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
In Act no. 245/2008 Coll. on education and training (School Act) and on amendment of certain acts, the term ‘riaditeľ’ is used to describe school leaders. This term can be translated as ‘director’. In this profile, the terms ‘school leader’ and ‘director’ are used interchangeably.
According to Article 27 of Act No. 245/2008, schools can act as legal entities. In schools which are legal persons, the headmaster is also the statutory body of the school. In the case of schools which are not legal persons, the headmaster is not the statutory body of the school; the statutory body of the school is the statutory body of the founder (mayor of a municipality, mayor of a town or statutory body of the founder of a religious or private school).
Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government often refers to the “founder” (‘zriaďovateľ’) of schools as one of the main lead roles in the school. For schools established by a state authority, the ‘founder’ may be the municipality, the self-governing region, or the regional office of school administration. Furthermore, schools can be founded by a church, a private, or a legal person.
According to Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees (last amended in 2023), school leaders are included within the terms ‘pedagogický zamestnanec’ (pedagogical employee) and ‘odborný zamestnanec’ (professional employee).
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government lists the responsibilities of the school director in section five. The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic has also prepared work regulations for teaching staff and other employees of schools and school facilities, which also contain responsibilities of school leaders.
Ministerial Instruction No. 39/2017 issues professional standards for individual categories and subcategories of pedagogical employees and professional staff of schools and school facilities. The Competency Profile of Directors is found in Annex 32. The professional standards for all categories of pedagogical and professional employees were innovated within the national project TEACHERS. This includes updated professional standards for school leaders.
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: School leaders ensure the compliance of all the school’s activities with binding legal regulations. The director of a school, with the support of the School Board, develops and submits a proposal for the School Education Programme, which must comply with the National Education Programme to the founder. Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees states that pedagogical staff and professional staff are mandated to participate in creating and implementing a School Educational Programme (school curriculum). School leaders create a School Development Plan for a period from two to five years with the input of the School Board. According to the Competency Profile of Directors (Annex 32) and generally binding legal regulations, the director is responsible for creating the vision and mission of the school; a conceptual plan for the development of the school; the school management system; and manages projects reflecting the goals of the School Development Plan. The school development plan is organised following the needs of the region, the school community, and social partners. The directors’ duties also include formulating long-term (strategic) goals, developing implementation plans for them, evaluating these at specified time intervals (critical control points), and adopting corrections and corrective measures. School leaders are also responsible for the development and implementation of a yearly plan for teachers’ professional development; annual evaluation of the teaching staff; and an efficient use of financial resources.
Developing teaching and learning: School leaders manage the schools’ educational activities and report on their outcomes and conditions. They must prepare an annual school report on the schools’ activities during the previous school year and the schools’ results. They also manage the processes of designing the School Education Programme (school curriculum). The School Education Programme is developed in compliance with the relevant National Education Programme and considers the needs of children/pupils/students, their legal representatives, higher-type schools, employers, and other relevant entities. The plan must also be in accordance with the concept of school development and be in line with the potentially available resources. The assets of the school, such as educational materials, are also managed by the director. Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees mandates that pedagogical staff and professional staff participate in the development and management of pedagogical documentation and other documentation.
Promoting collaboration: The Competency Profile of Directors (Annex 32) states that the director works to identify, create and develop the value system and culture of the school. They identify and plan cooperation with key partners of the school such as legal representatives, employers, the Center for Pedagogical-Psychological Counseling and Prevention, non-profit organizations, and the municipality. They should make efforts to communicate with legal representatives of children/pupils and partners of the school. Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees mandates that pedagogical staff and professional staff should collaborate with each other and other institutions to ensure the healthy development of children/pupils/students and the development of the school.
Supporting staff development: According to Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees, the director issues a Professional Development Plan after discussion in the pedagogical council, with the consent of employee representatives, and after approval by the founder. According to Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, the director is responsible for developing and implementing the annual plan for the further evaluation of pedagogical staff. The work regulations for teaching staff and other employees of schools and school facilities state that directors “are responsible for the pedagogical level, the professional level and the results of the work of the school or school facility; they create the conditions for the work of all employees; they take care of further pedagogical and professional training of employees.”
The director determines the development needs of teaching and professional staff based on the needs of the school's educational program, the educational program of the school facility, evaluations of teaching and professional staff, requirements for the level of competence of teaching and professional staff, individual needs of employees, current problems of upbringing and education in school, school facilities. According to Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees, pedagogical staff provides counselling for teaching and professional staff and cooperates with schools, school facilities, social assistance facilities, and workplaces for practical teaching in professional development.
