Alexandra College's very modern model of a modern major principal

PROFILE:In her years running Alexandra College in Dublin, Marian Healy has never shied away from thinking big – or confronting controversy, writes LOUISE HOLDEN

MARIAN HEALY is enjoying her last few days as principal of the most prestigious private girls’ school in the State – Alexandra College in Dublin.

In the past seven years Healy has become a public figure outside the usual range of her profession. Her words have carried beyond the manicured lawns of Milltown to advise the country on issues such as bullying, parenting and partying. It wasn't always her choice, but when the media came calling, Healy was never shy. Her pronouncements on schooling can be found on Twitter and YouTube, in The Irish Timesand on the Tubridy Show.

Sadly, the last big Alexandra College story to break on her watch was a wholly negative one. Last May the media leapt on a dispute between school management and the mother of a Junior Cert student who had fallen behind with the fees. With an outstanding bill of more than €20,000, the woman was asked to take her daughter out of the school.

The story escalated when the girl’s classmates staged a sit-in, and a number of high-profile parents and former pupils, including former Dublin lord mayor Eibhlin Byrne and Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, spoke out against the school’s response.

“I deplore the action of the school in that instance, but I honestly believe that if Marian had been there to handle it, we would have been reading a different story in the newspapers,” says a parent, who added that Healy was on sick leave throughout the debacle. “I felt sad that she was not there to handle the issue, because it had a very negative impact on the other students.”

The lack of a meaningful public response by Alexandra College left it vulnerable to a swathe of unpleasant accusations. Venal details of the story made their way into the newspapers, and years of positive public relations by Healy on behalf of the school were undermined. Those with an axe to grind about private schools and elitism were happy to use the incident as ammunition.

“Marian has contributed a great deal to the school in terms of its image and also its infrastructure,” says a source. “I would hate if that was overshadowed by the events of last summer.”

Healy never publicly commented on the controversy. But in a statement to The Irish Times, she said the fault of the school was not in the ejection of the student, but in the length of time it took to do it.

“We were misled. We negotiated with the family for far too long, believing what we were told. We have a policy in place now to ensure that the situation doesn’t arise again. We dealt with the situation sympathetically and let it run on too long.”

Since becoming principal at Alexandra College in 2002, Healy has forged ahead with a number of projects that have helped catapult the private Protestant school on to a level other schools in the State can only dream of. She came from another prestigious girls’ school, Mount Anville, and was the first Catholic to take leadership in Alexandra College.

Within months of her arrival, she was mired in controversy over the sale of school land previously designated for sports. However, Healy had a vision for the college and was not going to be knocked off course by snipers from within or without.

Healy set about an expensive and ambitious project to equip every teacher and all transition year and fifth-year students with a laptop for use in the classroom. She has since addressed other schools and technology industry insiders on the initiative.

An unpleasant side-effect was the emergence of cyber-bullying at the school in January 2006. Healy moved swiftly to deal with the problem and went public on the issue – a move praised by educators and the media.

“She put the episode in context and used the affair to prompt debate about responsible technology use, teenage insecurity and the role of parents in supporting and guiding teens. It was a masterful response,” says a media commentator.

Those who know Healy, however, viewed the action as an act of pastoral responsibility, rather than a PR stroke.

“Marian has always had an open door policy with the students,” says a source. “She’s confident enough to put her values out there. Many educators want to hide from the wider public, even from the students themselves. Marian is very open and believes in putting problems out on the table and looking at them practically.”

Healy leaves at a challenging juncture for Alexandra College. More students will surely fall foul of the fee burden. Cuts to capitation levels in private schools will see pupil-teacher ratios increase to 20:1, one more than in State schools. The Department has indicated that it would like to move the staffing schedules in fee-paying schools closer to 38:1. Protestant schools have seen their funding cut, and Alexandra College is facing industrial relations issues over staffing as a result.

“Alex will always be a source of fascination to the media, because of its perceived exclusivity,” says another commentator. “Healy chose to embrace that curiosity and largely turn it to the school’s advantage. Whoever takes over will always have to contend with journalists, and it will be interesting to see if her successor picks up where she left off, or circles the wagons, like other private schools such as Blackrock College.”

Healy is only 55 and has plans to continue her work in education. She is working with TV3 on a documentary about education, due to be broadcast next May. She also plans to roll out her IT strategy to other schools.

"And I don't mean private schools," she told The Irish Times. "Nor will I be looking for help from the Departments of Education or Finance, which have let the sector down so badly."

A very public private educator

Here are some of Marian Healy’s public musings:

In The Irish Times:"For my entire teaching life the introduction of meaningful continuous assessment has been hampered by the teaching unions."

To Ryan Tubridy:"Grind schools are turning students into a generation of sheep."

On apple.com:"I'm into teaching and learning. I just want technology to make it all happen."

On YouTube:"Our points keep us well ahead of the national average of 300. Ours our 435 year on year."

In the Irish Independent:"You must remember that second year is the age that bullying has always happened. They have grown out of first year. The age of innocence of first year is beginning to pass a little bit. They are beginning to spread their wings a little bit to try and be a bit more independent of their parents and stand up for themselves a little bit more.

“Years ago we would have been talking about nasty notes in homework journals and notes being written in class.”