Capacity Development Training for Warren Park-Mabelreign District Heads and Staff

The Educators are conduits for national development and they play an extraordinary part in the lives of children. Their significance cannot be underestimated. They involve themselves in molding children into responsible citizens of the country. It was therefore, under this premise that Warren Park-Mabelreign District invited the Institute to conduct a Governance, Protocol, Etiquette and Professional Grooming Workshop for School Heads, District and Provincial Staff on 10 March 2018 at Mazvikadei Resort and Conference Centre.

The facilitator, Mr Chikanda noted that the success of every school depends on the way it is managed and governed. The need for the efficient management of schools has placed much more emphasis on the nature and quality of the work of the head as they supply and ensure effective use of resources (human, financial and material). A successful school constitutes a school environment that guarantees a sense of belonging; a sense of purpose and passion to learn; engaging parents and the wider community as crucial partners in providing necessary support for teaching and learning in an enjoyable way; judicious and fair discipline policies; effective student and staff support systems and among others. He goes on to advise the Headmasters/mistresses that their schools are a brand and the school Head, the teachers, the students and the parents are its marketers.

Educators are undoubtedly the most significant contributors to education for national development since a country can flourish and prosper with the knowledge imparted by them. They are the main tools and catalyst that advance technical skills in our future leaders. However, he noted with concern the lack of soft skills training in Zimbabwe’s education curriculum. As a country, we spend an inordinate amount of time, resources and money looking at how to improve the quality of education in our schools but without soft skills in it, the country will not achieve tangible results.

Protocol, Etiquette and Professional Grooming Training was identified as critical for the participants as there is a connection between the way one looks and the way one thinks and acts. Without doubt, Heads are the role models for our students; when they dress professionally it sends important message to the students. They teach our children not just about academic subject but how also a professional looks and behave thus, they are representatives of the society who inculcates moral precepts and become role models for their children. Students try to follow the Head’s manners, etiquette, customs and style of communication. Therefore, an incompetent Head is not only a bad educator but also the signal of a corrupt and incompetent generation and nation at large. The Workshop also covered areas such as Ethics and Values for Educator, Organizational Behaviour in Education, Essence of Protocol in School Development, Dealing with Difficult Teachers and Parents, Personal and School Branding and among others

In conclusion, the importance of Educators as catalyst to societal development and an architect of our future generation demand not only the most intelligent but also perfectly groomed Heads with knowledge of Protocol and Etiquette.