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: All pedagogical employees are expected to follow the Code of Ethics for Pedagogical and Professional Employees in accordance with Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees. The Code was developed by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic and was updated in 2023. The content of the Code of Ethics is the basic moral principles that a pedagogical employee or professional employee should observe in relation to themselves, other school employees, pupils, parents or guardians. According to Act No. 138/2019, pedagogical staff and professional staff are mandated to refrain from actions that lead to violations of the rights of other employees; and maintain confidentiality and protect against misuse of personal data, information on the state of health and the results of professional examinations of children and students.
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, mandates that to be eligible for the position of a school leader, candidates must have at least five years of teaching experience and meet the qualification requirements. The qualification requirements are specified in Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees. A senior pedagogical employee, such as the school director, must meet the qualification requirements for the relevant category, already be at the career level of an independent pedagogical employee (the second level of teacher development), and should have acquired professional competencies necessary for performing their work as a school leader by completing the basic module of functional training. All teachers in primary and secondary schools must have at least a master’s degree.
Appointment decision
Directors, according to Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, are appointed and dismissed by the founder of the school on the proposal of the school board.
The appointment process begins when the founder announces the post needs to be filled. The organization of the selection procedure and assessment of the qualifications of candidates for filling the post of director is provided by the founder. The school board conducts the selection procedure and within two months, sends the proposal for a candidate to the founder. The founder must approve or justify their disagreement with the proposal within thirty days.
Employment equity measures
School leaders who work in a school which teachers in a national minority language must have obtained education in that language or have a document certifying fluency.
Working conditions
School leaders are appointed for a five-year term of office, their contracts are renewable. All teachers, including school leaders, have public servant status. School directors or their representatives are required to be on the school campus when the school is in operation. They have at least eight weeks of leave per year. Their salary is determined by the school founder who assigns the senior employee to the salary class according to the most demanding work activity performed and the number of years experienced. The salary scale is found in Annex 4 of Act 553/2003 on the remuneration of certain employees performing work in the public interest and amending certain acts. On top of the basic salary, which depends on the qualifications and career level of a particular teacher, directors also receive additional allowances according to Section 4 (b-h), such as a management surcharge, salary compensation for difficult work performance, and a bonus for work in a crisis area. The management surcharge is determined by the employer, who adds a set percentage of the basic salary depending on the location and size of the school, recorded under Annex 6. Additionally, directors have teaching responsibilities and must teach several classes per week depending on the number of classes in the school. Details are established in Government Decree No. 201/2019 Coll. on direct educational activity (Nariadenie vlády č. 201/2019 o priamej výchovno-vzdelávacej činnosti).
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
Pre-service training
The directors of all types of schools must complete functional training ensuring the development of school leadership competencies in the candidates. Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees states that functional training may be provided by higher education institutions, an organisation established by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, or another legal entity directly authorised by the Ministry.
Induction and in-service training
There are several types of training categorized in Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees. Innovative education, which calls for the deepening, extension and innovation of professional competencies necessary for the performance of work activities in the relevant category; and actualization education, which aims to maintain professional competencies and introduce new knowledge an information about changes in legislation, educational programmes, and other pedagogical necessities. Before being appointed, school leader candidates must complete the basic module of functional training ensuring the development of competencies for performing work activities associated with the position of a school leader. After their appointment, the directors are required to complete the extension modules of functional education as part of professional development during their first term of service. The founder is responsible for providing on-the-job or off-the-job training opportunities to school leaders.
The National Reform Programme of the Slovak Republic 2024 aims to improve the skills of pedagogical employees by offering different types of training activities. School leaders are also recommended to complete training within the fields of inclusive education and lifelong learning, in accordance with the National Strategy on an Inclusive Approach in Education and Training and its 2022-2024 First Action Plan.
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
According to the 2003 Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, the School Board, the Municipal School Board, the Territorial School Board and the school parliament are initiative and advisory self-governing bodies that express and promote public interests and the interests of pupils, parents, teaching staff and other employees in the field of education and training. They are responsible for public control, assessing and commenting on the activities of schools, school facilities, local state administration bodies, bodies of municipalities and self-governing regions from the point of view of school issues. The school board has an advisory role in a school and is a representative body of parents, teachers, and other stakeholders who can report their opinions and suggestions to the school leader and are provided with opportunities to comment on major official school documents. The school board also selects a director candidate and proposes them to the founder, takes part in the process of dismissal of a director, and expresses its opinion on the school's development plans. Municipal and territorial school boards have more power. Both may manage and distribute the funds going to the schools established in the locality. They establish requirements for improved care and educational services as well as improved personal and social conditions of school staff. The board also reports on the results of the educational processes in the region.
The school board consists of five to eleven members, the composition of which is determined by the school founder. The members may be elected representatives of pedagogical staff, elected representatives of other school employees, elected representatives of parents, delegated representatives of the founder, and one elected student representative for secondary schools. School directors may not be members of the school board.
