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Educational estate takes lead
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Posted on Dec 02 1998
Both the Northern Marianas College and the Public School System have taken the lead in trimming expenses to ensure it spends within what’s budgeted under the current fiscal year albeit difficult.
That our educational estate chooses to begin cuts in its expenditure gives prominence to our school administrators that they are well attuned to the current economic crisis and have decided to start now in order to muddle through the rest of the year under a very limited budget.
More so than any of our fifteen or so departments or agencies in government, this undertaking by our school administrators is a tale of what leadership is all about. Essentially, it is being able to deal with difficult decisions in the most trying of times. How we wish that others would emulate the strong leadership that NMC and
PSS have undertaken recently.
Perhaps it is their sense of commitment to ensure that the education of our students isn’t compromised, thus the decision to begin cuts in all non-essential areas. Can this commitment be said of heads of departments and agencies who seem to take the plunge in revenue in double digits with that well greased sense of mañana?
Nothing can be further from the truth!
It isn’t surprising though that school administrators have taken the lead in this instance. Their forte is in planning ahead of events. This exercise–planning–enables them to benefit from well thought out analysis of issues, therefore, a clear overview of what’s ahead that most drone political appointees have never been able to see with a critical eye. If only heads of government departments and agencies can plan their next day’s activities. Then and only then can we reasonably expect some form of accountability in government. For now, accountability seems a strange concoction in most government quarters.
The heads of NMC and PSS deserve the accolades of the entire community for demonstrating the essence of leadership in the midst of a crisis that has yet to bottom out. Can others follow suit with a sense of vision, integrity and commitment?
