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 2000 Law No. 96/AN/00/4e L on the orientation of the education system of Djibouti and the 2012 Law No. 164/AN/12/6ème L organizing the Ministry of National Education and professional training both use the term school director or “directeurs d’écoles.”
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
The Ministry of Education and Professional Training’s 2017-2020 Education Action Plan mentions that a guide will be developed on the roles of the director in order to support him in carrying out his administrative, financial, and educational tasks.
The Teacher Competency Evaluation and Certification Guide (2023), developed through a collaborative effort involving officials from the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFOP) of Djibouti and an expert from GTE7 to promote an evaluation culture supporting the APPRENDRE program, presents a framework of teacher competencies. However, it does not address the competencies of school principals.
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: The 2017-2020 Education Action Plan mentioned that in 2016, all public schools developed an “establishment project” spread over two to three years with a focus on improving teaching. The Expanding Learning Opportunities Project (P166059) mentioned that a number of school leaders have had experience developing school improvement plans. School leaders were also trained in school management as part of a government project.
Developing teaching and learning: According to the Expanding Learning Opportunities Project (P166059), by the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (2021), school directors are responsible for pedagogy and ensuring quality of education. They also work to improve the school’s climate. The 2010-2019 Master Plan states that it is the responsibility of school principals and inspectors to restructure pedagogical oversight to meet the needs of teachers and schools.
Promoting collaboration: According to the Expanding Learning Opportunities Project (P166059), school directors are trained in community relations. They also work together with the school management team and help to establish parent associations and student councils.
Supporting staff development: According to the Expanding Learning Opportunities Project (P166059), school directors must work to support their teaching team in school.
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: The country has adopted an ethical axis and means of work for educators as well as a new integrated charter of rights and duties of the teaching profession in Djibouti.
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
ll school leaders must pass the “Application Master Training Aptitude Certificate-CAFMA,” a diploma demonstrating competence in teaching support (which all APs must possess), thereby strengthening the school principal's ability to support their teaching team at school.
To become teachers and eventually principals, candidates must first pass an entrance exam for the Centre de Formation des Enseignants de l’Enseignement Fondamental (CFEEF) at the bachelor's degree level (Licence 3). Those who succeed undergo a year of initial training at CFEEF and receive a certificate to advance to the second year. In the second year, trainees are designated as "professeur-stagiaire" and are evaluated through visits from trainers, pedagogical advisors, and inspectors. The process concludes with a final evaluation for permanent status.
Appointment decision
According to the 2000 Law No. 96/AN/00/4e L on the orientation of the education system of Djibouti, management personnel are appointed after registration on a list of suitable candidates by decree in the council of ministers. Middle and high school principals are recruited through competition as stated in the 2017-2020 Education Action Plan. The decision to move to merit-based recruitment and selection of school leaders was made in January 2019.
The 2010-2019 Master Plan aims to establish a regulatory framework for the recruitment and training of school leadership and student life staff.
Employment equity measures
No information was found.
Working conditions
According to the 2000 Law No. 96/AN/00/4e L on the orientation of the education system of Djibouti, education staff are hired as civil servants and on a contractual basis. Civil servants are governed by the General Civil Service Statute, while contract workers are governed by the collective agreement and the labour code. Supervisory, animation and inspection staff may be members of a trade union organization, provided that they do not manage a body. Trade union organizations are involved in the development of all measures affecting the general direction and/or likely to have repercussions on the life of the education system.
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
The 2010-2019 Master Plan states that, with the goal of establishing a Higher Institute for Education Professions within the university by 2012, the Ministry will develop and validate a training framework for school leadership, management, guidance, and student life staff, as well as institutional frameworks regulating the recruitment, training, and certification of these educational personnel.
Pre-service training
The 2017-2020 Education Action Plan aims to develop and provide a 6-month initial training course for school directors. Teacher training courses are developed through an agreement between the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
The professionalization of educational staff is a key component of the quality improvement strategy outlined in the 2010-2019 Master Plan. To this end, the state mandates that the recruitment of school principals be contingent upon completing initial training.
