IPPN

Published: 29 October 2005

Many principals around the country were incensed and annoyed by the debate which took place last week in the media on the question of the role of the denominational churches in managing primary schools. Principals feel that the debate mostly failed to identify the real issues. The fact is that the burden of management falls largely on Principals' shoulders with little or no appropriate supports or reward for the task. Whatever about the view that schools could not operate without the involvement of the Churches in management, principals largely feel that schools can and do operate despite their boards of management rather than because of them. And they operate effectively because, by and large, principals fulfill the management, administrative and leadership functions that are lacking from their boards.

The reality is that whether we like it or not / realise it or not, principals are, the de facto managers of schools. IPPN has been
consistently! and clearly highlighting this issue for the past five years. There is a problem with the way schools are governed and managed in Ireland and the manner in which this impacts on the principal as a school leader. The current Board of Management structure, devised over thirty years ago, is simply not up to the job of either governing or managing our schools. Principals carry the administrative and managerial burden; are often the sole advisor to the Board of Management and, along with the teacher representative, the only professional educator on the board. In this context, is the Board actually 'managing' anything? As a principal of twenty-five years put it, "Every four years, I am duty bound to track down, cajole and persuade six volunteers whom I will then induct, inform, advise and train to tell me how to do my job! I end up doing everything anyway. It's like having bought an expensive thoroughbred dog and still having to bark myself!"

With a raft of new legislation now underpinning the operation of schools and an increasingly diverse and changing Irish society, the debate really needs to start with the reality of modern schools and how they ought to be governed and managed in the 21st century.

IPPN has sought and forcefully represented the views of principals on these issues in all quarters over the past three years. Every opportunity to research and highlight the reality of the role of the school leader and to take the debate on school management and governance to a higher level has been availed of on behalf of Principals. The content of these submissions and meetings is informed by the most recent research that has been undertaken directly with school leaders seeking their views on management and governance in the IPPN's survey of October 2004.

Subsequently, meetings have taken place and submissions made to:

1. The Episcopal Commission on Education
2. The Catholic Prim! ary School Management Association
3. The Minister for Education and Science
4. The Secretary General of the DES
5. Submission on Principals Workload to the DES
6. Submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education & Science
7. Forthcoming submission to the INTO on benchmarking

It might appear that our message and the voice of Principals are not being listened to in this debate. Perhaps this is because none of the other education partners have a vested interest in changing the status quo in school governance and management. Is it possible that this is because of they have developed a dependency and reliance on Principals to pick up the pieces when a management system, belonging to a different era, is creaking to a halt?

IPPN will continue to ask the awkward questions and represent the views of Principals at every opportunity that presents itself.

Is muidne le meas,

Seán Cottrell, Tomás O Slatara