3.2. Middle leaders
Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees lists several middle leaders within the category of “pedagogical employees involved in the implementation of the school educational programme,” they are, the school digital coordinator, professional development teacher, and the pedagogical assistant. The pedagogical assistant creates equal opportunities in education and training; they assist pupils in overcoming architectural, informational, linguistic, health, social or cultural barriers. They also support pedagogical employees and carry out direct educational activities in specific subjects.
To become a school digital coordinator the teacher must have three years of experience and meet the prerequisites for being an independent pedagogical employee.
The digital coordinator provides advice and expert assistance on the introduction of new digital methods into education. They distribute digital material and train teachers on how to work with digital content. A professional development teacher is required to have seven years of experience and education in the relevant study programme. There are three categories of professional development teachers: the lecturer of education, professional development methodologies, and attestation consultant. All are responsible for carrying out the education programme and participating in the creation of education programmes.
Teachers who choose to move horizontally in their career development go through four levels:
novice pedagogical employee, independent pedagogical employee, pedagogical employee with the first attestation, and a pedagogical employee with the second attestation. Teachers may be promoted based on years of service and performance quality. School directors may assign higher-level teachers with "specialized activities” such as class teacher, head of subject committee, head of the department, coordinator of the school support team, educational counselor, or more. Some tasks include: coordinating in the relevant area, participating in the organization of professional competency development opportunities, career guidance activities, supporting staff members, and ensuring the cooperation of all.
3.3. Parents
While there are no legal rules or regulations regarding mandatory parent boards or associations (rodičovské združenie, rada rodičov), many schools have them. Parent associations are associations and must be registered as such with the Ministry of the Interior. At least three members are required to register the association. At the national level, the Slovak Council of Parents' Associations unites and represents parent associations at schools and school facilities in Slovakia. The organization was established “to help improve the quality of education and training, to ensure the protection of interests, to point out the rights and obligations of legal guardians, parents and children, to participate in solving educational problems, to collect suggestions, comments and requests of parents regarding the upbringing and education of children at school and school facilities, to cooperate with state administration bodies, self-governments and institutions involved in the education and training of the young generation, help in the development of leisure activities, support projects of schools and school facilities.” Each parent association determines their regulations regarding membership and governance. Typically – in parent boards or associations in schools – there is one parent representative per class.
3.4. Students
The School Parliament represents the pupils of a primary or secondary school and represents their interests vis-à-vis the head teacher, senior teaching staff or senior professional staff and externally. According to Act No. 596/2003 Coll. on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, a school parliament shall be established if at least 30 % of the pupils of the school apply to the headmaster for its establishment or if its establishment is approved by the school council. The school parliament shall have at least 5 and not more than 17 members; the pupils who obtain the highest number of votes in the elections shall become members of the school parliament.
The University Student Council is the supreme representative body of university students. The University Student Council represents the interests of students externally. Only a student of the university may be a member of the Student Council of Universities.
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
According to the 2003 Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, school directors develop the school’s education programme (curriculum) while complying with state educational programmes. They also manage the budget, funding, and effective use of funds intended to ensure the operation of the school or school facility. The director creates a budget for the school and school facilities and manages its use. They also acquire and manage extra-budgetary resources.
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees states that the head teacher, in addition to the evaluation of pedagogical and professional employees by their direct superiors, is evaluated by the pedagogical employees anonymously in the form of a questionnaire once a year. The results of the anonymous evaluation are processed by the founder and discussed with the director. The evaluation is available online from the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth. Additionally, school leaders submit an annual school report on the schools’ activities during the previous school year and the schools’ results to the founder and are evaluated by the school founder on an annual basis.
According to the Plan of inspection activities for the school year 2023/2024, the State School Inspection (Štátna školská inšpekcia) monitors whether teachers' and school principals' reach the necessary qualifications, expertise, skills, and professional training for managing the educational process. They also are expected to perform school inspections based on an inspection plan approved by the chief school inspector, following relevant regulations.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
According to the 2003 Act 596/2003 on State Administration in Education and School Self-Government, the director may be responsible for conducting annual evaluations on teaching and professional staff. Act No. 138/2019 on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees provides further details. The evaluation of pedagogical and professional employees acts as the basis for the professional development plan of the school, remuneration, and recommending the employee for further training or completion of the induction phase. The evaluation is conducted by the immediate superior, which may be the director. If not, the teaching staff may request an evaluation from the director if they do not agree with the evaluation of the immediate superior. The work regulations for teaching staff and other employees of schools and school facilities states that school directors are responsible for the work results of individual employees. They check the activity of all employees and the results of their work and, based on observation, carry out an analysis of the educational work of individual employees, discuss it with the relevant employee and draw conclusions from it for the further activity of the employee.
This profile was reviewed by Sandra Gazareková Head of the Multilateral Cooperation Unit, International Affairs Division, and national expert, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Silvia Barnová (Department of School Pedagogy and Psychology, DTI University).
