THE school registrar is one of the underrated school officials whose role is indispensable in every educational institution. The school registrar's work is hardly noticed. This may be in part because students do not personally deal with them as much as possible. By tradition, students deal with the registrars behind counters with one-sided mirrors, using recycled paper where they write their requests using Panda ballpens tied to a string. Registrars adhere to a longstanding principle akin to the best evidence rule under the rules of court, which provides that the evidence of the content of a document is the original document itself whenever it is the subject of any inquiry. Maybe that is why no personal discussion with the registrar is necessary.

The registrar is usually classified as an academic non-teaching position, as opposed to a non-academic administrative position in the school. The difference is fundamental because there is a different set of rules for ranking, compensation, probation period and even grounds for termination for academic school personnel. I also found out recently that many school registrars in the country are doubling as teachers or faculty in their respective institutions. This is on top of the load of responsibilities that a registrar carries. Let us take a closer look at the usual roles of the registrar in the schools.