The principal or leader of any learning institution is the key component in creating an effective school. In creating an effective school, the principal must be effective in his role as a leader. The principal is the centre of attention and will be observed by teachers, students and parents. In addition, the principal is the one who should lead by example. Then it is of utmost importance that the principal exhibits qualities of an effective leader that are conducive to creating an effective school.
School culture and the relationship that the parents, teachers and students have with the school have been linked closely to school effectiveness. According to Sergiovanni (2000), most successful leaders will tell you that getting the culture right and paying attention to how parents, teachers and students define and experience meaning are two widely accepted rules for creating effective schools. O’Hanlon and Clifton (2004) posit that the principal is on stage all the time and must be effective in maintaining order and establishing a sense of integrity for the school. Having an effective school can be seen as the ‘life blood’ of every principal and highlights the type of leadership style used by the principal to bring about such a school. In addition, school effectiveness results in teachers’ satisfaction and a high level of academic achievement by the students. An effective school is seen as one that promotes the progress of its students in a broad range of intellectual, social and emotional outcomes, where students progress further than might be expected from knowledge of their backgrounds (Sammons et al., 1995).
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The purpose of this study is to identify the role of principal in creating an effective school.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
We can all remember childhood moments when at school, the principal would announce at full assembly the outstanding performance of some athletes or the spelling team for achieving first place in the