Headmaster: Prestigious but a pressure job

Harsha Mohan Sharma

(harshasarma183@gmail.com)

Headmaster, i.e., school head, is a respectable post or position. The overall development of a school depends on the performance of the headmaster. The educational and environmental standards of a school go up a lot because of the headmaster’s farsightedness, ability to make decisions, and ability to complete tasks in a well-planned manner within a stipulated time. One of the most widely read books by the famous English writer Lytton Strachey is “Eminent Victorians.” There, he records some of the famous figures of the 19th century. In 1872, the post of headmaster of the famous Rugby School in England fell vacant. It was the responsibility of the twelve trustees of the school to bring a new person to the headmaster’s post. At that time, the political, social, and religious environment in England was changing rapidly. They needed a guiding headmaster to adapt the school to the changing circumstances. The twelve trustees decided that they would appoint the next headmaster on the basis of full merit and expertise. But where do they get a sharp-brain candidate? At the same time, Dr. Hawkins, the head of Oreal College, wrote a letter to twelve trustees informing them that if they appointed Thomas Arnold as the headmaster, the new headmaster would change the face of the public school. The school’s trustees followed Dr. Hawkins’ advice. Thomas Arnold was appointed the headmaster. It is history since the appointment of Thomas Arnold as headmaster. Even today, the educated society in England is looking for a headmaster like Thomas Arnold. Thomas Arnold is none other than the father of the famous poet and critic Matthew Arnold. As headmaster, Thomas Arnold emphasised the ethics, reformist behaviour, and talent development of the students. The main thing that students have to learn in school is not knowledge but the means of knowledge. That is, it is important for students to understand the meaning of knowledge rather than knowledge. His educational methodology is still buzzing with his ideals in all the countries where the British colonised for the all-round development of the students and to create a healthy environment in the school.

Thomas Arnold did not allow education to merge with politics. He built an intellectual movement with his own talent. But how many of our headmasters have been able to create an intellectual environment in this changing social system? Everyone seems to be obsessed with the designation, but somewhere it has failed to maintain the dignity of the position. However, in our education system, the position of headmaster is the same as that of the manager of a company. He has been forced to focus more on the relevant aspect of the school than on the academic aspect. In our schools, the headmaster should do all the work of the midday meal, student uniforms, construction of school buildings and libraries, etc. From the morning onwards, they go out shopping, bidding, and spending time with cooks, contractors, masons, etc. Moreover, abiding by the instructions of the higher officer, the headmaster has to go to the office with the documents for various works. There are also frequent online meetings. Keeping himself busy with such works, where is the urge to work for intellectual excellence? Even if someone can do it, he has to be an exceptional genius.

I met several headmasters at the recently held leadership training camp for school heads. I tried to gauge their feelings. All expressed without hesitation that they were under a lot of pressure these days. The departmental authorities will message at ten o’clock on WhatsApp to submit the updated reports of the various works by twelve o’clock itself in hardcopy and softcopy. Most of our headmasters are not digitally literate. Many of the clerks also do not know the ABCD of the computer. The headmaster has to go out looking for a computer cafe. The school hours are about to end until the work is completed. In such a situation, where is the scope to focus on the educational or academic environment? Some schools, however, have computer teachers appointed as part-timers, but most schools don’t. Maybe that’s why our government schools are lagging behind in the competition in the academic field. Many also lamented that the government always wants all the schemes to be implemented before March 31. That’s a good thing. However, the money in the name of the scheme was released in January–February. Implementing all schemes within a couple of months is not like drinking water with rice. It is also during this time that the final exams are held. The school that has an examination centre has no headmaster’s pulse. Besides, most of our school management committees are politically motivated. If the headmaster is not their follower, then the committee, including the president, creates various types of hurdles in the implementation of the scheme. The signature of the chairman of the school management committee is mandatory in the bank form to withdraw money from the bank for various schemes that come to the school. We also came to know that many presidents have put the headmaster on the dock without cooperating in the implementation of the scheme.

On the other hand, many of our schools are run by in-charge headmasters. The in-charge again does not get the same salary as full-time headmasters. But they have to perform their duties the same as a regular headmaster without getting any financial benefit. Apart from this, the in-charge should also do regular classes. Because his post as a teacher is not considered vacant. The government has saved money by appointing in-charge headmasters. But at the same time, they have also violated human rights by depriving him or her of the facilities he or she deserves. Full-time headmasters are getting all the facilities for equal work, and the in-charge are deprived of that facility. Such discrimination and division may have a negative impact on the academic environment. Realising the seriousness of the matter and justifying it all, the government should take a positive step in the academic sector. 

Not all headmasters wash basil leaves either. There are also many headmasters who embezzled the money meant for the development of schools. A school can never achieve academic excellence in the hands of a headmaster who embezzles the money that is given for school development. Just as there are bad people in all societies, there can be bad people in the headmaster’s society as well. Good results cannot be expected from the headmaster running after the post. But there are also many headmasters in our country who take the above-mentioned constraints as a challenge and make the school a shining star in almost all fields. The credit of a successful headmaster is to carry on all the work smoothly with a very cool mind. The headmaster’s first task is that he has to think of the school as his home. He or she has to implement the school development plan within a stipulated time. For this, he will have to sit in on discussions with the school management committee, teaching and non-teaching staff, students, parents, and guardians, as well as various stakeholders. Everyone has to be a participant in a small task. If not anything else, they have to be able to inculcate the feeling that it is their school by planting a sapling on the school premises. It won’t happen if the headmaster remains a person. He has to turn himself into an institution. He has to keep himself free from all forms of politics. He has to take the school forward by bringing along all castes, religions, rich, poor, and specially abled people with an inclusive attitude. The different talents of the students have to be identified and taken up in various programmes for their development. If the headmaster keeps himself working, remains disciplined, and, above all, frees himself from corruption, then he can lead a stress-free life, and we too can discover Thomas Arnold of England amongst us. The discretion of one of the headmasters can bring about a paradigm shift in government schools.