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 2007 Education Law does not refer to school leaders. However, the 2007 Education Law mentions the term “educational personnel” and define it as, “civil servants who are serving in the education sector and have undergone pedagogical training recognized by the Ministry in charge of education and professors in higher educational institutions. The educational personnel comprise of teaching and non-teaching personnel, within or outside the civil servant cadre or personnel serving in the private education sector at all levels, except for political appointees who are leading the education sector of public institutions”.
The 2016 Policy Guidelines for New Generation School (NGS) and the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS) use the term school managers/directors; however, no definition of the term isprovided. Similarly, the 2024-2030 Teacher Policy Action Plan use the term school directors; however, no definition of the term is provided. The Standards for School Directors document uses the word “នាយកសាលារៀន” which may be translated as director or principal. As the English documents more commonly use the word “director” that will be the terminology used for this profile.
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
The School Director Standards document sets six standards for school directors: 1) Academic Level and work experience; 2) Ability and qualifications of School Director; 3) Critical thinking and innovative skills; 4) Leadership in managing the administration of the school; 5) Leadership on curriculum, teaching and learning; 6) Connecting the school and the community.
According to these standards, qualified school principals to have the ability to think strategically and innovatively, to be leaders, manage school administrations, and curricula. Directors should be experts in teaching and learning in the 21st century, develop lifelong self-efficacy, and be able to address new challenges and excellence by connecting schools and communities.The 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, provides the framework from which school directors are evaluated for further training. It is based on the School Director's Standards.
Furthermore, the 2024-2030 Teacher Policy Action Plan aims to revise school director's professional standards to align with 21st-century and transformational leadership skills by the end of 2025 and fully disseminate by the end of 2030.
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: According to the “Critical thinking and innovative skills” standard of the 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, the role of the school director encompasses several key responsibilities. Firstly, the director must comprehend and effectively communicate the Ministry's policies, strategic principles, and legal documents. This involves understanding the Ministry's objectives and developing and articulating a clear vision, mission, and strategic plan for school development.
The director is also tasked with promoting the School Development Strategic Plan to relevant stakeholders in an effective manner, ensuring that the plan's goals and strategies are clearly understood and supported. In addition, the director is responsible for continuously monitoring and analyzing data and information from various sources to assess leadership effectiveness and overall management within the school. The School Director Standards asks directors to develop and implement the school’s vision and action plan, organizing the division of tasks, duties, and responsibilities according to the technical capacity and the resources within the organization.
Moreover, under the “Leadership in Managing the Administration of the School” standard, the school principal plays a crucial role in overseeing and evaluating the outcomes of the school development plans. This involves a systematic review of the implementation process to ensure that the strategic objectives are met and that the development plans yield the desired results.
Developing teaching and learning: The 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors outlines that, under the “Leadership on Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning standard”, school directors are responsible for regularly evaluating student learning outcomes transparently and fairly. They are also tasked with continuously monitoring and assessing activities to improve these outcomes. Additionally, directors must foster a positive learning environment characterized by enthusiasm, intimacy, and trust, ensuring that the school atmosphere supports teaching and learning effectively. School directors also manage all the schools' resources, and encourage teachers to use pedagogical skills that facilitate learning. Directors create a better learning environment that is fun and inspires confidence. They also support their teachers by motivating and encouraging them. They also conduct research to find good ways to make teaching and learning more effective. Additionally, directors organize staff and community meetings to review, improve, develop and implement curricula.
Promoting collaboration: According to the “Connecting the school and the community” standard of the 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, the school director is tasked with cultivating solid and enduring relationships with the community, authorities, parents, and other stakeholders. This responsibility includes engaging parents to enhance student enrollment and learning outcomes, elucidating the value of education, and sharing school achievements to foster community involvement. The director must effectively communicate the school's successes and engage the community in its endeavours, thus building a supportive network that reinforces its objectives. Additionally, the school director must establish networks with specialists and experts across various fields, such as vocational training, health, agriculture, industry, and more. This involves collaborating with these professionals to contribute to educational development and providing stakeholders with opportunities to participate in school activities. The director must also support and honour stakeholders, facilitating their involvement while being open to constructive criticism.
