Response to ‘Party-pooper principal’ article

This is the response to the ‘Party-pooper principal’ article published on August 30th, 2010 by the Malay Mail.

The Principal is said to have cancelled 15 performances during Teacher’s Day in May as she claims they are associated with ‘Black Metal’. However, the performances are supposed to show the students’ appreciation and love to their teachers and not entirely focused on the students’ entertainment. In fact, only 2 performances were cancelled and not 15 as published in the newspaper. A school is a place to inculcate moral values among the students, thus it is not wrong for the Principal to cancel performances that portray strong western influences.

Besides, the Principal is reported to have arrived 2 hours late for the school annual Sports Day causing 36 students to faint and 1 suffered convulsions. According to the Red Cresent Society members and Teacher Advisor who worked hard that day, only 9 students suffered minor headache due to heat and exhaustion. In fact there is a complete report of students’ names and medical condition kept by the Students’ Affairs Unit (Unit HEM) for further reference. The Principal arrived at the stadium at 8.35am and she witnessed the march past by the students at 9am, which was 20 minutes early than scheduled. However, prior to her arrival, there were a few track and field events (1500m, 800m & 100m) held by the school Sports Committee as scheduled in the sports brochure. These events were held early as they did not require the Principal’s presence. In fact, other events could be carried out under the supervision of the school Sports Committee without the Principal around.

To conclude, a school cannot function effectively without close cooperation between a Principal and her subordinates. Major events such as Teacher’s Day and annual Sports Day are organized by a certain committee who is responsible for all the success and flaw of the events. Therefore, the Principal must not be seen as the sole policy maker and be accused with wild allegations if there is dissatisfaction among the parents or the students.