of school principals is made by the Board of Management, subject to the approval of the Minister of Education. The Board of Management must advertise the position of principal in at least one newspaper circulating in Saint Christopher and Nevis and must consider all applications received. The Board of Management must also establish a selection committee to assist in the selection of the principal.

Employment equity measures

No information was found.

Working conditions

The 2005 Education Act No.9 states principals are entitled to such leave of absence as may be provided for in their conditions of employment.

2.3. Leadership preparation and training

Pre-service training

The 2005 Education Act No.9 establishes that “no person shall be employed as a teacher, principal or deputy principal in a public or assisted private school unless that person holds a valid qualification as established in regulations made by the Minister” (article 135). However, the Act does not provide specific details on the content or duration of pre-service training for school principals. The 2017-2021 Education Sector Plan notes that most principals have not had training or education in school leadership, and recommends that all incoming principals receive training in instructional leadership and supervisory management.

Induction and in-service training

The 2005 Education Act No.9 does not provide details regarding induction and in-service training. The 2017-2021 Education Sector Plan recommends the establishment and implementation of a continuous professional development framework.

3. Teachers, parents and students

3.1. School management committees and boards

The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that a Board of Management must be established. The Board of Management shall include the principal, who shall be an ex-officio member, one member who shall be a representative nominated by the Parent Teacher Association of the school, one member who shall be a representative nominated by the staff at an authorized staff meeting, and not less than four members appointed by the Minister acting in his or her discretion from among persons representing expert educational opinion, religious denominations, organizations concerned with business, organizations concerned with community development, and such other areas of national interest as the Minister considers appropriate. The Board of Management is responsible for the efficient maintenance of the school under its control and management and for the keeping of the buildings in a good state of repair and sanitation. The Board of Management must also review, modify if necessary, and approve the school plan prepared by the school administration for each school operated by it.

3.2. Middle leaders

Teachers in public and assisted private schools are entrusted with various additional responsibilities outlined in Article 138 of the 2005 Education Act No.9. These include fostering a conducive learning environment by encouraging students in their pursuit of knowledge, maintaining order and discipline under the principal's direction, adhering to school standards, and cooperating with student teachers for observation and practice teaching. Additionally, teachers are required to contribute to students' safety by following emergency plans, reporting concerns about student welfare to the principal and relevant authorities, attending staff meetings, planning and preparing courses, teaching according to students' needs, assessing their progress, and providing guidance on education and social matters. Article 140 states that school principals shall “deploy and manage all teaching and non-teaching staff of school and allocate particular duties to them (including such duties of the principal as may properly be delegated to the deputy principal or other members of the staff) in a manner consistent with their conditions of employment.”

3.3. Parents

The 2005 Education Act No.9 provides for the establishment of Parent Teacher Associations. The Parent Teacher Association shall be responsible for promoting the welfare of the school and the education of the students attending the school. The Parent Teacher Association shall also be responsible for promoting cooperation between the school and the community it serves. The Act requires that one member of the Board of Management for the school shall be a representative nominated by the Parent Teacher Association of the school, provided that if no such association exists the Minister may appoint a parent after consultation with the principal.

3.4. Students

The 2005 Education Act No.9 provides for the establishment of student councils in all schools. It states that the Minister of Education is responsible for actively encouraging the formation of and formulating regulations on the functioning of student councils and a National Student Council. Student Councils, where present, must elect a representative to the school Board of Management.

4. Governance

4.1. Autonomy of school leaders

The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that the Minister of Education shall prescribe courses of study for primary and secondary schools, while the Board of Management must organize and implement the prescribed curriculum for the school, having regard to the needs, experience, interests, aptitudes, and stage of development of the students and the resources available to the school.

The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that the Minister of Education shall make regulations concerning the terms of employment including grading, promotion, and leave and payment of salaries and other remuneration to teachers.

The 2005 Education Act No.9 for Saint Christopher and Nevis does not provide specific details on who is responsible for choosing the school's pedagogical approach. However, the Act requires that the Minister of Education shall prescribe courses of study for primary and secondary schools. The Act also provides for the establishment of Boards of Management for public primary schools. The Board of Management must establish policies for the administration, management, and operation of the school, including a student attendance policy. The Board of Management must also organize and implement the prescribed curriculum for the school, having regard to the needs, experience, interests, aptitudes, and stage of development of the students and the resources available to the school. This suggests that the Minister of Education and the Board of Management may have a role in choosing the school's pedagogical approach.

4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders

The 2017-2021 Education Sector Plan states that no standardized performance assessment systems are currently in place for non-teaching staff, including principals. It recommends that performance management systems be put in place and that all principals be systematically evaluated through these systems.

The 2007 Green paper on Education development and policy stated that the characteristics of successful secondary schools identified by the World Bank, which include characteristics of principals, would be incorporated into evaluation instruments which would form the basis for evaluation of secondary schools and their principals.

4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders

The 2005 Education Act No.9 states that school principals supervise and direct teachers and other staff assigned or rendering services to the school, including volunteers. It is also stated that principals shall “evaluate the standards of teaching and learning in school, and ensure that proper standards of professional performance are established and maintained”. The Act does not provide specific details on how school leaders assess teachers.

Última modificación:

Mar, 22/10/2024 - 11:07