‘Principals are the captains of the ship that will lead the fleet of the future.” This was one of the memorable comments that best summed up the annual conference of the South African Principals Association.
More than 500 principals, a diverse mix from rural and urban schools, gathered in September to discuss a variety of issues related to their position as heads of schools. They agreed, as pointed out in the September issue of the Teacher, that HIV/Aids is a serious problem in schools.
Satirist and Aids activist Pieter-Dirk Uys was given a standing ovation for his speech about the role of school principal’s in informing learners about HIV/Aids. Uys has visited over 160 schools where he has addressed learners on the dangers of intercourse without using a condom.
Western Cape MEC for Education Helen Zille said the central role of the principals’ association was to help inform policy decisions in the interests of learners, serving them rather than the system. “We have some world-class schools and some exceptionally weak ones: the biggest single variable is the quality of the principal. A good principal makes a good school.”
Zille said the principal’s role in promoting teaching and learning, and the purpose of schools, is to ensure that all learners achieve the learning outcomes (knowledge, skills, attitudes and values) at the end of each year in the school system.
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, November 2001.