RIGSS DAY 1: MAKING LEADERSHIP ROLE COHERENT TO ‘PURPOSE OF EDUCATION’

 

A reflection on in-person Talk Session by Mr. Arun Kapur, Director, Royal Academy, Thimphu.

“I have a number of priorities. Number one on my list is education. Education is empowering. It is a social equalizer and it facilitates self-discovery which leads to realizing one’s full potential. I believe in education.”- HM the King (04 Oct, 2014)

If a student jumps into the river, there are questions we must ask as teachers. At which point of time and place have this child been adequately educated. How could we have changed the circumstance by what we teach, how we care for and values we imbibe in the school? While there may be social and family issues the child was grappling with, confused and disillusioned, schools are the only penitentiary where wounds are healed! Are our education system and leadership resonate to the our basic needs. Mr. Arun Kapur suggested that our school must ‘provide an enabling environment for learning than to teach and school a child.’

On the first day of training programme, Mr. Arun Kapur, guides the 27 SLDP participants through a session on ‘The Purpose of Education.’ Mr. Arun Kapur is a legendary educationist from Vasant Valley, India, and also the Director of Royal Academy of Bhutan. He is the recipient of Druk Thuksey Award for his contributions to education in Bhutan. The ‘Pangbesa School’ as many educationist talk about is a school that drives on the policies of public school in an unconventional model of learning curated through ‘five five domains of development.’ This unconventional yet inspiring shift in education has been recognised as top 100 most inspiring global education innovations.

“The purpose of education is to educate, which means to draw, to bring out the talents and potentials of learners. It is to actualise the optimum potential, the knowledge and skills of a child.” Mr. Arun Kapur introduced. His Majesty the King’s vision is to create a ‘Just and Harmonious’ society, and our effort must be to ensure that our visions, aspiration and service aligns towards it. I began to feel guilty when Mr. Arun Kapur said ‘how we impact students by who we are, what we are and what we become. ’ In fact, every teacher impact every child more indelibly by who they are when they go to a classroom, than by what they teach from a text book.

One principal impact 20 teachers and each teacher impact 300 students, and these students impact their siblings and parents, and the community. As an example Mr. Arun Kapur said, 27 principals over 50,000 people from teachers, students, and those at their homes. “You cannot educate a child in isolation to their community.” He said. The vibration a principal exudes can impact a nation. We are accountable to teacher; teachers and a principal are accountable to what a child becomes. More than anyone in the machinery of education ministry, the most important celebrity who influences the morality, behaviour, virtues, perspective and attitude of a child is the principal. An education reform must begin not merely in policies but in the leadership of the educational institutions.

On the cusp of education reform drawn from Royal Kasho of His Majesty the King decreed during the 113^th National Day on 17^th December 2020, schools have become the focus of reflection, growth and transformation for the wellbeing of future Bhutan. The school leaders, therefore, are the climax from where change must begin. A culture and life of a school emanates the quality of its principal, and success of school is defined by success of its teachers and students. The answer to raising quality of future graduates lies heavily on the performance, personality and percipience of its primary leadership, the leaders in the schools and institutions. In the golden words of His Majesty the King, “It’s easy to begin any work and even easier if we want to achieve mediocrity. However, if we want to see steady progress and constant improvement, we have to be prepared to shoulder greater responsibility.”As educationists, there is no space for complacency, no space for mediocrity, no space for weakness. I always believe that, if educationists are not farsighted, learned and versatile, our children cannot be guided through to become GNH graduates.

How can we demand quality from learners when leaders have drought of learning and experience? The training provided by RIGSS for school leaders is a significant initiative to enhance leadership professionalism. A principal said that he was ‘overwhelmed and excited to be attending this training programmes at a premier leadership institute and have always dreamt to be part of RIGSS.’ He said, he was already sketching where his weaknesses are and what he can do differently at his school. Mr. Arun said, “When a teacher is called to principal’s office, he must have reason to celebrate and hope for a reward, or a commendation, not fear of reprisal and suspicion.” This may be a small matter, but as a school leader, every small things influence those who look at us as role models.

These training will definitely help redefine the purpose with which we serve. The purpose of education will be measured against the motivation with which each principal work. There is also possibilities for authoritarian principals, if any, who are confronting differences with teachers and with community; principal who are feared rather than loved, principals who are tired and disillusioned, to transform to becoming more purposeful, visionary and compassionate. I am sure the pinch of quilt I feel when I reflect how much more I can contribute towards the ‘purpose of education’ will drive my passion towards becoming better leader, a better human than ever before. The Sujata effect, how even Gautama Buddha learnt from a village girl Sujata to neither tighten nor loosen his practice, is something I must reconcile with to reconnect with my students. Yet there is still a question to ask, are we as school leader doing well and enough as an epitome of inspiration for the future leaders of Bhutan?