New Requirements Established for School Principals: Andreasyan

New substantive requirements have been established for school principals, and a three-stage system for appointing principals has been introduced. This was stated by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, Zhanna Andreasyan, during a government session.

“Within the framework of the three-stage system for the appointment of principals, candidates go through a certification process, after which they present a development plan for the specific institution where they wish to work as a principal. The development plan undergoes independent examination by an organization selected through a competition. In the final stage, the candidate participates in an interview with a joint commission from the ministry and authorized bodies,” she noted.

The minister added that the process, which began in 2023, has revealed numerous issues in the sector. Currently, 437 schools or about 32 state schools have transitioned to the new management format, with principals appointed in 138 schools. “The examination process for development programs is positively passed by about 12 percent of the candidates, while the interview stage is positively passed by about 38 percent of those who successfully overcame the previous stage, indicating serious issues in capacity development in the sector. Given this situation, changes were made to the Law on General Education at the end of last year, allowing for the appointment of principals in institutions that have not had a principal for a long time due to the absence of candidates or lack of positive results,” Andreasyan concluded her speech.