School leadership
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
2.2. Selection and working conditions
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
1. Terminology
The 2009 Education Act (as amended in 2017) and several policy documents, including the 2018-23 School Management Policy, 2018-23 School Governance Policy, and 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual refer to the school principal as the managing authority of primary and secondary schools in Samoa.
School management is defined as ‘the organisation, coordination, and operations of a school in order to achieve good learning achievement for all students’, while school governance is defined as a ‘coalition of interests working together, but performing different functions, all aimed at enabling each school to operate and to achieve its aims and objectives’. According to the 2018-23 School Management Policy, the school principal is an important member of the school committee or school board as they have intimate knowledge and understanding of the school. The school manager is the school principal assisted by the vice principal and other positions of responsibility in the school, forming the school management team, and performing their duties according to the legislation, regulations and policies provided by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture.
All schools, regardless of size, must have a principal, vice principal, and head of department or infant supervisor. The principal, vice principal and infant supervisor make up the management team at primary schools, while the principal, vice principal and heads of department make up the management team at secondary schools (known as colleges). Colleges must have four heads of department.
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture has developed various standards and guidelines for school leadership in Samoa. The 2014 Professional Standards for Principals define the roles and responsibilities of school principals, while the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual outlines the roles and responsibilities of all key stakeholders involved in school management, including the school principal, vice principal, school committee/school board, parent teachers association, and Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture. The 2018-28 School Governance Framework is the overarching strategic document that intends to improve and strengthen the governance and management of government schools and hold school leaders accountable for the performance and outcomes of the school. It is based on the characteristics of good governance which are participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, and efficient, equitable and inclusive and following the rule of law. The framework, in addition to the 2018-23 School Management Policy and 2018-23 School Governance Policy are premised on the 2009 Education Act (as amended in 2017), 2016 Teachers Act (as amended in 2020), 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools, and other related legislation and policies, enabling school leaders to effectively manage and lead the school to achieve its goals and objectives. All policies and laws identified above are administered by the Ministry of Education and outline specific roles and responsibilities for school principals.
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: One of the primary roles of the school principal identified in the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, relevant policies, and 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools is to develop, produce and submit the school annual management plan to the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture at the beginning of each year. The plan, which is based on the triennial school improvement plan (also developed by the principal), sets out targets in different areas that the school aims to achieve during the school year, and includes the school curriculum plan, school assessment plan, school professional development plan, and school annual budget. The school annual report, which is submitted at the end of each year and developed by the principal in collaboration with the school committee, must highlight any school achievements, issues and challenges faced by the school during the year in the implementation of the school annual management plan. The school principal is generally responsible for guiding the development and implementation of the school’s shared vision, mission, plans and policies with the involvement of school committee, teachers, and parents.
Developing teaching and learning: The 2009 Education Act defines several roles for school principals related to the development of teaching and learning. These include supporting and monitoring the academic progress of all students, fostering an effective teaching and learning environment, and ensuring the provision of a caring, productive and safe environment for learning. The school principal is additionally expected to ensure continued improvement in teaching, student learning and assessment; prepare school progress reports for the school committee; conduct classroom observations to promote teacher growth; and provide student achievement progress reports to parents each year, as described in the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual and 2018-23 School Management Policy. Teachers and principals are required to undergo professional dialogues, including a pre-observation meeting in preparation for a classroom observation and a post-observation meeting after the classroom observation, providing opportunities for reflection and collaboration to promote professional growth.
According to the 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools, the principal guides the planning for the delivery and assessment of a diverse curriculum, supported by creative teaching and learning approaches and appropriate resources. The principal also leads the development, implementation and monitoring of intervention for reading and numeracy programmes to support students with difficulties in literacy and numeracy; talented and gifted students; and students with disabilities. The effectiveness of school management is measured by the improvement in student learning outcomes over a period of at least three years.
Promoting collaboration: According to the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, one of the primary roles of the school principal is to oversee the day-to-day management of the school in close collaboration with the school committee, parents and the wider community to ensure continued improvement in teaching, student learning and assessment. The collaboration between principals, school committees, parents and the community is highlighted in all relevant governance policies and guidelines. The 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools explicitly emphasizes the role of principals in working collaboratively with teachers, parents and the school committee to develop and implement the school’s shared vision, mission, plans and policies. The principal should also state how often student progress will be reported to parents each year. This must be done at least twice per year.
