Duties and Responsibilities of the Principal

The core obligations of the principal are:

i. to model excellent teaching
ii. to execute the Board’s strategic plan
iii. to provide professional, highly effective leadership and management that will achieve
outstanding results in all aspects of the school.
The principal promotes an inspiring vision and clear direction and is responsible for
ensuring that the curriculum, teaching, and assessment practices inspire high levels of
engagement, achievement and progress for students of all abilities. Thus, she must work very
closely with all the management staff as a formidable team to achieve these.
[A.] Responsibilities & Duties of the Principal

As a key member of the school’s senior management team, the principal shall generally:
i. Work closely with the management team in school organization and administration
matters.
ii. Monitor and work closely with the Vice Principal Administration in areas of human
resource, finance, logistics, Facilities, security and general administration of the school •
Help to ensure security and emergency planning.
iii. Monitor and work with the VP Admin to manage publicity and public feedback.
iv. Monitor and work closely with the VP Admin to plan and manage school resources.
v. Establish and maintain good relationships with parents, students, and staff at other
schools.
vi. Shall monitor and work closely with the VP Admin in the preparation and submission of
drafts of proposals, financial reports, and other documents/templates.

vii. Act as an internal supervisor and represent the director (in the absence of either or both
of them.

The principal shall monitor and work with the senior management team in terms of:

a) School strategic planning and implementation including but not limited to:
 development of the school’s strategic goals and plan, and driving continuous
improvement.
 building of collaborative partnerships and active engagement with key stakeholders to
achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
b) School administration and management of resources including but not limited to:
 allocation and efficient management of finance and other resources to achieve the
school’s goals.
 harnessing ICT to increase productivity and enhance school processes.
 overseeing finance, procurement, Human Resource, inventory, and student-related
administration and operations to ensure compliance with relevant policies/guidelines, and
procedures and alignment with school’s strategic plan.
 c) Leadership and management of people including but not limited to:
 leading and motivating the School Admin Team through promoting a culture of service
excellence and growth, and to ensure the effective management of administrative and
operations matters by conducting effective performance management and feedback.
d) School facility and security management including but not limited to:
 overseeing the facility management and operations; and incorporating best practices to
ensure a safe and conducive learning environment.
 ensuring that appropriate security procedures and measures are in place/ready for
implementation when required
e) Communication & Relationship Management:
 ensures that constructive working relationships are formed between staff and pupils
 coordinates marketing and admissions activities in the school, ensuring an
improvement in enrollment into the school.
 provides feedback to the principal as required on the Performance Management of
Administrative staff at the school.
 Provides monthly report to the principal on key responsibility areas

On a general note, the principal:

1. Is responsible for the overall supervision of the teaching and non-teaching staff as well as
students with respect to the daily movement of staff, regular attendance and punctuality at
school and in classes.
2. Shall demand, from the VP Admin, and obtain a copy of report (sent to the director) on
the supervision of budgets related to all aspects of the school, including library and
textbooks, etc.
3. Shall relate with parents regarding student matters.
4. Sall recommend (in conjunction with the VPs) to the management required in-service
training and improvement of instructional skills for teachers.

[B] Performance Management & Assessment:

5. Shall ensure that the VPs submit periodic reports on administrative staff.
6. Shall demand, obtain and analyze the periodic appraisals of all heads of
units/departments from the VP admin.
7. Shall demand, obtain and appraise the collated and submitted budgetary needs of the
school from the VP admin for each term and session as the case may be.
8. shall ensure that all academic and non-academic staff members comply with stipulated
rules and regulations of the school as appropriate (must work with VPs to achieve this).
9. shall demand to know, from the VP admin, the supply and utilization of all materials
required for the day to day running of the school.
10. Shall request for reports from the VPs of all administrative and academic matters relating
to the school on a monthly basis and as the need arises.
 11. Shall ensure that the VP admin has made available all appropriate uniforms to all relevant
categories of staff/students.
12. Shall do a regular and formal classroom visit (whether or not the VP admin is available
but must work as a team giving and receiving updates from Form teachers, HODs, VPs).
13. Shall ensure that stipulated examination syllabus and curricular are available and fully
implemented.
14. Shall ensure that VPs turn in reports on teachers and non-academic staff from the various
heads of departments (in a timely manner) for analysis .
15. Shall monitor the management of the administrative aspect of the Internal and
International Examinations and Tests (without stalling the success process).
16. Shall demand and obtain reports from VPs on co-curricular activities including
constraints and recommendations on monthly basis and as the need arises.
[C] Administration and Personnel Management:
 Shall supervise the administrative schedule of the VPs relating to the discharge of their
duties effectively, yielding adequate results in the administrative standard of the school
 Shall monitor, in conjunction with the VPs, the performance of academic and non-
teaching staff.
 Shall teach a minimum of four periods per week.
17. Shall delegate the facilitation of parent meetings, maintaining schedules, and handling
logistical matters to the VPs except in rare cases.

