Who Is A School Principal?
In any school, elementary, middle, or high, the highest position in the administration is the school principal. Usually, the school principal reports to the school superintendent. In big schools, he/ she can also report to the associate superintendent or superintendent’s designee.
In some private schools, the highest position is of the headmaster. They have the same responsibilities as a principal. The extra activities which they can do are fundraising. There are many schools in which the school superintendent and principal are the same.
There was no need for a school principal in earlier times. When schools started growing and the grade structure set in, there was a need for a person who could manage this complex organization. At first, the teachers who were teaching in the school managed everything. These teachers were called principal teachers. With further advancements in education and schooling, one separate position evolved and was designated as a principal. It goes without saying that they have a lot of responsibilities.
Responsibilities Of A School Principal
A School Principal is an expert and professional who takes the responsibility of leading and managing a school and all the internal-external activities that affect the functioning, administration, and growth of the school.
A School Principal's duty includes keeping a check of finances, maintaining a comfortable yet disciplined environment for the students, handling all the administrative activities, and much more beyond that. The school principal needs to look after personnel, maintenance of the building, financial operations, student scheduling, different institutional policies related to discipline, coordination among different activities, and other matters. As the advancement of education is happening, the duties and responsibilities of a school teacher are also increasing.
A School Principal plays a major role in the smooth functioning of the school as the whole duty of providing good quality education, recruiting the best teachers, bringing and executing new ideas in order to keep the students, teachers happy in addition to attracting the parents of potential students as increasing the number of admissions in the school also falls under the duties and responsibilities of a School Principal. Being a School Principal is considered one of the most respectable and noble jobs in every society, especially in India.
Eligibility To Become A School Principal
To become a school principal an aspirant needs to fulfill the eligibility criteria of that respective post, below are a few points that might help you understand the eligibility criteria of being a school principal better-
An aspirant must hold a B.Ed degree to become a school principal.
- The candidates who hold an integrated B.Ed degree are also eligible for applying for the post. For example- B.A+B.Ed/ B.Sc+B.Ed.
- Candidates who have passed Diploma in Elementary Education (D.Ed) are also eligible to become school principals but only for the primary section.
- The most important eligibility is that the candidates must have experience of at least 5-10 years in teaching otherwise they will be disqualified for the post.
- If the candidates have an M.Ed degree, then they are also eligible to take up the post of School Principal.
When And How Shall A candidate Start Preparing?
Since B.Ed is a mandatory degree for becoming a school principal, the candidates must start preparing for the same right after the 12th standard. Also for becoming a school principal, one needs the experience of at least 5-10 years, so they must primarily focus on becoming a good teacher and gaining experience in the same field. After completing a graduate degree, a candidate can go ahead with B.Ed. If the candidate wants to do a government job in teaching, they can prepare for CTET/ TET exams conducted by CBSE/ state governments as only the TET-qualified candidates will be considered eligible for teaching.
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Here’s a video from Teachmint on how to become a school principal:
