Primary Principals: THe falling interest among teachers in becoming principals is a dramatic and alarming trend, says Seán Cottrell, director of the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN). Harry Browne reports.

The average number of applicants for a principal vacancy fell by more than a third in five years, from 5.9 per vacancy in 1996 to 3.5 per vacancy in 2001, Cottrell says, citing statistics from the Department of Education and Science. Some 70 per cent of class teachers surveyed said they would never apply for a principalship.

Principals are gathering this week in Galway for the IPPN's annual conference, from Thursday to Saturday. Proceedings can be viewed live on www.ippn.ie, Cottrell says.

"After a decade of phenomenal change in Irish education, IPPN is leading the way in opening a debate about how we manage the delivery of education through our schools," Cottrell says. "This will have implications not only for the role of principal but also for the governance of schools. The systems that we put in place in the 1970s are clearly no longer up to the challenges of the 21st century."

There is, says Cottrell, a common theme in every discussion about primary principals: a lack of definition of his or her role. "A Department circular last described the role in 1973. Since then boards of management have been introduced, middle-management structures have been put in place and programmes and initiatives have changed the landscape of primary education."

According to Cottrell, recent surveys have identified four pressing shortcomings that affect principals and teachers who might be considering applying for such posts: the absence of professional training and development; the lack of an adequate differential between salaries paid to principals and those of their teaching colleagues; the provision of practical resources and supports; and the need for a dedicated, professional representative voice.

On the salary issue, Cottrell says many principals sought to have the IPPN make a benchmarking submission separate from that of the INTO. "Given that IPPN is a professional association and not a trade union, this was clearly impossible. However a research committee on benchmarking for principals was established and this resulted in a document, entitled 'The Value of Leadership?' which was forwarded to the INTO."