ABSTRACT
School principals have a very important role in maintaining the minimum standard quality of education. However, studies on school principals’ qualifications in Pakistan are rare and mostly use Western leadership theories. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the competencies of school principals in schools that offer basic education. Written comments from 230 participating school teachers were collected, and reviewed using a content analysis method on open-ended questions on the strengths and improvements under the leadership of their school principals. This study reveals that while private school principals are perceived as having strong personal characters, they are lacking the drive for results, especially in the area of school operational management. It is a paradoxical situation, because each competence necessary to raise school excellence is seen as being independent from one another, instead of complementary. To accomplish the goal of providing a good quality education to the children of the nation, private school principals should also acquire the competence to run a professional school, because having the drive for results, especially the skill to manage school operations, is as important as personal characters.
