ASEAN school principals gather for conference

JAKARTA: School principals from countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered in Jakarta on Wednesday for the launch of a conference discussing the best approaches to school leadership.

The two-day international conference is jointly organized by the National Education Ministry and the Southeast Asia School Principal Forum (SEA SPF).

"School principals must possess personal, social and managerial traits, competency in supervision and entrepreneurial tendencies to be able to provide a creative and effective school-based management system," the ministry's Director General for Quality Improvement of Teachers and Educational Personnel, H. Baedhowi, said in his opening address.

The conference, he added, was a working forum where principals could share their knowledge and experience.

On Thursday, delegates will attend a business meeting to explore possible opportunities for cooperation among the schools.

"We expect to hear ideas on *school* partnerships, sister school programs and exchange programs," Djoko Suprapto, from the conference's managing committee, said.

The meeting is the third conference since the establishment of SEA SPF at a round table meeting held in Bali in November 2007. - JP