Responsibilities of Headmaster/Headmistress in Schools

Responsibilities of Headmaster/Headmistress, HM has two major responsibilities-administration of the school and personnel supervision of the Teaching-Learning process.

  • Powers, Duties and Responsibilities of Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster in Government Sponsored/Aided Schools in West Bengal
  • Power of Headmaster or Assistant Headmaster, Gazette Notification No.WB(Part-I)/2018/SAR-121 dated 08.03.2018
Responsibilities of Headmaster/Headmistress
            
A Headmaster/Headmistress, as the educational supreme authority holds the key position in a school. To become an important person of the school, he has two major responsibilities -
                                     A. Administration of the school and
                                     B. Personnel supervision of the Teaching-Learning process.

Everything of the school, the staff, the curriculum, methods and techniques of teaching, Co-curricular Activities etc. is organized by him.

The efficiency of the school depends on the ability, skill personality, professional experience of a Headmaster/Headmistress. He/ She is the Sun around which the educational planets are being spinning. According to P.C, Wren, "What the main spring is to the watch, the flywheel to the machine or the engine to the steamship, the Headmaster/Headmistress is to the school.

The school character reflects and proclaims the professional skill of a Headmaster/Headmistress. He/ She is the seal and the school is the wax. He/ She is an organizer, leader, governor, business director, coordinator, superintendent, ideal teacher, guide, philosopher and friend to all the students, guardians teaching and non-teaching staff. Above all, he is an artist.

Power of Leadership

To become a leader of the school, the Headmaster/Headmistress should understand the place of the school in the social order and the duty it should perform. He/ She should recognize that there are other institutions and agencies in the community which are engaged in the education of the students and to understand their relation to the school. He/ She must be in a position to understand the socio-economic and political environment changes in our society and to explain their meaning for the school, the students and the teachers aware of these changes.

To achieve these ends he must have knowledge in educational Sociology, Philosophy of education, organization, supervision and administration of education, comparative education, educational psychology, and secondary school Curriculum. It will help him in his professional preparation.

For the technical preparation of educational leadership, he/she must have knowledge and skill which will enable him to administer the high school. He/ She should develop his knowledge about how to develop the institution and administration of the institution , including students activities and different kinds of programmes. To acquire knowledge of the methods and proce­dures through which he will be of assistance to the teachers. The Headmaster/Headmistress should have to supervise the methods in teaching and the courses and curriculum . He should also have a power of measurement and evaluation.

As a result of this, he will be in a position to assist his teachers in measuring the outcome of their own instruction and the educational programme. The teachers can determine the area in which improvement is needed and may also evaluate the results as their effort to improve.

The Qualities and Personality of the Headmaster

One of the important parts in educational leadership is the personality of the supervisor, for the personality trails influence the per­sonality of the teachers. Personality here may be thought of as a composite of all menial, emotional and physical characteristics which an individual may possess. Through their overt manifestations he impresses others. The mental and emotional traits are of more significance in their influence upon other’s reactions. The Headmaster/Headmistress should develop these facts of his personally so that he shall possess a pleasing personally lo influence others.

Desirable personal qualities of the Headmaster

The Headmaster/Headmistress, as the leader must have the ability to organize and assist the faculty in formulating a programme, for the improvement of instruction in the school. He/ She must inspire the teachers, secure their cooperation in developing the supervisory programme and stimulate them for their active participation.

The Headmaster/Headmistress should be enthusiastic and should work with his staff for the development of the school. He /She should have vision, initiative, originality, self-reliance and confidence. He should have qualities like sincerity, frankness, imagination, talents and genuineness. Al last he will be an honest person.

To solve the problems of differences of opinion concerning methods, procedures or other aspects of the programme, he should possess such qualities as self-control, fair-mindedness, fact, adaptability, sound judgment, open-mindedness and resourcefulness. He /She  should respect the opinions of others.

Qualities like a sense of humor, sense of vocation, integrity, scientific attitude, and friendliness are also lo be developed in the Headmaster/Headmistress. He/ She should avoid peculiar mannerisms. He /She should allow freedom lo the leaders, treat them sympathetically and respect their personality.

He/ She must have superior mental abilities, intelligence, deep intuition and logical reasoning. All teachers should be loyal to him and must look lo him for guidance, counsel and inspiration. He should be a man of high moral character.

He/ She should have faith in humanism. He/ She should try to humanize the de-humanized individuals working in the system. The school organization should be such, as will fulfill its proper function i.e., "Education of the whole man" through its programmes.

Qualities of a headmaster in the words of Rybtim, "It is essential, therefore, that he be not only a man of high character, but also that he be a man of faith, in his vocation, faith in his pupils, faith in human nature and faith in his staff."

He/ She should abide by the manual ( Headmaster/Headmistress manual like the constitution of an institution). He/ She should updated himself.

A man, who is not definitely superior in all these respects should forego his supervisory responsibility as he happens to be the keystone of the educational arch. If he does not possess these qualities, the structure of education will fail down like a house of cards.

Now a days the duties and responsibilities and work loads of a Headmaster/Headmistress is increasing to the sky. Due to Samagra Siksha Abhijan and RTE-2009, the work loads of a Headmaster/Headmistress is too tough to maintain every thing. After all he is also a human being, he has also a family with kids. You will find the management rules by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the duties and responsibilities of teachers.
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Role, Planning, day to day Functions of Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster

(by Partha Karmakar on 8th July, 2022)
  • Powers, Duties and Responsibilities of Headmaster, Memo No.215-SE/S/1M-01/18 Dated 08.03.2018, 216-SE/S/10M-01/18 Dated 08.03.2018
  • Duties and Responsibilities of Assistant Headmaster in Government Sponsored/Aided Schools in West Bengal, Memo No. 215-SE/S/1M-01/18 Dated 08.03.2018, 216-SE/S/10M-01/18 Dated 08.03.2018
  • Assistant Headmaster with the approval of Headmaster shall perform the following function and discharge the following duties
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Power of Headmaster or Assistant Headmaster
Gazette Notification No. WB(Part-I)/2018/SAR-121 dated 08.03.2018