Help recruit your school's principal

As a school council member, you may be asked to help recruit the principal by:

• being on a merit selection panel to interview applicants and recommend the best candidate or
• providing a reference on behalf of the school council.

If you are part of a merit selection panel, you must complete the Northern Territory (NT) Government’s merit selection training, available on myLearning. If you are not an NT Government employee, you can create a myLearning account.

Who makes up the panel

Panels are made up of a chair and panel members.

The chair is a senior department executive.

Panel members may include:

• an independent member:
  • department representative, or
  • NT Principals' Association representative
• a school staff representative
• a community representative (for remote schools) to ensure local priorities are considered
• a school council chairperson or nominee.

Panels should be diverse in background, gender and ethnicity to promote equality and inclusion.

Role of the chair

• Forms the panel
• Communicates with panel members
• Identifies, manages and records any conflicts of interest
• Guides and keeps the panel on track
• Acts as a referee for applicants occasionally
• Prepares the selection report and circulates to panel members for input and approval
• Submits the report for approval and record keeping

Panel member responsibilities

All members must:

• declare and manage any conflicts of interest
• have a basic understanding of the job and its requirements
• assess candidates fairly and confidently
• remain impartial and unbiased
• complete online merit selection training via myLearning
• understand key hiring principles:
  • merit-based selection – choosing based on skills and experience
  • special measures – promoting diversity and inclusion
  • equal employment opportunity (EEO) – fair hiring for all
  • natural justice – a transparent and unbiased process.

If you are an NTPS employee you:

• must be at the same or higher level than the position
• can act as a referee for candidates
• can be from the same work unit.

If you are a school council panel member you should:

• share the community’s aspirations for the school
• speak to the panel chair if you are concerned about being on the panel.

All members should actively contribute and provide input in the selection process.

More information

For more information go to:

• Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment (OCPE) website.

If you have any questions:

• contact the Department of Education and Training.