Programme Description
The Effective Principals’ Training Programme (EPTP) is a professional development programme designed to keep in-service principals abreast of the latest developments in school leadership. The modules are designed to sensitise and prepare participants for the dynamic role of school leadership in a transformed ministry. The programme utilises hands-on application, while keeping an eye on the Education Act and Regulations. The EPTP empowers principals to take on the challenges and opportunities that they will face in the effective management of a school.
Programme Delivery
The programme is delivered via a blended approach (synchronous and asynchronous sessions) and consists of case studies, local and global videos, presentations, interactive activities, role plays, reflections and readings.
The EPTP, delivered at the postgraduate level, exposes participants to the following modules in two rounds:
Round 1
- Quality Educational Leadership
- Roles and Responsibilities of the Principal
- Preparation for the New School Year
- School Planning and Data Management
- Financial Management in Schools
- Improving Education for Boys
- Towards a Service-oriented School
- Human Resources Management: Performance Management
- Field Experience
Round 2 - Creating an Accountable Culture
- Effective Classroom Observations
- Emotional Intelligence
- School Governance
- Managing Media Relations
- Conflict and Behaviour Management
- Records Management
- Security and Safety in Schools
- Procurement Procedures and Practices
- Field Experience
Admission Requirements
Principals are admitted to the programme based on any or a combination of the following:
- Appointment listing from the Teachers Services Commission (TSC);
- Recommendation from the Department of School Services (DSS) or the Director, Regional Services; and/or
- Inspection reports from the National Education Inspectorate (NEI).
Programme Structure
The programme is delivered at the post graduate level and provides exposure to eight modules in Round One and nine modules in Round Two.
| Round One | Overview |
| Quality Educational Leadership | This module provides knowledge of the competencies, characteristics and attitudes needed to assist principals and school leaders to improve their effectiveness. |
| Roles and Responsibilities of the Principal | This module introduces principals to the competencies they should possess in order to lead high performing schools and raise student outcomes. |
| Preparation for the New School Year | The focus of this module is to provide school leaders with insights on how to effectively prepare for the new school year and how to mobilise resources in a quest to ensure an efficient start of the new school. |
| School Planning and Data Management | The focus of this module is to assist school leaders in describing some types of school data and the format in which they are to be presented. |
| Financial Management in Schools | The module provides instructional leaders with insights on how to effectively manage the school’s funds, to ensure that all funds received are recorded, accounted for and spent in a transparent manner. |
| Improving Education for Boys | This module explores strategies to ensure more meaningful engagement of boys across grade levels |
| Towards a Service-Oriented School | The focus of this module is to provide school leaders with the working knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to embrace, design and implement a service based and customer focused philosophy/orientation in the schools in their care. |
| Human Resources Management: Performance Management | The module provides Principals with the knowledge that they require to effectively lead performance management of their staff. |
| Round Two | Overview |
| Creating an Accountable Culture | This module provides school leaders with tools that will help them to shape a culture of accountability in their schools, and thus transform, underperforming and mediocre schools into high performing ones. |
| Effective Classroom Observation | This module provides a framework for principals who desire to implement and develop competencies in classroom observations. |
| Emotional Intelligence and Human Resource Management | This module introduces the concepts of emotions and moods while emphasizing the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. |
| School Governance | This module provides basic information to support principals in their role as members of the School Board while promoting standards for effective school governance. |
| Managing Media Relations | This module is designed to prepare principals to manage the communication process in their schools and to communicate effectively with the wider public. |
| Conflict and Behaviour Management | This module is designed to provide school leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to effectively manage conflicts and students’ behavioural issues within the school environment. |
| Records Management | This module will provide meaningful strategies on how to ensure that vital records and documents are kept safe and how to systematically remove those records from prime office space to eliminate clutter for the effective utilisation of the office space. |
| Safety and Security in Schools | This module will expose participants to the legal framework governing schools’ security and safety; the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s policies, procedures and practices for critical incidents planning, the disposal of waste, sports and safety, the universal precautions in the management of HIV/AIDS in school and reporting format. |
| Procurement | This module introduces procurement through a thorough examination of the Government of Jamaica’s (GoJ’s) Procurement Policies and Procedures. |