Changing role of a Principal

Mr. Madhav Rao, CEO of Synergy School Systems, who has been the Principal of various Delhi Public Schools branches for several years, spoke on leadership, and in particular how the role of principals has changed over time, he explained that they have gone “from being a leader to that of becoming a servant leader”. As a result, there are numerous challenges they face today.

 

“In today's world, it is important that we involve students.” Since students come from various cultures and backgrounds, it is the principal's role to make sure that they become the part of the culture. When asked how can we make the value of education a part of the curriculum, he responded “We must make the students experience those values and help them fill the gap between what they read in the text book and what they see at home.” He emphasized the importance of leaders delegating their authority and processes in order to devote their time to long-term planning and larger school goals. Teachers, instead, can, and should, be given leadership roles.

 

When asked whether we should experiment with curriculum design, he reiterated that curriculum should be such that it “fosters creativity and imagination and that the foundation years can be experimented with curriculum.” He also said that every school should have an improvement plan for the next five years and which should be reviewed on a regular basis. He said the irony is that with all the holidays and vacations, we teach only for 100 days and expect our students to be world toppers!