Supporting staff development: The school principal’s roles and duties in supporting staff development are highlighted in several documents, including the 2009 Education Act, 2018-23 Government Teachers Appraisal Policy, 2018-23 National Professional Development Policy, 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools, and 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual. They are specifically required to take the lead in conducting professional development for teachers throughout the year based on a detailed professional development program developed in collaboration with staff. Their role includes planning and developing professional development programs, supervising teachers, implementing professional development training, as well as monitoring and reporting on the impact of professional development on teaching and learning at the school.
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: All school principals, teachers and school committee members are expected to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct at all times and abide by the Public Service Code of Conduct. In addition to abiding by these rules, principals and teachers are expected to always set and maintain high standards of work and behaviour; respect the individual talents and characteristics of all students; strive to assist all students (especially those most disadvantaged) to develop fully; respect the confidentiality of information about their colleagues and students; and accept responsibilities and be accountable for their decisions and actions, as described in the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual.
Others: Several additional roles for school principals are detailed in the 2009 Education Act, 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, and 2019 Staffing Manual, which include being responsible for the school discipline policy; the suspension of students; school infrastructure and maintenance; student attendance, and security. The 2019 Staffing Manual further outlines the hours of teaching expected of principals and vice principals at the primary and secondary level.
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
School principals are selected based on their skills and abilities; educational qualifications; experience and past work performance; and personal attributes, as regulated in the 2004 Public Service Commission Act. The Public Service Commission determines the minimum educational or other qualifications that are required for principals and vice principals. To be considered for the position of a school principal, candidates must have a background in teaching, with all teacher qualifications (including requirements for licensing and registration) outlined in the 2016 Teachers Act. Qualifications for teachers include a diploma in education; a bachelor’s degree in education; or a bachelor’s degree in another discipline plus a graduate diploma in education. Additional qualifications can also include a master’s in education; doctorate in education; or any other minimum or additional qualifications prescribed by regulations. There are no additional qualifications for school principals outlined in the law, with all requirements determined by the Public Service Commission.
Appointment decision
School principals and vice principals are appointed and contracted in accordance with provisions of the 2004 Public Service Commission Act for contract employees. All contract positions (including principals and vice principals) are employed by the Public Service Commission through an open advertisement process (based on merit) and then appointed to schools by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, as described in the 2009 Education Act.
Employment equity measures
Education and leadership are two of the priority areas of the 2021-31 National Policy on Gender Equality and Equal Rights of Women and Girls, with specific objectives to increase the number of women in education management positions, in addition to increasing the number of male teachers. The government further aims to develop policies to address gender disparities in teaching careers and recruitment practices, increase the participation of women in public leadership roles, and increase affirmative action measures that encourage women to apply for director positions on boards of both public and private sectors, with particular emphasis on enhancing opportunities for women experiencing additional inequalities due to class, education, sexual orientation and/or disability.
Furthermore, the 2018-2023 School Governance Policy states that all School Committees or School Boards must include women as members, and must work toward equal representation of women on their committees.
Working conditions
The 2004 Public Service Commission Act and 2009 Education Act govern the employment terms and conditions of principal and vice principal contracts. Appointments of teaching staff members (including principals) are made under a civil servant agreement through the Public Service Commission. The Public Service Commission manages contracts for school principals and vice principals, who are considered contracted employees within the public service (not permanent positions).
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture pays the salaries for principals and vice principals based on the rates determined by the Public Service Commission. The Public Service Commission determines the salary scales, gradings and classes based on its job classification system, in accordance with the 2004 Public Service Commission Act. All public service employees are entitled to be paid salary and allowances according to the grading assigned to them. Principals typically earn about 33,960 WST (12,279.94 USD) per year, which can range from the lowest average salary of about 16,880 WST to the highest of about 51,100 WST.
School principals can also be part of the Samoa Secondary School Principals Association.
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
Pre-service training
There is no specific policy on pre-service training of school principals prior to their appointment.
Induction and in-service training
The 2018-23 National Professional Development Policy highlights the development of induction programs for new principals. The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture organizes various induction programs, delivered through a series of workshops, for new principals and deputy principals. Induction programs also include the Public Service Commission, which shares information on policies, working conditions and information relevant to contracted employees.
Various policy documents emphasize the professional development of school principals. According to the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture is responsible for providing adequate in-service training and professional development opportunities for principals and teachers at the national level, while the school inspector must identify training needs for principals, teachers and school committees and assist in conducting in-service training as required. The Curriculum Development and Materials Division is further responsible for conducting training for principals and teachers on the use of the National Curriculum Policy Framework, curriculum statements, and effective use of support materials and equipment, as described in the 2018-28 National Teacher Development Framework.