Supporting staff development: Under the “Leadership in Managing the Administration of the School” standard of the 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, directors are required to understand and support their teachers and staff comprehensively. This involves studying the teachers' backgrounds, history, residence, preferences, and retirement plans. Additionally, directors must facilitate opportunities for teachers and educational staff to pursue further studies and research, thereby enhancing their teaching knowledge and pedagogical skills. Moreover, the “Leadership on Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning” standard assigns directors responsible for encouraging effective pedagogical practices among teachers. They must motivate teachers to use precise teaching methods that promote student learning and ensure that lesson plans are correctly applied. Directors should also recognize and support well-performing teachers, provide opportunities for them to visit exemplary schools, and foster a culture of knowledge sharing and mutual learning among staff.
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: According to the “Ability and Qualifications of School Director” standard of The 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, school directors must embody a robust work ethic, maintain professional confidentiality, and demonstrate loyalty to their institution. They should possess extensive professional knowledge, value academic contributions, and uphold principles of non-discrimination and non-violence, exhibiting a life grounded in morality, virtue, and justice. Directors are also expected to foster trust within their unit, exhibit courage in communication and action, and take responsibility for their decisions. Transparency and accountability are also important qualities. Additionally, they should be knowledgeable about and committed to environmental protection, showing patience and flexibility in challenging situations.
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
According to the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS), school managers (/directors) for NGSs must be state employees of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS).
According to the 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, to qualify as a school director, candidates must meet several critical requirements that ensure their competence and effectiveness in the role. Firstly, they must hold at least a Bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification or demonstrate exceptional efficiency, as evidenced by recognition such as being named the best director in any given year. In addition to academic qualifications, candidates must possess a certification that attests to their professionalism in school leadership. Furthermore, a solid grasp of information and communication technology (ICT) is necessary, reflecting the modern educational environment's reliance on digital tools and resources. School directors should also have a broad cultural awareness, crucial for fostering an inclusive and dynamic school atmosphere. Proficiency in foreign languages is another essential requirement, facilitating effective communication in increasingly multicultural educational settings. Lastly, candidates must have at least five years of experience in classroom teaching or a specialized teaching role. The candidate should have exceptional characteristics with strong commitment, good communication skills, creativity, responsibilities, honesty, professional ethic and self-improvement.
Appointment decision
According to the 2016 Policy Guidelines for New Generations School (NGS), the oversight board is responsible for the recruitment of school managers (/directors) and teachers at NGSs (please note that NGS is a special case and it does not represent all public schools in Cambodia). According to the 2016 Decentralization and Reconcentration Policy Reform, public school director appointment has been transferred to subnational level. For public school director, the selection process is conducted by school committee involved by district and provincial officials. District officials then submit the list of proposed candidates to Provincial Governor for appointment.
Additionally, according to the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS), the oversight board is also responsible to convene and constitute a committee comprised of local educators and relevant stakeholders to interview prospective candidates for the posts of school managers (/directors) and teachers and submit a recommendation of the most qualified individual using the prescribed form (mentioned in the policy) to the board. However, the policy precludes oversight board from firing a school director; it is incumbent upon the said to formally communicate to the Provincial Office of Education, Youth, & Sport (POEYS) of the respective province. This communication should succinctly convey that the lack of performance on the part of the school director has consequently led to the forfeiture of accreditation status.
Employment equity measures
The employment equity measures for school principals are not explicitly provided for in laws, policies, strategies, or standards. However, the 2013 Teachers Policy aims to “improve conducive working environments and living conditions of female teachers and those who work in remote and disadvantaged areas through the provisions of salary, remuneration/compensation, social welfare, general benefits and retirement benefits”.
Working conditions
According to the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS), all school directors, teachers, and other relevant NGS staff are required to sign contracts that outline the professional expectations to be fulfilled and the conditions of payment. Notably, these contractual engagements are subject to annual renewal contingent upon consistent adherence to the performance benchmarks delineated within the policy framework. According to the School Directors’ standard document, the contract for the position is for five years after which school directors may change their place of work.
