School leadership
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
2.2. Selection and working conditions
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
1. Terminology
The English version of the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System refers to school leaders as the “managing director” and also as the “school principal.” The managing director manages the operation of the institution.
In Serbian, the school leaders are referred to as директора in Cyrillic and direktora in Latin, which may be translated as “director.”
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
The 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System includes descriptions of principals' roles and responsibilities.
The 2013 Regulation on Standards of Competence of Directors of Education and Training Institutions, hereforth referred to as the “2013 Regulations,” entered into force after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 38/2013. The regulations define the Director’s competencies as functionally integrated knowledge, abilities, skills, and value systems that are the basis for successful performance of work and tasks in preschool, primary and secondary education, and training institutions. The standards describe the activities in which the director must be qualified to ensure successful management, organization, execution, and control of the institution.
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: While the principal does not develop the annual development plans of the institution, they are responsible for submitting them and implementing them. The 2013 Regulations state that the director “Organizes and operationally implements the adoption of the institution's plans; organizes the planning process and assigns tasks to employees in that process; initiates and supervises the development of plans; and ensures compliance with the deadlines for the development of plans.” The director may help with the planning through the identification of sources of information needed and ensuring the information’s accuracy and relevancy.
Developing teaching and learning: According to the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System, the principal plans and organizes the implementation of the education, pedagogy, and all other activities of the institution. They ensure quality assurance, self-evaluation, and achievement standards. The first area in the 2013 Regulations focuses on managing the process of children’s education and learning. Indicators include creating conditions for improving the educational process, following contemporary trends in education, monitoring and analyzing student achievements, and supporting teachers and professional associates in using modern learning methods and techniques. The director coordinates the work of the staff, setting clear requirements and ensuring that jobs, tasks, and obligations are well delegated. Material resources are also managed by the director. They are responsible for the development, procurement, maintenance, allocation, and replacement of the institution’s material resources.
Promoting collaboration: Principals are expected to cooperate with the local self-government bodies, organizations and associations. They also cooperate with parents or caregivers of children and students. The principal convenes and chairs the meetings of the teacher council or the pedagogical council. They also establish expert bodies and teams, directing and harmonizing the work and activities of expert bodies within the institution. Twice a year, the principal submits to the managing body a report on their work and activities and the operation of the institution. According to the 2013 Regulations, the director creates a safe and healthy environment. Area four of the regulations focuses on the development of cooperation with parents/guardians, the management authority, the representative union, and the broad community. Indicators include: developing constructive relationships with parents/guardians and encouraging their active involvement; creating conditions for the parents’ council to function effectively; developing constructive relations with management and professional bodies of the institution; encouraging partnerships with various institutions of education; establishing and maintaining good relations with the local community.
Supporting staff development: The 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System states that principals are responsible for planning and monitoring competence improvement and conducting the title acquisition procedure for teachers, preschool teachers and psychologists/pedagogue. According to the 2013 Regulations, the principal encourages and supports teachers, helping them to develop through systematic self-evaluation and evaluation. They also work to provide the conditions and encourage the professional development of employees. Indicators include being able to ensure that all employees have equal opportunities for learning based on a personal professional development plan through various forms of professional development; developing professional cooperation and teamwork among employees; and providing the conditions for employees to improve in accordance with the annual professional development plan and the facilities of the institution.” Further details may be found in the 2021 Bylaw on Continuing Professional Development of Teachers and Education Staff.
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: All educators are required to follow the 2013 Code of Ethics for Teachers and Associates.
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
The 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System mandates that all teachers must have the appropriate higher education at the graduate/Masters level as well as a relevant bachelor’s degree. They must also hold a valid teaching or school counseling license. Principals, in addition to the qualifications required of teachers, must have “a license of a managing director or a principal, undergone training, passed the exam necessary for a principal and at least five years of work experience in the institution performing educational and pedagogical work and activities after acquiring the appropriate education.” If applicants do not have a graduate-level degree, they need a total of ten years of experience. The person who successfully passes the exam acquires the license of a managing director or a principal. Those who have taken the required training and eligible to take the exam. If the principal is to work at a school where pedagogical work and activities are performed in the language of the national minority, they must provide proof of the knowledge of the language. Furthermore, principals must be citizens and have the psychological, physical, and health capacities to work with children and students. They may not be convicted of a crime.
