Newsletter No. 463

4 463 • 19.9.2015 誰願掌舵？— 校長的升任與勝任 Who Will Take Charge? School Principals ' Promotability and Eligibility 洞明集 In Plain View 校 長荒是大趨勢，美國、澳洲、新西蘭、英國、香港均 然。香港中學校長人選多來自副校長，而中大教育行 政與政策學系副主任 關譽綱 教授2009年以全港803位中學 副校長為對象的問卷調查顯示，331位回應者當中，對升任 校長不感興趣的竟佔 71%。一項對小學副校長的類似調查 也得出72%之數。 關譽綱教授兼具工商管理與教育的訓練，曾任職商界。 2000 年前後，本港教育改革浪潮既急且激，教育統籌委員 會1997 年發表的《七號報告書》，帶出質素指標、過程指 標、產出指標等商業概念，激發她探索商業理論如何放諸教 育，校長的招聘和繼任是研究重點之一。 行政管理先於教學？ 關教授追本溯源，探討僱主對校長人選的要求。2012年，她 向全港資助及直資中學發出問卷，獲得四成即 200 間學校 的 93 位校監回應。結果顯示遴選校長準則主要有四，依次 為：「管理通用技能」、「溝通和表達能力」、「知識與經驗」， 以及「宗教價值取向」。當中唯一直接跟教與學有關、且能用 客觀機制評審的，是「知識與經驗」。關教授說：「這意味辦 學團體視校長的角色為行政多於教育。改革頻繁，學校外需 定期接受評估，內需說服同僚支持新政，對領導層的溝通和 表達能力自然要求更高。」 由2004年起，新任校長必須「持證上崗」。修讀75小時的擬 任校長課程是獲得資格認證的一大條件。管理學上，自審能 否符合聘用條件是求職的決定因素。關教授遂向在2012年 之前四年在中大完成此課程的全體學員發出問卷。這批中學 副校長公務繁重，仍願意費時勞心進修，理應對升任校長有 所期望。他們是如何自評對此職的勝任能力呢？ 你的期望 我的掂量 受訪者利用六度量表，評價他們認為前述四項遴選要求在 僱用團體心目中的重要性。該152位直資和資助中學的教師 所列的輕重次序，與校監所列的完全吻合，足見這些準申請 人能準確了解學校要求。 關教授繼而發現受訪者對四項遴選要求中的三項，都有信心 能符合且超越僱用機構的期望，唯一沒有信心的是「宗教價 值取向」。 關教授有此分析：「遴選小組可能選擇對辦學團體較熟悉或 有相關經驗的求職者。背景近似，有利傳承，聘用認識的、有 口碑的人選，可降低風險。」這可能是導致校長職位申請人 短缺的原因；考慮到本身的宗教背景或不利申請，求職意欲 便減退。 和諧傳承牢不可破？ 「保守的聘用準則有助安穩與傳承，卻無法帶來新視野和氣 象。香港學校生態日趨複雜多元，要求的是迅速應變，而不 單是維持現象。學校不應再局限在熟悉的範疇中物色人選， 而應多着眼於才幹。」受訪校監之中只有31.7%的職業與教 育相關，關教授建議當局加深他們對學校面臨的挑戰的了 解，從而更有效地履行遴選的職責。 關教授另一項研究發現，儘管副校長多需負責人事管理，但 原來他們並不看重「員工管理及資源管理」，甚至厭惡。她 分析：「副校長上要對校長負責，下要推動老師實施改革，成 了夾心人，卻無多大實權，而且容易被視作要求教師順服，破 壞職場和諧的人士。如欲成功推行改革，必須犧牲和同僚的 工作關係。這會令人對升任校長卻步。」 A shortage of candidates for school principal positions is a universal headache for school management bodies. In Hong Kong, principals are drawn from a pool of applicants predominately comprising incumbent vice-principals. According to a questionnaire survey conducted in 2009 by Prof. Paula Kwan , vice-chairperson of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, of the 331 respondents from 803 local secondary vice-principals, 71% were not interested in becoming a school principal. A similar survey on primary school vice- principals recorded a 72% ‘no interest’ rate. Professor Kwan was trained in the fields of business management and education, and worked in the commercial sector. She became curious about how business theories could be applied to education reading the Education Commission Report No.7 published in 1997, which introduced business concepts like ‘quality indicators’, ‘process indicator’s and ‘output indicators’. Education reforms were frequent and fierce in Hong Kong in the years around 2000. Professor Kwan’s research interests include school principal recruitment and succession. Administrator vs Educator In 2012, Professor Kwan sent questionnaires to all aided and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondary schools in Hong Kong. Responses were collected from 93 supervisors from 200 schools, which made up 40% of the school total. The survey results showed that the four major selection criteria, in order of priority, are: ‘generic managerial skills’, ‘communication and presentation skills’, ‘knowledge and experience’, and ‘religious value orientation’. It is worth noting that only ‘knowledge and experience’ bears direct relevance to teaching and learning, and can be assessed using an objective mechanism. Professor Kwan explained, ‘It suggests that school sponsoring bodies expect the school principal to take on an administrative role more than an educational one. Frequent reforms pose challenges to schools both externally and internally. Ongoing school reviews means an urgent need to solicit staff support for new policies. All these add up to an increasing emphasis on the communication and presentation skills of school leaders.’ Effective from 2004, aspiring principals have to attain the Certificate for Principalship (CfP) before they can be considered for appointment. One of the CfP requirements is the satisfactory completion of a 75-hour academic course. In the field of business management, the concept of anticipated fit is a significant factor in job application. How do aspiring principals perceive their ability to match the selection criteria? Professor Kwan conducted another survey by sending questionnaires to all secondary school participants who, over the four years before 2012, had completed the CfP programmed organized by CUHK. This target population is considered to earnestly aspire to principalship as they are willing to devote time to the demanding programme despite heavy school schedules. Expectations vs Considerations The respondents were required to rate their perceived importance to the school hiring bodies of the attributes adopted in selecting principals. The order of importance set by the 152 teachers from aided and DSS secondary schools were found to tally with the expectations of the hiring boards, suggesting that these potential candidates have a strong grasp of the schools’ requirements. Professor Kwan went on to discover that the respondents are generally confident of meeting and exceeding the school supervisors’ expectations, except ‘religious value orientation’. ‘The selection panel may tend to select applicants who are familiar with or experienced in working with the school sponsoring bodies. When talking about continuity in school ethos and values, they believe that a known candidate with a similar background to theirs is more reliable,’ analysed Professor Kwan. From the applicants’ perspective, the realization that their religious background may lower the chance of success may deter them from applying. This may account for the shortage of principalship applicants. Harmony vs Changes ‘The adoption of a set of conservative selection criteria contributes to stability and the preservation of tradition, but not for introducing new vision and a fresh culture. Beyond maintaining the status quo, schools must act promptly and responsively to changes brought about by diversity in education. They should hire the right person for the job, instead of restricting their choices to candidates in the known network.’ Finding that only 31.7% of the surveyed supervisors came from education-related fields, Professor Kwan suggested enhancing their understanding of educational issues so that they could discharge their selection duties more effectively. Professor Kwan’s other research project reveals that vice- principals, though most are responsible for personnel matter, do not regard ‘staff and resources management’ highly or even abhor these duties. She explained, ‘The vice-principal is sandwiched between the principal and the teachers. Despite having limited authority, he/she is supposed to help mobilize colleagues, sometimes demanding compliance, during the implementation of reforms. In the eyes of their peers, vice-principals are the ones disturbing workplace harmony. To be a successful implementer, one has to sacrifice good work relationships. This serves as another deterrent to the desire for promotion to school principalship.’ 學校管理委員會 School Management Committee 副校長 Vice-principal （ Teaching & Learning ） 副校長 Vice-principal （Administration） 副校長 Vice-principal （Student Development） 校長 Principal