Leadership deficiency needs to be addressed - Morgan MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT and chairman of the Jamaican Institute of Management, Dr. Henley Morgan, has pointed to a deficiency in leadership within institutions and organisations in Jamaica. He suggests that this should be addressed through training, mentoring and other types of exposure. Dr. Morgan said a strong and successful leadership was the most critical ingredient for a successful organisation. He said that while a manager "plans, organises and controls", a successful leader "sets directions, aligns constituencies, and motivates and inspires people to achieve visions." He stressed that a principal or instructional leader, was expected to create the "excellent learning environment", not only by carrying out the technical management functions but also by creating a vision of an efficient and good institution. Dr. Morgan was the guest speaker at the opening of a three-day workshop on August 23 on school development planning for principals, organised by the New Horizons for Primary School Project in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture at the Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios, St. Ann. More than 70 primary schools from across the island are participating in the project. Dr. Morgan noted that proper leadership, strategic planning, human resource management, management of resources, business process management, customer satisfaction results, employee satisfaction results and business results were important elements for any institution striving for excellence. Dr. Ernest O'Neil, NHP project director, in his remarks, said the aim of the workshop was to consolidate the experiences participants had with regard to school development planning. He said the workshop was also designed to ensure that participants developed a clear understanding of the process and enable them to write their own SDP. Principal of the Lower Buxton Primary, Fergus Mitchell said that the NHP "programme has been very good because it has provided training for principals, classroom teachers and parents." He said that parents had become more active in school development, noting that with this intervention the schools would achieve better results. NHP is a seven-year, joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Jamaica. The project is assisting the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture in increasing levels of literacy and numeracy of 72 selected primary schools across the island. The goal of the programme which started in 1998, is to strengthen the ability of schools and parents to improve student performance in reading and mathematics.
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