Appointment decision
Article 60 of the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System states that “the managing director of an institution shall be elected by the managing body on the basis of a publicly announced competition, following the receipt of the opinion given by the pedagogical and educational council, teachers’ council or teachers’ and pedagogical council.” The council votes for candidates by secret ballot. The managing body also decides on the rights, obligations and responsibilities of the managing director of an institution or a principal.
Employment equity measures
For schools which deliver education in a national minority language, the national council of the corresponding national minority language has input during the principal appointment process. No further equity measures were found.
Working conditions
According to the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System, the managing director of an institution or a principal shall be selected for four years. The law also mentions unions and their part in the managing body of schools. Principals or managing directors whose contracts have expired or who have been relieved of duty at personal request have the right to be assigned to a job corresponding to the level and type of their experience. According to the Special Collective Agreement for Employees in Primary and Secondary Schools and Students’ Dormitories, the salary of a principal consists of the base salary calculation, the coefficient by which the base is multiplied, salary supplements and obligations that the employee pays on the basis of taxes and contributions for mandatory social insurance.
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
Pre-service training
The prescribed pre-training program for school principals was developed in accordance with the Rulebook on the training program and passing the exam for the license for the director of an education institution ("Official Gazette of RS", number 63/18) and accredited by the Minister of Education. The training is designed so that the participants have the opportunity to develop the key standards of the director's competencies. The training lasts 2-13 days. Participants are asked to create a portfolio while planning and conducting research work. The training is provided by the Institute for the Improvement of Education and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. The leaders of the training are educational advisors, representatives of the Ministry, and current principals who have obtained a license and were nominated by the Association of School Principals of Serbia. Following the programme, participants may take the examination for the license of the director of an educational institution.
Induction and in-service training
School directors are encouraged to self-evaluate and improve their own professional competencies following the 2013 Regulation on Standards of Competence of Directors of Education and Training Institutions. They may also participate in professional networks, mentoring, or research activities. According to the 2021 Bylaw on Continuing Professional Development of Teachers and Education Staff, professional development is required for teachers to be able to keep their positions and license. The performance of school directors is largely measured by the school’s yearly performance evaluations.
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
Article 52 of the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System states that an institution shall have a managing body. The body consists of nine members, including the chairperson. Members are appointed and relieved by the assembly of the local self-government unit, while the chairperson is elected among members. Three representatives from each group are present: the employees, parents, and the local self-government unit. Representatives are voted for by their respective groups. The managing body in a school is called a school board. For managing bodies of a school taught in a minority language, the national council of the corresponding national minority will be requested to provide their opinion on representatives from the local self-government unit. A member of the union may be present at school board meetings and participate but does not have the power to vote. Two representatives of the student parliament should also be present and participate without the power to vote. This is true for both the elementary and secondary levels. The mandate of the managing body is for four years.
Managing bodies can adopt a statute, rules of conduct in an institution and other documents of general nature, and approve the organization and job classification document; pass the school or pedagogical program, development plan, and annual work plan; adopt reports on their implementation, evaluation and self-evaluation; determine and pass the proposal for the financial plan; adopt reports on business operation, annual statement of accounts, and a report on field trips or retreats; appoint the managing director or principal; review the adherence to principles, attainment of prescribed objectives and education standards achievement; take measure to improve working conditions and facilitate the educational and pedagogical work and activities; review the competence improvement plans for employees; and decide on appeals or complaints launched against a decision of a managing director. Decisions are taken by majority vote.
According to article 49, the institution must have a development plan. The strategic development plan includes priorities in performing educational and pedagogical work and activities, a plan; and those implementing the activities, criteria and evaluation benchmarks. The plan is developed by the institution’s managing body at the proposal of an expert team.
3.2. Middle leaders
According to the Regulations on Continuous Professional Development and Acquisition of Teacher, Educator and Professional Associates in the Official Gazette No. 109/2021, teachers who have completed the required number of professional development hours and experience may be promoted to become educational advisers, independent educational advisers, educational consultants, or senior educational consultants.
To become an educational advisor, a teacher must have at least eight years of work experience, show a high degree of competence and achievement, stand out in all professional development activities, initiate and participate in raising the quality of education work, achieve 50 additional points of professional training, know a foreign language, and can use a computer for work.
To receive the title of independent educational advisor, the applicant must have ten years of experience and in addition to the previous requirements, have acquired competencies for training other teachers. Teachers receive certificates upon completion of the programs.
Educational consultants must have twelve years of experience and have experience conducting over 100 hours of teacher training.
