Eyes all over the school

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday August 3, 2026 06:00

The whole ecosystem of the school is on his or her radar.

Effective principals leave lasting legacies. Their spirit lingers on long after their departure from the scene. They are present when physically absent. The principal does not necessarily govern from the office. If there is an area where school principals can win or lose the battle it is the school general morning assembly. Therefore, the management of a school general assembly can make or break a school. The assembly is not just a meeting where students and teachers meet as a collective to seek divine intervention and receive announcements. It is more than that. It is a building block deliberately calculated to set the tone for the day or week, close identified or potential loopholes, promote big picture thinking as well as unity of mind and purpose. If not meticulously managed to accommodate the big picture, a school assembly can confine itself to singing, dancing coupled with dispensing of announcements. Assemblies must be inspiring and educational enough to attract crowds of students not out of a sense of duty but out of love and a deep sense of appreciation of the value they add to the whole school community.

As a matter of necessity an assembly should be warm, inspiring while restoring hope when signs of despair are developing. Assemblies are special because they create a rare opportunity for students to meet especially their school principal and teachers who are not their subject teachers. In particular, the general assembly offers students a moment to have a short, direct and impactful encounter with their principal.

This is not to advocate a situation in which a school assembly would become a monopoly of a school principal but a general assembly is essentially the Principal’s time. Democracy permits the sharing of the platform to promote collectivism. While this is good for leadership training and development, school principals should never shirk their responsibility of showing up and providing leadership.

Principals should attach a high premium on school assemblies as much as a president would treat a state of the nation address. An assembly is a state of the school address. It gauges the pulse of a school to improve its overall health. A principal should rarely miss a school assembly. If absent, it should for a very good reason. A principal should never miss in action. I have personally encountered a scenario in which the morale of both students and teachers was at its lowest ebb on account of the fact that the principal hardly addressed the assembly.

This was a worst case scenario in which the leader was absent when around, failing to come to the party even when certain matters demanded his attention. To be fair to him he was naturally a quiet man but a nonchalant posture did not serve his school very well. A general assembly has to give inspiration.

When accustomed to the warmth and inspiring leadership of the principal students would always look forward, with great anticipation, to the address by the school principal. As a student I had learnt to look forward to my principal’s insightful presentations and interventions.

Mine was a no nonsense principal but students enjoyed the manner in which he chastised them to bring back some semblance of order. He effectively used the school assembly to set clear expectations and lampoon any signs of departure from the expected norm.

Assemblies without him were not complete. Therefore a principal who shows up with love, warmth and consistency becomes the hub of a school. Such principals even when they adopt a tough stance they are universally received by the school community. This is because they are seen as an integral part of the big picture and not just enforcers of rules. The assembly presents a golden opportunity for a school principal to prove his or her leadership mettle and provide the necessary interventions to break unproductive patterns of life. Effective principalship understands the value of fully exploiting the school general assembly opportunity to create an enduring and sustainable culture of good teaching and learning. In the past general assemblies, for a good cause, were daily occurrences which gave school principals the opportunity to set the tone for the day and the rest of the week. In an environment in which a school principal is the heart beat of school, a week gone by without a word or two from the person at the helm of a school sounded like silence in the room.

Effective Principals who make assemblies lively and entertaining should be conscious of the fact that they are sorely missed when not in action, so they should avoid room for complacency. This calls on principals to give assemblies the serious attention and respect they deserve.

Nowadays, due to the varied and rich curriculum, compounded by competing priorities, school assemblies are sporadic in nature. They come on a certain day or two in a week. Nonetheless, the object of the assembly remains unchanged. Effective principals use the general assembly to show their sense of fairness,transparency and justice when handling disciplinary cases. Disciplinary cases can be divisive especially when signs of favouritism are evident or suspected.

Leaders who are effective seize the assembly opportunity to list common student transgressions. Often a principal would announce how specific cases of discipline have been handled, investigated and concluded. Dispensing justice openly and consistently yields a spirit of trust and harmony within schools. Sometimes seeds of suspicion and antagonism are sown when there is inconsistency and lack of transparency.

When taken on board about issues troubling the school, students can act as custodians of the law. Self regulation and policing lead to improved learning outcomes. Students develop confidence in their leaders when they are able to see and know that there are no sacred cows and favours. Transparency on punishment meted out to students acts as a deterrent to potential law breakers.

The voice of the school principal should be heard and felt. The assembly is the right platform. Leadership is about visibility. A school principal should not sit like an ivory tower in the office. The school needs leadership every step of the way. Leadership is also about impact. Walking about to learn the names of students and names of teachers on the frontline demonstrates care and love.

Kind and compassionate principals show up at different classroom theatres, sport fields and funerals amongst others. They ask questions, field questions from students , tell captivating stories and take responsibility where there was an error of judgement on their part. Accepting responsibility is a likeable leadership trait which earns leaders respect and admiration.