Showdown at Calabar
Stakeholders mount opposition to acting principal’s promotion
TROUBLE IS brewing at Calabar High in St Andrew, where at least two stakeholder groups are expressed strong opposition to any attempt by the institution’s board to confirm Acting Principal Sian Wilson in the position.
In a four-page letter addressed to board chairman Reverend Karl Henlin, the Calabar Parent-Teacher Association and the Calabar Old Boys’ Association (COBA) said they would not support Wilson’s promotion to the position.
The April 2 letter, a copy of which The Gleaner has seen, said the two associations are concerned with Wilson’s tenure.
The acting principal, who served as vice-principal for eight years before temporarily taking the reins following Albert Corcho’s departure last August, has been in the position for eight months.
According to the two support groups, to date, there has been no announced response from the Ministry of Education regarding the appointment of the selection proffered by the board for principal.
“Both the Calabar Old Boys’ Association and the parent-teacher association (PTA) have repeatedly communicated that they are unwilling to work with the current acting principal in the capacity of principal,” the letter said.
AUTOMATIC APPOINTMENT
The two groups said they recognise that without an explicit appointment to the post of principal, there are circumstances that could amount to the automatic appointment of Wilson to the post, creating a legitimate claim to the post and plunging the board into litigation to vacate the said post.
The Schedule A of the Education Regulations 1980 outlines that a first appointment as principal must be on a provisional basis unless otherwise recommended by the Teachers’ Service Commission and approved by the minister.
Further, it said that the duration of the provisional appointment must not normally exceed three school terms.
It also said the commission must determine, in consultation with the board and subject to confirmation by the minister, whether the provisional appointment will be made permanent or be extended for a further period.
However, the regulations said the total period of an appointment on a provisional basis must not exceed two years.
The old boys’ association and the PTA noted that the third academic term began on April 9 and should the board not move with alacrity to resolve the appointment of a principal and the end of the term arrives, then the successful institution of disciplinary action would be required to vacate the post for a newly recruited principal.
“COBA and the PTA again voice our disapproval of the current acting principal undertaking the role of principal. It is unreasonable for the present set of boys to wait for the effluxion of time of two years for the current acting appointment to come to a natural end,” the letter said.
“We implore the board to act now and mitigate the need for litigation to give our school the high-quality leadership it so critically needs,” it added.
NOTHING TO OPPOSE
The Gleaner contacted Henlin, who indicated that a final decision had not been made.
“There has been no appointment, so there is nothing to oppose,” the board chairman said on Monday.
However, a Gleaner source has asserted that Wilson has been recommended for the job.
Referencing the Orlando Patterson-led Jamaica Education Transformation Commission report, the source said Calabar had been specially singled out as one of the traditional high schools whose academic performance had declined.
The source said an analysis of the school’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results between 2017 and 2023 confirmed the commission’s analysis.
“It’s a negative trajectory,” the source said.
Further, a reported analysis of
the class averages from grades seven through to 11 also revealed a negative trajectory, with the highest average coming from first-formers at 60.5 per cent. The fifth-formers landed at the bottom of the table, averaging 47 per cent.
“That was their end-of-term exam averages. So, we didn’t expect very good CSEC [passes[ for July 2023,” the source said.
“Calabar gets good raw material, yet after five years, we’re getting this abysmal performance,” the source added.
The source said Wilson served as the vice-principal for Calabar’s lower school for eight years, but has not shown any improvement in the management or academic life of the school that she has contributed to.
“Our contention is that we are seeking to promote people who have no experience in excellence,” the source said.
Wilson was not prepared to comment when contacted by The Gleaner on Tuesday.