Senior educational consultants have at least fifteen years of experience, conducted 120 hours of training, have authored or co-authored an approved educational program, and have created and realized research activities of importance for educational work.
The procedure for obtaining a new title is initiated by the teacher, educator, or professional associate of the school who seeks it. The teacher must submit to the institution evidence that the appropriate conditions have been fulfilled. Additionally, the teacher completes a self-assessment of the degree of achievement of educational goals according to the level of acquired competences and a self-assessment of initiation and participation in raising the quality of the school’s work. The director of the institution reviews and submits the request to the relevant expert body. If the expert body’s opinion is positive, the request then goes to the teacher, educator and pedagogical council; and the school council of parents.
Middle leaders in Serbia include heads of departments. Teachers may also become mentors if they have five years of professional experience. These mentors help to guide teachers during their induction period.
3.3. Parents
Article 58 of the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System discusses parents’ councils, stating that all institutions shall have a parents’ council, except for the school for the education of adults. Parent councils should consist of one representative of parents of students of each class or preschool group. If members of a national minority or ethnic group are present, representatives of that national minority or ethnic group must be proportionally represented in the parents’ council. If children and students with developmental disabilities are present in the school, there should also be a parent in the council who is a representative of the parents of children and students with developmental disabilities. How parents are elected to the council depends on the statute of the institution.
The parents’ council is responsible for nominating members to join the managing body; nominating a member to be a representative in the experts’ team tasked with development planning as well as other teams in the institution; propose measure for quality assurance and the improvement of educational and pedagogical work and activities; participate in the procedure for proposing elective subjects and in the procedure of textbook selection; review the proposal of the education and pedagogy program, development plan, annual work plan; report on their implementation, evaluation and self-evaluation and assessment; review the utilization of funds received as donations and revenue; propose to the managing body the allocation of funds; review the working conditions, the conditions for children’s and students’ development and learning as well as their safety and protection; give approval to program and organization of field trips or retreats and review reports on their delivery; and review other issues stipulated by the statute.
3.4. Students
The 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System describes homeroom councils and the student parliament. According to this Law, the students of each class establish a homeroom council. The manner of operation of the homeroom council is determined by the statute of the school. From the last two grades of elementary school and onwards, a student parliament is organized to review and improve the cooperation between students and teachers. Two representatives of each class in the school are elected into the position. They may offer “opinion and proposals to expert bodies, school council, parents council and the principal on: the rules of conduct in the school, student safety measures, annual work plan, school development plan, school curriculum, how school space is decorated, choice of textbooks, optional and extracurricular activities, participation at sports and other competitions and organization of all student events at the school and outside the school and on other issues of significance to their education”. They also notify students at their schools of important matters, and actively participate in the school’s development planning process and the self-evaluation process.
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
Schools are required to deliver the school curriculum and syllabus. According to the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System, principals can decide on the method of education and pedagogy of the institution. Schools may also deliver individual education curriculums such as those for students with developmental disabilities, individual programs in the Serbian language or the language of a national minority, music and ballet, specialist and artisan education, practical skills, professional skills, and others by the pertinent laws.
They also decide on the utilization of funds allocated in the financial plan. The principal is responsible for approving and utilizing the funds in accordance with the law. According to Article 30, the managing director or principal announces the job vacancy and selects the candidate for employment in the school. The managing director seeks opinions from the managing bodies. The 2013 Regulations further details the principals’ responsibilities. According to these regulations, the principal cooperates with the head of accounting to implement the institution’s budget in accordance with the available and planned resources. They plan and manage the financial flows such as for income and expenses.
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
According to the 2017 Law on the Foundations of Education System, the managing director of an institution or principal shall participate in the process of self-evaluation each year. Article 62 states that the managing director or principal is held accountable for their work and activities by the managing body and the minister. The performance of the school reflects on the performance of the school principal. The director or principal may be dismissed if, during their term, the school has been assessed two consecutive times with the lowest grade for quality of work.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
The school principal is responsible for launching and conducting disciplinary procedures against their employees. However, most teacher assessment is conducted by the education advisor who may be present during teaching activities, monitor the performance of teachers, evaluate the fulfillment of conditions for title acquisition, and propose necessary measures to prove educational, pedagogical and professional work and activities. According to the 2013 Regulations, “the director systematically monitors and evaluates the work of employees, motivates them and rewards them for their achievements.”
This profile was reviewed by the Ministry of Education of Serbia, with the assistance of the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Serbia to UNESCO.