The 2018-23 National Professional Development Policy, which applies to principals, vice principals, heads of department, and teachers, details the professional development content and hours at the national, district, and school levels. Principals and teachers who attend the national training then facilitate the same training in their clusters and districts. Professional development at the cluster or district level includes at least 20 hours in leadership and school management skills, curriculum content, pedagogy, classroom management, planning and organising lesson plans. At the school level, principals who attend district/tier 2 professional development workshops are encouraged to facilitate their programs which are informed by the needs of their schools. Professional development at this level includes at least 40 hours on classroom management, pedagogy, assessment tools, support teacher system, and collating evidence for teaching and learning.
The Ministry also explicitly prioritises the development of a well-resourced continuing professional development program for teachers and school principals that focuses on improving the quality of teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy across all levels in the 2019-24 Education Sector Plan, with goals to allocate funding directly to principals of five selected schools to conduct pilot programs of school-based professional development, and to provide urgent and rapid training for school principals and/or senior school managers in school-based management. The plan additionally aims to mentor staff in new teaching approaches for teaching literacy and numeracy; and formative (diagnostic) assessment of learning progress strategies for mainstreaming students with special learning needs.
The 2018-23 School Governance Policy further aims to build the capacity of school committee/school board members to help them achieve effective governance through various workshops.
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
The overall governance of schools sits with the school committee, which performs its responsibilities on behalf of the local community (villages/districts) and the government of Samoa (Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture) in accordance with the 2009 Education Act, 2018-28 School Governance Framework, 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, and all governance and management policies.
The 2009 Education Act requires the establishment of a school committee in every government school, which must be skilled and gender-balanced, as described in the 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools.
Primary school committees must consist of at least 6 to 10 members, including the school principal as the Ministry of Education representative, executive of the Parent-Teacher Association, and a member of the Old Pupils Association. For district secondary schools, each village should have a representative on the school committee. The school principal is a permanent member of the school committee. School committee members are selected by the village councils while school board members are selected by ‘coalitions of interest’ such as alumni or parent-teacher associations. They act on behalf of the village and school communities to ensure that schools continue to meet the expectations stipulated in the 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools, with improved student learning outcomes being the primary focus. The primary focus has shifted from non-educational matters such as buildings and finances to school improvement, school performance, and student achievement. Responsibilities are listed in detail in the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual and include ensuring the effective, efficient, and appropriate management of public resources; providing appropriate school buildings, facilities, and equipment that are properly maintained; and promoting a safe, supportive, and productive learning environment (with detailed duties for each responsibility).
The school committee/school board has full responsibility to help the principal develop the School Resourcing Guidelines, School Improvement Plan and School Annual Management Plan, which must be informed by the 2018-28 School Governance Framework, 2018-23 School Governance Policy, 2018-23 School Management Policy, the Samoa School Fee Grant Scheme and the 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools. The committee is expected to closely monitor and evaluate all plans and activities throughout the implementation of regulations and policies, in addition to supporting the school principal in the preparation of reports which are required to be submitted to the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture. All reports, including the annual school assessment, school improvement plan (triennial plan), annual management plan, and annual report must have the full endorsement of the school committee/school board.
Gender balance (an equal number of female and male members) in the school committee/school board and parent-teacher association is strongly encouraged in all policies.
3.2. Middle leaders
Middle leaders at the school are mentioned in several documents and include infant supervisors, senior teachers and Heads of Department. The 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual outlines the role of senior teachers and Heads of Department in supporting the professional development of teachers in their departments by identifying training needs by class level, subject or department.
3.3. Parents
All government schools are expected to establish a Parent-Teacher Association (PTAs), with the responsibilities of parents and guardians listed in detail in the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual. PTAs are expected to follow all school management/governance frameworks and policies.
Parents/guardians are specifically expected to become involved in school programmes, provide support to the school as required; pay all school registration fees at the beginning of each school term; and ensure their children are clean and neatly attired in the approved school uniform.
3.4. Students
Several policies, including the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, mention student associations, but their establishment in schools is not required by law.
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
According to the 2018-23 School Governance Policy, full school and principal autonomy is not practicable given the small size of the Samoa education system. However, principals and school committees/school boards are encouraged to aspire towards full school autonomy observing all principles of good governance.