Furthermore, the policy provides supplementary remuneration in the form of incentivized supplements to base salaries to school directors, educators, librarians, counsellors and accountants. These additional compensatory mechanisms are designated as performance-based pay (PbP) and can be classified into two distinct categories: fixed disbursements contingent upon the accord among school directors and teachers to eliminate private tutoring practices and remunerative provisions predicated upon task-oriented accomplishments. The fixed incentives for teachers are designated to be established at 400,000 Riels ($100) per month for schools located outside the Phnom Penh area and 660,000 Riels ($165) per month within the confines of Phnom Penh. For school directors, the fixed incentives are mandated at a minimum of 1,000,000 Riels ($250) per month, with a corresponding rate of 800,000 Riels ($200) per month for vice directors. Notably, these figures represent the prescribed baseline rates, which may be augmented based on the availability of financial resources and subsequent endorsement by the oversight board.
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
Pre-service training
According to Article 20 of the 2007 Education Law, “the State shall train education personnel prior to the service”. However, the act does not mention the duration of the training.
Ensuring effective leadership and management of education officials at all levels is one of the overarching policies of the 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS). To monitor the progress of this policy, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) has identified eight core breakthrough indicators and annual targets. Training school principals in school-based management (SBM) and leadership at the primary and secondary levels is one of the essential targets. Furthermore, according to the 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan, school leadership and management skills are necessary to ensure accountability in making decisions, assessing students’ learning outcomes, and autonomy in using school resources.
In early childhood and education (ECE), the 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan targets training 200 school principals in SBM by 2023. In primary education, the 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan targets training 2500 school principals in SBM by 2023. In secondary education, the 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan targets training 1381 school principals in SBM by 2023. In the secondary and technical education sector, the 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan plans to implement the outstanding school principals’ contest and train national core trainers and inspectors to strengthen educational management at all levels.
According to the 2022-2023 Education, Youth and Sport Performance report for the academic year 2021-22 and the goals for the academic Year 2022-23, 84 (16 females) leaders and principals from pedagogical institutes and regional pedagogical and teacher training institutions received capacity development training on policy and management leadership.
In 2018 National Institute of Education (NIE) established professional training program for upper-secondary directors. This program is for those who wish to become school principals and work for upper secondary schools. The candidates who fulfill the training course criteria will receice a certificate specialized in school leadership which is equivalce to master degree. The candidates who completed the course have higher percentage to be selected as principals, however MoEYS never quarentee for the appointment (MoEYS, 2018a)
Induction and in-service training
According to Article 20 of the 2007 Education Law, “the State shall train education personnel in service”. However, the 2007 Education Law does not mention the duration of the training.
In terms of the content of the training, the 2007 Education Law emphasizes pedagogical training for educational personnel (except professors and staff working in higher educational establishments) recognized by the Ministry in charge of Education.
As per the objectives delineated in the 2016 Policy Guidelines for New Generations School (NGS), the personnel affiliated with NGS establishments undergo training facilitated by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS). This training process is underpinned by instructional materials derived from the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS). These training materials are disseminated through a collaborative effort involving national staff and trainers drawn from external institutions, development partners, and civil society entities.
The 2021 Guide to Continuous Professional Development Handbook for Teachers, School Directors, and Education Specialists outlines a strategic approach to enhancing the competencies of school directors. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has developed a comprehensive questionnaire to facilitate the identification and preparation of continuous professional development activities. This tool is designed to assess the professional development needs of school directors, ensuring that targeted and effective training programs can be implemented to promote their growth and effectiveness in their roles.
Apart from pre-service, induction, and in-service training, the 2024-2030 Teacher Policy Action Plan aims to enhance and develop the leadership skills of school directors and strengthen coaching and mentoring support systems for school directors.
