Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams has extended gratitude to principals and vice principals of schools affected by the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July for their work in aiding the recovery of the institutions.
“I want to thank all the principals and vice-principals from the hurricane-impacted schools for the extraordinary work that you did during the eight weeks leading up to the reopening of schools. You could have said, ‘It’s my holiday; I’m out of here’, [and] you did not,” she said.
Mrs. Williams was bringing greetings during the Association of Principals and Vice Principals’ 32nd Annual Conference and General Meeting, which was held at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, on October 18.
She lauded the school leaders for their care and concern during such a challenging time for their institutions.
“You showed care, concern and leadership. You modelled the behaviour and values we expect from others. You demonstrated empathy, integrity, and compassion, and I implore you to continue this in your daily lives, going way into the future,” the Minister said.
Mrs. Williams argued that the leadership of principals is about empowering the island’s teachers who are “the backbone” of the education system and should be trusted and supported to make decisions, innovate and grow professionally.
She encouraged principals to foster a positive culture in their schools, despite challenges.
“Every school has a culture; whether we believe it or not, it matters. So, let’s cultivate collaboration, respect, and open communication among students, teachers and parents,” Mrs. Williams said.
“I know it’s not easy. Some days you wake up, and it might be a great day because the parents you want to speak with come, and you sit down, and you have a good conversation. There are other days when there’s a fight in the press, and your school is on the news. Despite all of that, I know that you will wake up, and you will try to do the very best that you can do,” she added.
The conference was held under the theme ‘Enhancing the TREND (Transforming Education for National Development) through effective leadership’.