Thwaites says leadership of public schools heading in right direction

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites says the latest assessment of leadership and management in public schools shows that longstanding problems are being addressed.

The National Education Inspectorate (NEI) has found leadership and management to be unsatisfactory in 40 per cent of schools it has inspected to date.

However, Chief Inspector Maureen Dwyer says principals and board chairmen have been expressing a willingness to be accountable for the performance of their institutions.

Thwaites says there is now greater recognition that weaknesses in the school system have to be corrected through training.

Meanwhile, in response to the leadership deficits identified by the NEI report, the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) says it has been intensifying efforts to boost capacity among the country’s school leaders.

And the Education Minister is reiterating that persons will not be appointed principals unless they have been trained by NCEL.

The NEI inspected 50 primary and secondary schools up to December 2014 and will inspect 85 other institutions in order to complete the assessment of all public schools by June.