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture determines the national curriculum, with school principals not expected to deviate or develop their school-based curriculum. However, there is some flexibility for adaptation of the national curriculum to suit the context of the school and the abilities of learners. Adaptation, however, may only occur when teachers and schools are fully resourced and school committees, principals and teacher capacities are built to manage the change.
School principals, with support from committees, have the autonomy to determine how best to use the funds from the School Fee Grant Scheme within the limits of what is allowable in the scheme. One of the major functions of the school committee is to manage the finances of the school in a financially responsible and educationally appropriate manner by preparing the annual budget of income and expenditure; accounting for all school funds collected; paying all accounts promptly and recording all expenditure and other transactions; reporting on the financial management of the school at the committee meetings and to the school community and the Ministry of Education on an annual basis. The school's financial records are subject to periodic audits by the Ministry.
The One Government Grant (OGG) for primary schools is designed to give autonomy to the school to address the immediate needs of the school on a daily basis to ensure the benefits of education reach vulnerable populations and to facilitate and promote equitable access to quality schooling. The OGG Manual of Operations sets out in detail allowable and non-allowable items under the grant. It is the responsibility of the principal and his/her school committee to ensure that the determination, collection and disbursement of OGG and any other funds raised are in accordance with the annual budget and Ministry policies. The school principal must ensure that the school’s funds are managed effectively through sound financial planning, systems and controls, as described in the 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools.
Teachers are appointed, employed and dismissed by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, and not the principal.
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
School principals undergo two appraisal cycles during their 3-year contractual term. The first appraisal is conducted by the Ministry prior to the 18-month period and the second prior to the 30-month period. Principals are evaluated against the Professional Standards for Principals, their own Performance Agreement Targets, and the achievement of selected 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools.
The 2018-23 Government Teachers Appraisal Policy sets out the formal procedures of the Quality Assurance Performance Appraisal (QAPA) that applies to all principals and vice principals in government schools. The performance appraisal system for principals and vice principals is conducted by the Monitoring, Evaluation and Review Division (MERD) of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture in collaboration with the Public Service Commission. MERD is generally responsible for conducting the quality assurance performance appraisal for both contracted and non-contracted principals and evaluating principal performance to support professional development training initiatives, as stated in the 2018-28 National Teacher Development Framework. The School of Operations Division provides continuous feedback to schools and principals. All performance appraisals must cover the minimum service standards, school improvement, and annual management plan.
Once a school principal or vice principal has been contracted, their performance plan is submitted to the Ministry, which conducts the quality assurance performance appraisal. The appraisal must be endorsed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry before submission to the Public Service Commission for review. The Public Service Commission then conducts a review process to evaluate the overall performance of principals and vice principals, providing them with feedback. Any principals and vice principals identified by the Ministry to be underperforming are dealt with under the 2004 Public Service Commission Act (Section 48) and the 2016 Teachers Act.
According to the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, the school principal is accountable to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry for the efficient day-to-day management and overall academic performance of the school, wellbeing of the students and supervision and professional development of the teaching staff. The School Inspector is the Ministry’s representative in the school community on a daily basis, being responsible for monitoring, collecting required school data, evaluating, reviewing, and reporting the performances of their cluster of schools regularly against the Ministry’s Minimum Service Standards, School Annual Management Plan, and School Improvement Plans. They also provide strategic and operational advice and support to principals on how to improve their schools’ performances.
At the school level, the principal and school committee are expected to carry out monitoring and evaluation of all plans and activities in the implementation of policies and regulations, as described in the 2018-23 School Governance Policy. The self-evaluation matrix enables the principal, teachers and school committee to see the standard, indicators and evidence required to demonstrate that the school is meeting the standards in each of the four domains: school environment, hygiene and safety; school partnerships, governance and management; teacher quality; and student achievement.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
Principals are required to conduct teacher appraisals through the Quality Assured Performance Appraisal (QAPA) system, against the standards contained in the 2015 Professional Standards for Samoa's Teachers and the 2018-23 Government Teachers Appraisal Policy. All performance appraisals include the identification of strategies for professional growth and development; a summative report documenting the performance appraisal; a rating scale; and a process for providing professional support. All principals and vice principals need to conduct periodic observations of all teachers and monitor the progress of student’s learning during the performance appraisal of a teacher. Details of the appraisal process are included in the 2016 Minimum Service Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools, the 2018 School Management and Organisation Manual, and the 2018-23 Government Teachers Appraisal Policy.