18. Shall develop an analytical, systematic survey study of local and international educational
issues and problems as they relate to philosophy, purpose and operation of effective,
current, lasting secondary schools.
19. must keep open and clear channels of communication with the VPs, Finance Director,
and all staff on matters of concern to the school.
20. must demand and obtain regular reports from the VPs.
21. must hold the VP admin accountable for the neatness or otherwise of the entire school
and respective offices and classrooms from time to time.
22. is responsible for all administrative matters as they affect staff and students.
23. Must maintain copies and updates of all records as they affect the administration and
academics of the school
24. liaises with VPs as appropriate.
25. Must work with the VPs to ensure the compliance of learners, administrative and
academic staff to rules and regulations pertaining to curricular and co-curricular
activities.

[D.] Meetings and Committees:

The principal must:

(a) attend meetings within and outside the school.

(b) liaise with neighboring schools.
[E.] Human Resources:

The principal shall lead and work closely with the VPs as a team:

(a) in academic and non-academic staff selection, allocation of responsibilities and

evaluation, and makes recommendations for promotion and all disciplinary matters.

(b) to help and recommend teachers for professional development

(c) to inspire teachers and encourage them to embrace positive change in the school
(d) to update teachers on issues and help them ensure that teachers are compliant with
educational reform initiatives determined by the state and Ministry of Education

[F] Supervision of Instruction

(e) To improve the quality of teaching and learning in the teacher-student system the
principal should pay regular visits to the different classes in which the teachers are
engaged. He should work as an expert source of help through free discussion with
them. Since teaching has independent parts like planning, actualizing the plans,
describing what was actualized, analysing what happened and generalizing in the
terms of planning, the principal shall work together with the teachers to improve the
“learning environment.”
(f) This will be possible through mutual esteem and trust, which again depends upon
contact and interaction. He should not interpret his role as ‘telling, rather he should
accept cooperation, help and assistance as a way of life.

[G] Supervision of Curriculum Development and Improvement

(g) The principal shall work very closely with the management team (VPs et al) for the
improvement of learning according to the changing needs of the society, constant
revision and improvement of the curriculum is essential. Since the Principal is the
educational leader, she shall be responsible for developing the curriculum design, and
coordination of the curriculum improvement, stimulating innovation, developing
demonstrations of new procedures and practices, keeping information about new
curriculum development and conducting research that is appropriate to school system.
(h) She shall also evaluate the effectiveness of the educational programme. She shall
organize a curriculum development team with the staff members and should consult
students and parents by conducting investigations of students’ progress and by
promoting follow-up studies of students and dropouts.

[H] Supervision of School Hostel

(i) Though the school hostel remains in the charge of a hostel superintendent, who
happens to be a teacher, it is also the duty of the principal to carefully supervise the
 hostel. She should try to create a homely atmosphere in the hostel. The principal shall
pay occasional visits to the hostel to see its management.

[I] Vetting of tests/examination questions and marking of note of lesson/other school

records
(a) The principal shall work with the VPs and HODs to effectively vet and approve
internal test and examination questions. She shall be the team lead.
(b) The principal shall work together with the VPs to determine the modalities for
marking note of lessons
(c) While diaries, registers etc are direct responsibilities of the VP academics to monitor,
the principal can assign any of the VPs to handle these for effectiveness.

The principal is responsible for the all-round progress and development of the school
programme. Through teamwork and democratic supervision, the principal can become vigilant
and manage the school affairs efficiently.