By Prof Jones Mathew.

Education should be transformative. It is about the journey from ignorance to enlightenment, from rigid beliefs to an eclectic worldview. True intelligence is, as the great modern philosopher Bertrand Russel stated, the ability to hold two opposing views simultaneously. This ability comes from knowing a subject and knowing that other interpretations may be equally valid. Education is to become more knowledgeable as well as more respectful. The Principal is the navigator of the team of faculty and students to help them all move along in the direction of mental emancipation. The compass s/he holds is the compass of empathy, empowerment, energy, and eclecticism. Leadership in education is best demonstrated by the achievement of balance. At the core of this balance stands the principal. “Chief Learning Officer” would be an apt title for such a leader. Today, the role of a principal extends far beyond keeping schedules, supervising faculty, and engineering academic discipline. Principals stand at the cusp of tradition and transformation, with the job of respecting the timeless values of education while leading their institutions into a future shaped by technology, globalization, and shifting societal expectations. This intricate art of navigation—between continuity and change—is the essence of what I would call the Principal’s Compass.The title “Navigating between tradition and transformation” seems to indicate they are mutually exclusive. They are not. It also conjures up images of a sea passage confounded by visible and invisible rocks that could wreck the ship of education. Again, it is not. The two form a continuum. There should ideally be no clash between tradition and transformation. Tradition builds continuity. It also gives a framework against which transformative deviations can be measured and mapped. For example, regular theory classes, which formed the traditional framework for imparting education, are now being used to calibrate the distance between what industry requires and what is being taught. As a result of the gap between “as is” and “should be”, practical job skills began being imparted in classes and courses. Tradition is valuable from the perspective of knowing where we are coming from, the historical background, the journey covered, and the milestones achieved. While remaining constant, tradition is an anchor. Till date, the best faculty is one who follows structure, clear learning goals which are communicated to stakeholders, passionate and inspiring through personal knowledge and expertise. This was the traditional way of delivering education. Today, the shift has happened toward creating education as an experience. Experiential education is aimed at immersing the student or scholar in the pursuit of knowledge. This is not being done solely based on chalk and talk or lectures, but with the help of smart classrooms, simulation pedagogy, spatial reality technologies, and remote learning. These are the transformation tools at hand now. However, as we all know, tools alone do not create transformation. They are, but only a means to an end. Transformation must happen in the mind space of the individual student.Therein lies the role of the compass for the principal. The compass must point to the true north – values-based transformative education. Transformation is defined as “a marked change in form, nature, or appearance”. To make a remarkable change in form, nature, or appearance, one must do extraordinary interventions. To go from incremental delta changes to a breakthrough transformation of the mind is a challenge. At the Principal’s level, the task is to create the right environment, a positive and supportive ecosystem for both the teacher and the taught for the blooming of traditional values. Enduring educational values include the respect for knowledge, the centrality of the teacher-student relationship, and the conviction that schools are moral as well as intellectual communities and these ideas have withstood centuries of social upheaval. Tradition stabilises institutions. Facing up to relentless innovation, tradition helps education to help develop critical thinking, ethical sensitisation, and belongingness.

The Principal’s Compass must drive the institution toward a grand purpose. An educational institution is not just about courses, classes, and curriculum. It is about being a rallying point, a war cry, a vision and mission toward a higher goal – the goal of transformation. For principals, tradition should not be a burden but an anchor. In a world of constant change, tradition grounds the school in its purpose. Rituals play an important role in positive habit formation. They help transmit cultural values and create group identity. Curriculum frameworks and pedagogical methods rooted in evidence-based practices remind us that some approaches stand the test of time. On the one hand, the principal’s task is to protect these legacies, to ensure that in the pursuit of novelty, what works is not discarded. On the other hand, the principal must also ensure that these institutions do not become relics of the past, some hoary museum of fossilized systems in which creativity and initiative are sacrificed at the altar of the fear of change.

The Principal’s compass must keep one grounded (tradition) as well as focused on the future (transformation). The principal must play the facilitator or the go-between between modernity and the old school. Both have their value. The compass should be the guardrail for teacher-teacher and teacher-student interactions. This is the human element of education.

All in all, there is a possible healthy synergy between the lighting of the ceremonial lamp of wisdom at functions in an educational institution and the students walking around in an XR/VR lab wearing futuristic paraphernalia. Both are learning opportunities – one of tradition, the other of transformation. The Principal holds the fort, directing the traffic of the minds from one to the other, or between each other.

The Author, Dr Jones Mathew, is the Principal and Head of Institution, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETEDUCATION does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETEDUCATION will not be responsible for any damage caused to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.