UIII and University of Melbourne Host Joint Webinar on Middle Leadership in Schools

The UIII Faculty of Education and the University of Melbourne, Australia, held a collaborative webinar on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, exploring the essential role of middle leaders in Malaysian and Indonesian schools. The event, themed “The Role of Middle Leaders in Malaysian and Indonesian Schools,” attracted educational practitioners and researchers interested in leadership dynamics in the Southeast Asian context.

Dr. Bambang Sumintono, a lecturer and Head of the PhD in Education program at UIII, opened the discussion with his presentation titled “Bridging the Gap: Understanding the Role of Middle School Leaders in Indonesia’s Educational System,” sharing findings from his ongoing UIII-funded research.

Dr. Sumintono highlighted a unique aspect of Indonesian middle school leadership, saying that middle leaders are often appointed either by popular vote from their peers or through direct appointment by school principals. This approach creates a distinct dynamic, though also provides potential drawbacks as the appointed might not properly prepare for filling up the position.

The second speaker, Dr. Donnie Adams, a lecturer at the Faculty of Education, the University of Melbourne, delivered his presentation titled “Shaping Futures: Middle Leadership Roles in Malaysian Schools.” Focusing on Malaysia’s multi-ethnic school system, Dr. Adams discussed the role of middle leaders in national schools, Tamil schools, and Chinese schools, each with its own unique cultural context. 

Compared to Indonesia, the dynamic of school leaders in Malaysia, as presented by Dr. Adams, emphasized a more structured process, dynamized by the multicultural aspects each school has either from Malay national influence, or Chinese and Tamil cultures. This highlighted that context is crucial in shaping middle leadership practices.

The webinar concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where participants delved deeper into the roles of middle leaders within Indonesian and Malaysian educational systems. The event underscored the importance of middle leaders in building adaptive, culturally aware schools and highlighted areas for potential cross-cultural research and collaboration.

Both UIII and the University of Melbourne expressed optimism about further joint initiatives to deepen understanding and strengthen educational leadership across Southeast Asia. Both parties are committed to continuing their collaboration in holding the next series of webinars in the future.

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