Principal's Statement

STEFANO PIUMATTI 

Dear Mzuzu Community,

I am most delighted and excited to be here working for and serving MIA and of course your needs as a community. I have over 30 years’ experience working in private and public education sectors in Australia, the United Kingdom and Oman. Prior to joining Mzuzu International Academy, I managed and led 220 staff and over 1300 students as Principal of Taylor’s International School, Puchong on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I was there for three years. Beforehand I was Principal of another international school in Oman where I worked for seven years.  

My journey here, has taken quite some time. Dr Keys and I, have been conversing over the years, in fact since 2014 about the possibility of me joining this school. The seed had been planted but for many reasons it did not bear fruit until this year, when both my wife (Helen) and I decided that now was the right time  to come and take up the helm at MIA. 

My top priorities as I start the first term are to familiarize myself with how the school operates and to speak to students, parents and all employees to better understand the strengths and to identify areas needed for development.   This is all part of the process of my first 100 days in post or so.

My vision for the school is to continue the work started by my predecessors to develop MIA into a superb school we can all be proud of.  Working closely with Dr Keys, her vision and the Board I will undertake initiatives in close consultation with it, translating these into robust action plans with my team. 

In relation to teaching and learning I look for enthusiasm and passion in teachers and to see that students are being challenged on a daily basis and are engaged in their lessons.  I recognize that my role is to make teaching and learning consistent across the school and believe that my extensive experience not only as a teacher and manager, but as an examiner and my training in inspection of schools will all contribute to reviewing the learning experience at MIA.  

The end goal in modern education is to make your sons and daughters global citizens and future leaders in their field.  Today more and more employers are global and they are demanding not only a certain academic standard, but are also wanting school leavers and graduates to be armed with soft skills such as communication, negotiation, confidence and interpersonal skills.  Hence the holistic approach is very much part of my own vision as well as of that of MIA.

I am confident that through the hard work of my staff we will be successful in this.  Ultimately this means teaching and learning will continue to improve, grades will continue to go up and the parent body and Board will be pleased with the results.

Long gone are the days when autocratic leaders held sway.   Today it is understood that the building of positive relationships at all levels is essential.  Without this an organization cannot achieve its full potential.  There must be a process of discussion and consultation and in this way all stakeholders are committed and involved in the day to day work of the school and its future direction.  

I will continue to work tirelessly to make MIA one of the best schools in Malawi by improving teaching and learning. I look forward to building relationships with the Mzuzu community and to applying my experience and know-how gained over the last 30 years as an educator, together with my focussed attention to detail.  

Yours sincerely,

Stefano Piumatti

Principal.
Mzuzu International Academy.