“The problem is not one of support, but of time”.  Why principals need time to lead, not just manage

I need personnel: secretary, clerical, assistant director, librarian, social worker, and psychologist,” one school leader in Peru said.  “I do not have a secretary or officer for the attention needed for the 1,000 students that I have approximately. The Department virtually requests so many reports, reports on the same subject by different means. We also lack service personnel, like for cleaning, in the school.” 

School leaders play a vital role in helping students succeed, yet they spend 70% of their time on routine management tasks, leaving little room for what matters most: improving teaching, learning, and helping students reach their potential.  Inevitably, this means that the quality of education suffers.

When principals can focus on leadership, whole schools thrive

“Balancing time to attend to learners, teaching and non-teaching staff, and my administrative duties, there’s a constant knock on the door. The school leader is the lab technician. The school leader is the bursar, the accounting officer. I sometimes even buy learners soap and uniforms in extreme cases,” said Emily Chepkoech Cheruiyot, headteacher of a comprehensive school in Kenya.

School leaders juggle a multitude of tasks. They shape the school’s vision, align teaching with standards and student needs, foster professional growth, and keep school environments safe and supportive. They troubleshoot daily, dealing with tight budgets, diverse students’ needs and policies that shift frequently as a result of fast-changing technology and crises such as COVID-19. Add rising community expectations and strict accountability and the result is clear: many leaders lack the time to focus on instructional leadership and to #LeadForLearning.

A review of 14 low- and middle-income countries, including Ecuador, Kenya, Pakistan and the Philippines, found that principals spent 68% of their time on management tasks. Even in OECD countries, one-third of public-school principals felt they lack time to focus on improving teaching and learning. They also reported having even less time for teacher oversight now than in 2015 (see figure).

Some countries have formalized principals’ role in instructional leadership. Analysis of regulations in 211 education systems for the 2024/5 GEM report shows that 57% of countries expect principals to give teachers feedback based on observation. In the Gambia, head teachers must observe classrooms, supervise supervision and monitor staff performance, according to the School Management Manual. In North Macedonia, school directors schedule class visits and make recommendations for teachers’ professional files.

Principals are also expected to foster teacher collaboration through professional learning communities and teams. According to TALIS 2018,   principals report relatively high involvement in teacher cooperation in Spain (75 %), Türkiye (81 %) and Viet Nam (85 %), but less in Japan (32 %), France (41 %) and Sweden (49 %).

Beyond the school gate, school leaders must also cultivate relations with a diverse range of external actors. In Ghana, Kenya and Zambia, principals are expected to forge strong community ties and encourage parental involvement.Leading for learning also means helping staff grow. Currently, 70% of countries make principals responsible for teacher appraisal affecting promotion, career advancement, quality assurance and accountability. In Estonia, school-leader associations develop assessment models for principals to measure teachers’ contributions and effectiveness. Principals may then tailor them to their own schools’ unique characteristics.

“Sometimes the number of administrative tasks is that big that I don’t have time to spend with teachers and the learners. In my personal opinion, my pedagogical aspect of my work should be the most important one because schools are all about quality teaching and learning, or at least should be”, said Irena Ivanovic, a head teacher of a secondary school in Croatia.

For schools to succeed, principals need more support and, crucially, time.  The GEM Report urges governments to provide school leaders with professional counselling, mental health services, and peer networks where leaders can share problems, discuss challenges and seek assistance. Such investments cost money, but the payoff is clear: well-supported principals are more effective, stay longer and ensure stronger schools for the future.