29th January 2010 Leaders at national level have let us down
- Last Updated: Friday, 29 January 2010 12:13
Would you send your child to a school with Bertie Ahern as Principal, Seánie Fitzpatrick as the Treasurer of the Board of Management, Roddy Molloy as Chairperson and Desmond Connell as Patron of the school? This is the scenario that the Director of the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN), Mr Seán Cottrell, presents to 1,100 Principals and invited guests as IPPN's annual conference in Citywest today, Friday 29th January. Thankfully this leadership vacuum is not replicated in the 3,500 plus schools throughout the country where the polar opposite exists.The IPPN Director states 'If it were Principals leading our banks, churches and state agencies, we would not be in this mess' and goes on to assert that Principals are caught between the long-standing cartel of church, state and trade unions who collaborate to protect their vested interests. However, all are happy to devolve responsibility back to schools when problems arise.
School Principals are a committed cohort, 'who model hope rather than despair, nurture the weakest and challenge the strongest, display positivity rather than cynicism and continue to manage change despite reverting to 2003 levels of resourcing and salary'. Mr Cottrell praises innovative and inspiring Principals who 'sacrifice private and family time in the belief that children have the right to the best possible learning opportunities'.
ENDS
