School principals need leadership mentors [1]
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 - 15:42. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
A program to enhance the leadership quality of secondary school principals was launched in Nuku'alofa last Thursday, April 26.
Mele Taumoepeau, the coordinator of the program said that under the leadership training program principals will be linked to mentors and coaches who would assist them whenever they need assistance.
She said that following the launching of the program there was a training conference, and the intention for that was so that the 31 secondary school principals from throughout Tonga, excepting Niuatoputapu and Niuafo'ou, could formed cluster groups, three for Tongatapu and one each for Vava'u and Ha'apai. These cluster groups will identify the needs of the principals, and they would be linked to mentors and coaches.
Mele said she has recruited one mentor, but the recruiting of mentors will be easier once the cluster groups identify their specific needs.
She said that at this initial stage of the program, ethic has been identified as an area that most of the principals need to be mentored on.
With ethic, principals need to be mentored on moral principals and the importance for them to be on a high moral ground because of their influence on their staffs and the students.
The program is an Australian government initiative titled the Pacific Leadership Program, and the inclusion of Tonga in the program is viewed as an important strategy to enhance the leadership of school principals and the standard of education in general.
Rev. Dr 'Ungatea Fonua Kata, the Dean of Academic Studies at Tupou Tertiary Institute stressed the need for such a program as the Tonga Secondary Schools Leadership Program at the gathering. "When we come into positions as principals, we are rarely given the training. So we kind of go through a trial and error period, which is not good for our staff and students and that's why we were requesting this sort of help through the TSSLP."
The key note speaker at the launching ceremony was the Minister of Education, Hon. Dr 'Ana Taufe'ulungaki, and also presence were the chairman of the Tongatapu Secondary Schools Principals Association, Paul Fonua; the Acting Director of the USP Oceania Institute for Education, Seu'ula Johansson Fua and the regional director of the AusAIDS's Pacific Leadership Program, Cameron Bowles.