The Eastern Cape Department of Education hosted an induction programme for the newly appointed principals in the OR Tambo coastal region in Mthatha, last week.
According to the acting director for the Mandla Makupula Education Leadership Institute, Pula Tabata, these principals were appointed in 2020 but, due to COVID-19, they were not equipped at that time. She said these principals are already working in their schools.
According to Tabata, the objective of this induction was to welcome and prepare the new appointees in the department and ensuring that they adopted their duties with a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
“We targeted principals from different districts,” said Tabata. She added that they wanted to upskill them about things that are expected from them in leading their schools.
She said this workshop would make the province achieve better results.
“This will help them to focus more and also on how to manage more in delivering the curriculum, as well as enabling them to manage resources in their schools.”
One of the principals, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the workshop was very fruitful because they gained a lot of knowledge. He said they were trained about how to manage the school. He said among others they were told about importance of planning and that the members of the school governing bodies (SGB) know what is expected from them and how to work with other stakeholders.
“We were also equipped about finances, since we know that schools have different sections,” he said.
