ROLE OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS IN APPLYING BUDDHIST PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOP MORALITY IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

This academic article aims to present and analyze the roles of school administrators in applying Buddhist principles to promote and develop morality within educational institutions. The study employed a documentary research approach by collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing relevant content from Buddhist scriptures, the works of Buddhist scholars, as well as documents and research studies in educational administration. The findings indicate that educational leadership is closely associated with the development and maintenance of morality in schools. School administrators serve as key mechanisms in setting policy directions, managing organizational processes, developing personnel, and fostering an organizational culture conducive to ethical and moral conduct. The Buddhist principles considered particularly relevant to school administration include the Four Brahmavihāras, the Four Saṅgahavatthus, the Four Iddhipādas, the Seven Sappurisa-dhammas, the Ten Rājadhammas, the Seven Aparihāniya-dhammas, and the Threefold Training. These principles can be systematically applied to the four major areas of school administration, namely academic administration, budget administration, personnel administration, and general administration. The application of these Buddhist principles can generate outcomes at multiple levels, including the individual administrator, teachers and educational personnel, students, and the overall organizational culture of the school. The article therefore proposes both policy and practical guidelines for integrating Buddhist principles into school administration as a framework for promoting morality and ethics and for advancing educational organizations in a systematic, continuous, and sustainable manner.