Singapore School Principals

The following sections are included:

• About the Author
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication
• Preface
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Foreword I
• Foreword II

This book aims to seek answers to the following questions in the context of school leaders (principals) in the Singapore education system:

• Who is the school principal as an individual “self”?
• Who is the school principal as a leader?
• How does one become a school principal?
• What is it like to be a school principal?
• What is retirement from school principalship like?

The Singapore education system is under the purview of the Ministry of Education (MOE) that oversees the formulation and implementation of education policies. Broadly, the MOE oversees the entire spectrum of educational institutions beginning with the pre-schools to the primary, secondary schools, pre-university and post-secondary colleges, the private education and the special education sectors, as well as the polytechnics and universities. Barring some changes due to school mergers or setting up of new schools (Davie, 2017), the Singapore education system currently comprises a total of 365 schools — 185 primary schools, 150 secondary schools, 16 mixed level schools, and 14 junior colleges/Centralised Institute (MOE, 2017). Majority of the schools are fully government-funded, while about 22.5% and 28% of the primary and secondary schools respectively are government-aided schools, that is, these schools that are substantially government-funded but are also required to raise additional funds for school facilities and buildings. For the specific purpose of this book, the focus is on school leadership in the mainstream primary schools, secondary schools, and junior colleges.

This chapter provides an overview of some literature on two key areas. The first segment focuses on leadership formation with specific reference to Gronn’s career model of leadership that is adapted as a conceptual framework for this book. The second segment examines literature on the nature of the principal’s work, challenges faced by principals, management and leadership issues arising from working with staff, and collaborating with stakeholders.

This chapter introduces the research methodology and design underlying the two phases of research projects. For focus and clarity, it will be useful to express again the objectives of this study. In the case of Study I, the purpose is two-fold: first, to examine the nature of the relationship between the formative years of beginning principals and their early work experiences in the leadership role, and second, to describe the influence of early life experiences and the workplace in shaping the basic values and beliefs of these principals. In doing so, the study sheds light on their aspirations to become leaders, and how the influences they have had, when combined with the historical, economic, and cultural context in Singapore, have affected the thoughts, attitudes, and actions of these novice principals. In Study II which is an extension of Study I, the aim is to broaden the understanding and application of Gronn’s leadership career model that covers the four-phase framework of formation–accession–incumbency–divestiture. It is in Study II that a deeper understanding of the incumbency–divestiture phases is sought after. Hence, Study I and Study II aim to provide a better grasp of the nature of school leadership seen from the perspective of the principal as an individual.

As an overview, the following segments begin with the underpinning philosophical position taken for the choice of methodological approach, design and conduct of the research. It will be shown how such methodological choices are derived from assumptions made about the phenomenon under study. This is followed by an overview of the methodological construct of leadership, based substantially on the works of Gronn & Ribbins (1996). Next, the question of the design of the research will be addressed in greater detail for each stage of the procedure. Anchoring upon the key objectives of this research, a description of how the interview schedules were formulated and developed will be presented. Questions pertaining to purposive sampling, validity, reliability, and confidentiality are also addressed as part of the description of the research design. This chapter concludes with an outline of the method of data analysis and a brief summary.

Narratives on the work experiences of Singapore school principals are organised around three major career phases, namely, the formation, accession, and incumbency. In the first phase, the formative years of school principals form the bedrock upon which they are socialised into institutional norms and values by the significant agencies of family, school, and reference groups. These key agencies impact and influence their conception of “self,” outlook, style and hence “leadership character” (see Figure 3.1). It is the intention of this chapter to describe the recollections of the principals through the agencies of the family, school, friends, and religious convictions. The accession phase, which will be elaborated in Chapter 6, shall examine the nature of preparation and strategic positioning of aspiring principals in advancing their career from the initial position of being classroom teachers. It will also examine the reasons, and sometimes reservations, for taking up the principalship post. The incumbency phase that involves induction into the new leadership role and the organisational imperatives shall be described in Chapter 7…