For in-service training, MoEYS created leadership Upgrading Program (LUP) run by Royal University of Phno Penh (RUPP) under the support of development partners to provide leadership training to directors and vice directors from lower secondary schools. (Soth et al., 2020)
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
The 2016 Policy Guidelines for New Generations School (NGS) aims to create an evaluation and accrediting sub-committee recommending to the board to accredit NGSs and manage social equity funds. According to the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS), the constituents of a “school support committee” are democratically elected by parents and guardians.
The 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan aims to establish school management committees and strengthen and expand the implementation of school management committees. According to the plan, school principals initiate the establishment of school management committees and encourage communities to become involved in school management. The main responsibilities of school management committees includes: approving school development strategic plan, annual school operational plan and submitting requests for disbursement of annual school improvement fund; overseeing the implementation of the school improvement fund, executed by schools; strengthening the implementation of mechanisms and tools for enhancing accountability and responsibility; improving budget transparency; introducing results-based school management system in accordance with good governance principles, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness, and achieving progress as proof of student achievement; providing key roles to teachers, communities, authorities, and parents in the planning and implementation of school development plans and annual school operational plans by creating a transparent process for the monitoring of school budget implementation; creating a mechanism to evaluate performance and monitor education quality, especially student learning outcomes, against standard tests; holding annual meeting with teachers, parents, community members and local authorities to discuss the development and implementation of school development plans and annual operational plans, and proposes measures to improve school performance.
Furthermore, in the primary education sector, the plan aims to provide training to school management committees on standardized school development plans and resource mobility from communities, donors and development partners. In the secondary and technical education sector, the plan aims to provide on-the-job training for school management committees on school-based management.
3.2. Middle leaders
According to the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS), teachers are expected to plan professional goals with school managers and technical grade/subject leaders and undergo regular conferencing to update these goals. Based on the school-based mentoring system approach, teachers are selected to become mentors (described in the policy as “new teachers”) based on their ability to demonstrate excellent teaching practice and other qualifying credentials, such as a degree in mentoring techniques. Furthermore, the policy expect teachers to be members of a professional learning community (PLC) where they are required to engage in the systematic dissemination of information pertinent to their scholarly excursions and educational undertakings.
3.3. Parents
The 2007 Education Law does not mention parent-teacher associations. However, according to Article 36 of the 2007 Education Law, keeping the relationship between school families and the community to participate in vocational education and reform the educational environment is one of the main obligations of parents or guardians of minors.
According to the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS), parents are invited to contribute their insights to the governance of NGSs via a designated school support committee. Furthermore, parents can petition local oversight boards for governance and educational services changes in the later years of NGS programming.
There is also a mention of linking schools to local communities, authorities, and parents in the 2016 Decentralization and Reconcentration Policy Reform. Furthermore, one of the strategic goals of the 2024-2030 Teacher Policy Action Plan is to strengthen the roles and responsibilities of School Management Committees (SMCs) to promote parental involvement for timely enrolment and completion of basic education and how families can support children's learning at home including for children with disabilities, and other priority issues.
3.4. Students
There are no rules or standards for the composition of student councils at NGSs. Nevertheless, the 2016 Policy Guidelines for New Generations School (NGS) facilitate an augmented role for students in the administration of novel infrastructural and service-related endeavours. This encompassing involvement extends to providing new services geared towards youth centers within the school, where students can formulate distinct activities, use specialized investment allocations dispensed by NGSs, and access counselling services.
In public schools, according to the 2017 Policy on Youth and Children Council, youth and children councils are created to give students opportunity to learn more from specific school activities related to leading activities, developing skill, responsibilities, critical thinking, and solving problem and communication. Furthermore, through these councils, students learn to lead their team in the classroom.
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
According to Article 37 of the 2007 Education Law, educational personnel have the right to actively and fully participate in developing educational standards at local and national levels, directly or through their representatives.
The 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS) provides operational autonomy to school managers (/directors) to innovate and ensure high professional standards at all levels. The realms within which operational autonomy is vested encompass, while not being exhaustively limited to, the augmentation of curricular frameworks, the reduction of pupil-classroom ratios, the external recruitment of pedagogical and ancillary staff, the administration of student entrance exams, the formulation of instructional plans and classroom records in electronic formats, the acquisition of licensed software solutions, as well as the imposition of voluntary study-related fees on parents with the assent of the local community.
