School Principal / School Leader – Chirag School – Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG)

Preferable joining date 01st February 2023

Chirag School: Set up in 2006 and located in the picturesque hills of Uttarakhand, Chirag School is a Hindi-medium K-5 school for children belonging to economically and socially weaker sections from the surrounding rural areas. The schools imbibes on Krishnamurthy philosophy. At present, we have 122 students, 1 school leader, 7teachers, 2 support staff and 2 volunteers in the school. The Better India Magazine ranked Chirag School among 10 best alternative Schools in India. Link of the magazine is here:
https://www.thebetterindia.com/156107/learning-india-most-unique-schools/.

Our Vision
“To ensure that all children passing out of Chirag School will be independent life-long learners who strive towards being self-aware, caring and responsible individuals”.

Our Mission
To provide a caring and stimulating environment to children, from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, where they can develop their body, mind and soul, and practice living in harmony with nature, society and the self.

School Culture
At Chirag School, learning is child centric – we teach children at their level using the pedagogy best suited for their needs. We encourage children and adults to be fearless and curious while being empathetic and respectful towards others.

We promote a non-competitive environment for children where learning is not measured against anyone else. Our actions are guided by a sense of responsibility towards the environment. We regularly engage in cleanliness and tree plantation drives, and increase community awareness about sustainability and waste management through plays, songs and other events.

The children are taught the local traditional instrumental music, dance, singing and art by teachers who are specialists in these areas. We also invite parents and grandparents on a regular basis to share local history and folktales and celebrate local festivals with students to keep traditional culture alive. For more details about Chirag School please click https://thechiragschool.wordpress.com/about/ or www.chirag.org

Preferable joining date 01st February 2023
Consolidated remuneration 35,000 p.m – 40,000 p.m
Accommodation Provided free on campus

The Opportunity:
We are looking for an outstanding School Leader/ Principal to lead the school in accordance with the school’s culture and philosophy. The leader will report to the Executive Director of Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG)

Major responsibilities would be:
Leadership and Management:

• Leading the school in alignment with the vision and culture
• Strengthening goals and objectives of the school programmes / activities
• Strengthening systems and processes to ensure smooth administration of the school
• Ensuring that the school is following all the compliances and regulations
• Leading in the formulation of School Improvement Plan
• Coordinating and managing the School Management Information System

Participatory Curriculum Development & Supervision

• Strengthening and facilitating the development of standardized curriculum
• Initiating and nurturing the process of quality education in the school
• Supervising the instructional programs of the school, evaluating lesson plans and observing classes (teaching, as duties allow) on a regular basis to encourage the use of a variety of instructional strategies and materials consistent with research on learning and child growth and development.
• Monitoring the student achievement

Financial Management

• Developing and managing the budgetary processes of the school
• Overseeing of the school inventory and offsite registers
• Managing the operations and logistics of the school
• Networking and raising funds for the school as required

Personal Management

• Evaluating and monitoring teachers performance
• Structuring, planning and executing cohesive professional development opportunities for teachers
• Communicating with the teachers, parents, students and the community members

Health and Safety

• Strengthening the School Health and Safety Policy
• Ensuring that School Health and Safety Policy is clearly communicated and understood to the staff and the parents
• Ensuring that the school facilities and equipments are safe and in good working condition.

Other

• Liaisoning with the school related government officials and maintain positive relations
• Communicating and engaging with all the stakeholders regularly to update them and take inputs from them
• Promoting the values and ethos of the school actively
• Mentoring and coaching the other administrative staff of the school
• Supervising the school premises in general

Required skills, education and experience
1. Minimum 5 years of teaching experience, preferably in an alternative school
2. At least 2 years of experience in leading a team
3. Experience of working in a rural setting preferred
4. Demonstrable experience in building local, national and international networks preferred
5. Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and Hindi
6. A professional teaching degree Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and or a Master’s Degree in Education
7. Demonstrable understanding of Chirag School’s vision and culture

How to apply
We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. To apply, please send your CV and a brief cover letter explaining how you meet the criteria and align with Chirag School’s philosophy to info@chirag.org clearly stating ‘School Leader/Principal’ in the subject of the email.