Answers to the questions raised above can be drawn substantially from interviews with beginning principals in Study I, and to a lesser extent from respondents in Study II. The first part of this chapter presents narratives of beginning principals on the impact of significant agencies such as their fellow peers, colleagues, and those that they report up to in the course of their teaching career. This is followed by their recollections on what led them to decide to be principals and how they prepared themselves for the principalship role. It is noteworthy that although not all classroom teachers aspire to advance in their teaching career to become school principals, there will always be the few who are either identified by their supervisors or aspire on their own free will to take on the challenge of school leadership. In the accession phase, the nature of preparation and strategic positioning of aspiring principals in advancing their career from the initial position of being classroom teachers shall be discussed through the narratives of the beginning and retired principals. Hence, responses from some of the retired principals on the nature of their accession (Study II) are also included in the later segment of this chapter.

The preceding two chapters describe the formative years of the principals (Chapter 5) and the career trajectories of each principal to achieve school headship (Chapter 6). The grounds-up practical experiences of classroom teaching, department management, and leadership as vice-principals are necessary prerequisites in the accession phase. Such a process of professional and organisational socialisation is instrumental for aspiring principals as part of their strategy to move up to their new school leadership positions

In this chapter, useful insights can be gleaned from the narratives of the first-time and veteran principals in response to the following key questions:

• What is school leadership like as a first-time principal?
• What values, beliefs, and philosophy guide you in your principalship?
• What brings you joy as a principal?
• What are some of your “pains” as a principal?…

As explained in Chapter 3, divestiture (in the context of career phases) is broadly defined in two aspects. One is with reference to the final phase of a leader’s career whereby the leader gradually lets go and relinquishes his or her formal and informal positions of influence (Gronn, 1999, p. 4). It is a necessary rite of passage in life for those in employment or are economically active and this phase involves a change of status and identity. The second definition extends divestiture to refer to the phase of postretirement from the primary source of employment. It involves “a phase of reinvention or rebirth, in which the incumbent moves on towards a newly created professional life, within a significantly different context and with newly created peers.” (Pascal & Ribbins, 1998, p. 12). Divestiture of leadership, planned or unplanned, voluntary or involuntary, may be either smooth or traumatic (Aubrey, 2010). The attitude of a leader approaching the divestiture phase determines his outlook to retirement years down the road and can affect his psychological and physiological state. On a positive note, a person can feel empowered and reinvigorated upon approaching the final phase of his career. He remains positive, excited about a whole new adventure ahead of his retirement days. To cite an example, a retired school leader in the Singapore education system was featured in the media as a role model of one who leads an active life after retirement. At 75, she continues to contribute towards the development of the pre-school sector. She completed a Master’s degree in early childhood development after retirement and is a mentor principal at a mind development institute that trains students to learn and adults to run pre-schools. She is also an advocate of creative education, with a focus on music and movement as a strategy to exercise the brain and develop memory (Davie, 2015b)…

This chapter is devoted to discussions on the salient issues pertaining to the making of Singapore school leaders in the larger contexts of the global and national imperatives as well as the localised perspective of the school as a sub-system of the Singapore education system. Table 9.1 provides an overview of the key features at play in the making of school leaders in the Singapore context. These key components are conceptualised within a framework that considers the macro-global national economic, societal, and cultural contexts, the meso-organisational context of the Singapore education system under the purview of the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the micro-individual social context of self, family, society, and the workplace. While the external global and national environments are instrumental in setting the broad direction in steering educational imperatives ahead, the specific elements at the organisational and individual levels are considered within the context of each of the four phases of leadership career as proposed by Gronn (1999)…

The previous chapters of this book describe how school leaders (principals) in the Singapore education system are developed using Gronn’s career leadership cycle as the conceptual model. The personal and professional narratives of the 21 school leaders offer powerful lessons that help illuminate the nature of their career trajectories. Their career experiences have traversed from the initial years as beginning teachers followed by their gradual progression up the career ladder to become school leaders. Beyond that, conversations with nine school leaders who have retired from the education service after decades of dedicated contributions provide invaluable insights into the nature of divestiture as experienced by them in the final phase of their leadership career cycle…

The following section is included:

• Bibliography