According to the “Ability and Qualifications of School Director” standard of The 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, school directors are responsible for managing and allocating financial resources within the school. Furthermore, they are also required to organize an accounting and financial management system that is transparent, accountable, secure, and reliable. However, the framework does not imply that school directors have the primary responsibility for deciding on budget allocations within the school.
The School Director Standards give directors the right to accept or reject and terminate employees on a contractual basis. They also have the right to offer regular incentives to employees as well as allowances according to the size of the work.
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
The 2016 Policy Guidelines for New Generations School (NGS) ensures that NGSs are endowed with exceptionally proficient school managers (/directors) and teachers who undergo a process of a meticulous annual evaluation by the oversight board to ascertain their eligibility for contract renewal at NGSs. The Policy aims to create national and provincial (/subnational) oversight boards that will hold schools and school managers accountable for their performance. It explicitly set out rules for the composition of these governance boards. Notably, the Minister of Education, Youth, and Sport presides over the national oversight board for NGSs. This supervisory entity necessitates the presence of a confluence of representatives from pertinent government departments, developmental collaborators, and private sector delegates. Correspondingly, under the purview of the Director of the Provincial Office of Education, Youth, and Sport, the provincial (/subnational) boards are mandated to encompass a blend of representatives from pertinent government departments, developmental collaborators, and private sector delegates.
According to the 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS), national oversight boards are responsible for approving and administering all government investment and social equity funds (which aims to ensure that negotiations with parents for contributions do not impact negatively on low-income families); monitoring NGS core principles as well as processes of implementation; NGS Policy formulation and revision; and accreditation decisions.
The provincial (/subnational) oversight boards are supplementary to the national oversight boards, undertaking four fundamental responsibilities. These encompass the review and endorsement of monthly expenditure solicitations forwarded by schools, the recruitment of educators along with the issuance of official appointment correspondence to personnel, the oversight of process indicators through the utilization of the stipulated assessment template, and the identification of schools for potential designation as NGSs. This latter designation is subsequently subject to scrutiny by national oversight boards, which will render a decision of acceptance or rejection predicated upon its appropriateness for investment.
According to the 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, teachers and school directors conduct their self-assessment. For this, they are expected to maintain a career passport documenting their professional activities. This includes a daily self-assessment after work which takes 10-15 minutes. To ensure continuous professional growth, annual or bi-annual performance appraisals will be mandatory for all teachers and school directors, including their deputies, and will be integrated into their professional portfolios. In lieu of this, the Ministry has updated self-assessement tools for schools principals working in early childhood centres and secondary schools.
Strengthening comprehensive inspection of school principals is one of the seven reforms of the 2019-23 Education Strategic Plan.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
The 2019 Operational Policy Guidelines for New Generation Schools (NGS) provides operational autonomy to school managers (/directors) to recruit pedagogical and ancillary staff. Furthermore, according to the Policy Guidelines, it is incumbent upon NGSs to establish and sustain individualized box files for each teacher, librarian, and counsellor. These comprehensive files are designed to document changes in their performance trajectories meticulously. These records encompass, but are not confined to, interview evaluation scores, scores derived from classroom observation assessments, minutes of conferencing sessions, delineation of career trajectory planning, and associated materials.
According to the Leadership in Managing the Administration of the School standard of the 2019 Continuous Professional Development Framework for Teachers and School Directors, school directors are tasked with evaluating teachers' work with complete transparency. This responsibility ensures that evaluations are conducted fairly and openly, fostering an environment of trust and accountability within the school. In addition, according to the Leadership on Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning standard, school directors must prepare and regularly implement inspection plans to support teachers and observe classroom teaching to provide motivational feedback. Furthermore, directors are responsible for evaluating learning outcomes, documenting teaching and learning progress, and assessing teachers' strengths and weaknesses.
This profile was reviewed by SENG Sovath, Deputy Director of Legislation Department, MoEYS.
