ROLE OF A PRINCIPAL IN NEP 2020

Students when graduate from school systems should be equipped with many skills to make them successful in all terms. NEP lays emphasis to make the child ready with the 21st century skills. This makes the role of school leadership very important. As a principal has overall responsibility of all decision making which impacts the school’s processes, the role of principal can not be subsided. The broad base to describe the role of a principal can be clearly projected through 3 layers viz:

1. Setting a direction for school improvement and student learning.
2. Practicing pedagogical leadership
3. Assuring student learning

LAYER 1: SETTING A DIRECTION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND STUDENT LEARNING

The steps to be taken under this include:

1. Creating a vision for the school: includes all aspects of the school’s progress, keeping student learning at its core. it communicates the purpose of the organisation and clearly defines the future. the role of principal is critical here as it is the principal who articulates a strategy to bring the vision to life.
2. Building a shared vision: unless the principal builds a collective understanding of the school’s vision among the stakeholders, it can not be translated into reality. so to establish a collective sense of purpose among the stakeholders and creating a strategic road map for the school to achieve vision becomes a chief role of the principal.
3. Developing SMART goals: The goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound.
4. Developing a personal vision as school leader. Apart from having a shared vision which is to arrive at a common purpose for school and provide a pathway for quality education personal vision is meant to fulfill the individuals physical, social emotional intellectual , spiritual economic and cultural needs. All these together shape the school leader.
5. Aligning personal values with education system’s values. Become a self aware leader and align personal beliefs with school leadership values. Be openminded approachable and honest.

LAYER 2: PRACTICING PEDAGOGICAL LEADERSHIP

The next step after setting the the direction for school development and student learning is to translate the vision and the values into actions to ensure student learning which include the following:

1. Engaging in teachers’ professional development: Teachers are the backbone of the schooling system as they directly engage with students and deliver on school’s vision, mission and curriculum.as a pedagogical leader it is the responsibility of the principal to provide opportunities for teachers to learn continuously through a comprehensive professional development of the programme. NEP 2020 has mandated 50 hr of CPD in a given academic year
2. Initiating innovations in the school: innovation is about generation of new ideas, and attempts to solve problems for which the traditional solutions have yielded little results. Pandemic has demonstrated the necessity of building a school culture that is agile, flexible and adaptable. for this it is must to create a culture of innovation in school. The National Education Policy, 2020 clearly outlines that students need to be innovative, adaptable and productive human beings. In order to develop into holistic individuals,learning needs to shift from rote learning to deeper understanding along with developing 21stcentury skills. Students must develop critical thinking, inquiry based, discovery-based learning, application of concepts, problem solving, collaborative and exploratory learning and experiential learning and coding, computational skills, digital literacy. It encourages innovation in schools as it aims to shift the focus to competency-based learning, building future ready, global citizens who perceive change as an opportunity to learn and adapt by becoming life-long learners
3. Leading the teaching learning process: A principal plays a pivotal role in leading the teaching-learning process by not only leading the overall teaching-learning process but also demonstrating that s/he is a life-long learner. This approach is likely to motivate teachers to learn continuously and to lead learning in their classroom transactions.
4. Developing a learning culture: Creating a culture of learning requires establishing a safe, positive, respectful and nurturing learning environment in which intellectual rigor is promoted. Such an environment will help students to debate, discuss, deliberate, collaborate, experiment, innovate, think and learn from their teachers, peers and the community. As per NEP 2020 Schools need to focus on the socio-emotional learning of students by providing an inclusive and caring culture at school.
5. Building an inclusive culture: The greatest challenge for a principal is to ensure that equal opportunities are provided to all students. Catering to the needs of this diverse group of learners. A principal plays a vital role in devising the road map for bringing change in the school’s culture. It entails bringing together material and human resources, engaging in professional development of teachers, building collaborative teams, involving parents and eliciting community support to build a culture of inclusion that ensures increased participation of children with special needs (CWSN) in the teaching learning process. requires moving away from traditional practices towards more inclusive practices. National Education Policy, 2020 has set up an autonomous National Assessment Centre – PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) which will set the norms for student assessment and evaluation for all school boards in the country. It will also take care of assessment and certification needs of children with disabilities. It lays emphasis on devising digital content and online tools (section 24) and optimum utilization of technology to provide greater access to learning content in multiple, easily accessible formats to children with special needs.

LAYER 3 : ASSURING STUDENT LEARNING

1. Attainment and progress across all school subjects : Attainment and progress of students in learning is captured through assessment of learning outcomes outcomes. The measurement of learning outcomes undertaken through assessments are both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The assessment is a continuous and comprehensive process across all grades which in turn informs the teaching-learning process for improving learning outcomes. Further, students can also become self- assessors of their learning journey, giving them a voice. This would provide a 360 assessment of students as envisaged by the National Education Policy, 2020.
2. Acquiring 21st Century Skills: In the fast-changing world of work, students are required to acquire 21st century skills to navigate life beyond school. These skills will also equip them to cope with the changing socio-economic and political landscape and the unforeseen challenges of life.
3. Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Besides scholastic pursuits, students have to be equipped to lead their life with a healthy mind and positive attitude. This results in schools pursuing the personal, social and emotional development of students. A school needs to inculcate: Human values such as empathy, respect for others, cleanliness, etiquette, courtesy, responsibility, integrity, spirit of service Life skills including cooperation, teamwork, communication, resilience, sensitivity towards others, inter and intra personal skills, self-awareness, social skills Happiness and wellbeing by focusing on developing a student’s mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.
4. Strengthen Moral and Ethical Reasoning for Internal Consistency and Intellectual Conviction: National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes the development of moral and ethical reasoning among students to equip them to independently think and decide about the moral dimensions of life and society. Schools, families and the community provide children with situations that expose them to apply moral reasoning for practicing ethical principles, adhering to commitments and mutual reciprocity. This results in developing the ‘internal ethical compass’ for value clarification.