GOA

JOURNEY OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

In July 2016, the journey of School Leadership Academy (SLA) Goa came into being. The Government of Goa approved the proposal to designate the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) as the ‘School Leadership Academy’ under the aegis of National Centre for School Leadership (NCSL) to implement school leadership development programmes in the state. Director, SCERT was nominated as the nodal officer alongwith a faculty member to lead the implementation process. The academy was constituted with a purpose to ‘improve the quality of school education in the state, through research, innovations, capacity building and dissemination of knowledge’. From October 2016, the implementation of the School Leadership Development Programme took its first step of journeying together to transform schools into centres of excellence. A State Resource Group comprising of Heads of schools, academicians and other office bearers of educational institutions was formed. This was a group of professionals from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of experience in school administration, management and teacher education. The journey progressed with building the capacity of the members of the State Resource Group (SRG), Secondary and Higher Secondary School Heads. Many outstanding examples of leadership emerged during the pandemic, which were later captured through case studies and videos. A booklet containing 10 case studies was created, highlighting the initiatives taken by school heads during the pandemic and the best teaching-learning practices they implemented, many of which continue to be in practice. Additionally, video documentaries were developed to showcase school leadership initiatives. Modules focusing on school leadership practices were also created to enhance the leadership skills of school heads, particularly in innovation and administration. Furthermore, primary school heads were encouraged to attend online leadership course to further strengthen their leadership capacities. The journey continues with much enthusiasm and commitment.