Induction and in-service training
The training of education staff is a prerogative of the state and is provided in training centers. The 2017-2020 Education Action Plan does plan for the revision of the job profile of school directors with emphasis on their training. The aim is to strengthen their capacity to contribute to the objectives of respecting school time, reducing repetition, supporting children in difficulty and, more broadly, supporting teachers in their teaching practices. Part of the tracked goals includes the training of current directors in the development of dashboards and establishment projects. In the 2014-2018 project on the quality of access to education (PAEQ (P145323)), mentioned by the Expanding Learning Opportunities Project (P166059), school heads were trained in school management, community relations, pedagogy and finances.
The framework for the reinstallation policy (CPR) of the Expanding Learning Opportunities Project (2019) by the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training provides specialized training for school principals in managing "school projects," which include mechanisms for consultation with communities and parents. It aims to strengthen the capacity of school principals in designing, implementing, analyzing, and interpreting learning outcomes. The Quality Education Access Project (PAEQ) (P145323) also supports the efforts of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFOP) to enhance school principals' skills in leadership and learning management. It introduces a mandatory competency test for all principals, including those already in position. To increase their supervisory roles, the project will provide capacity building and training in areas such as (a) lesson planning, including giving quality feedback to teachers and improving lesson plans; (b) data-driven teaching, enabling principals to work with teachers on strategies like re-teaching or differentiated instruction based on assessment data; and (c) observation and feedback to help principals identify teachers needing additional guidance and support.
The Education Sector Response Plan to the COVID-19 Crisis by the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (2020) includes training and raising awareness among school principals about monitoring absences and mobilizing efforts to improve student retention.
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
The 2000 Law No. 96/AN/00/4e L on the orientation of the education system of Djibouti affirms that schools may have a Committee of Management of the Establishment (Comité de gestion de l’établissement) which representatives of parents of students, teachers, and members of the establishment’s management. Each school in Djibouti has a School Management Committee. The 2017-2020 Education Action Plan also calls for a specific body of school management staff whose members are recruited through competition. School cooperatives collect and manage, in collaboration with school directors, funds intended for supplies, teaching materials, maintenance costs and examination fees.
3.2. Middle leaders
Legislation and policies which mention middle leaders were not found.
3.3. Parents
Parent associations work in partnership with the school committee of management according to the 2000 Law No. 96/AN/00/4e L on the orientation of the education system of Djibouti. The law also gives parents the right to participate in the life of establishments either individually or collectively within the framework of freely constituted associations or initiatives. Each school has a Parents’ Association which helps to share information with families, promote student enrollment and attendance, and support school activities.
3.4. Students
The 2000 Law No. 96/AN/00/4e L on the orientation of the education system of Djibouti states that a “council of pupil or student delegates is created in secondary and higher education establishments which are represented in deliberative bodies requiring their presence.” Pupils must have the right to freedom of expression as long as it does not prejudice teaching activities. The law also declares that secondary school and high education students have the right to create associations with the aim of defending their rights and interests, moral and material, both collective and individual.”
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
Educational institutions must follow the government’s national programme and curriculums. They may develop their own establishment project and extracurriculars which is subject to evaluation. Human resources and budgetary and financial issues are managed by the General Directorate of Administration. The administration also is responsible for planning and implementing continuing staff training programmes.
School cooperatives collect and manage, in collaboration with school principals, funds allocated for supplies, teaching materials, maintenance costs, and examination fees. They exist at both the primary and secondary education levels.
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
To help strengthen the management of educational establishments, the 2017-2020 Education Action Plan aims to carry out regular evaluations based on student achievement. This may result in reinforced monitoring of schools.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
There is no legislation or policy found that requires school leaders to assess the teachers.
The Teacher Competency Evaluation and Certification Guide (2023), developed collaboratively by Djibouti's Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFOP) and an expert from GTE7, aims to foster a culture of evaluation supporting the APPRENDRE program. The guide details the evaluation process, emphasizing that professors and educational advisors, who fulfill dual roles as both trainers and evaluators, are responsible for assessing trainees. Each evaluator must provide an individual assessment to validate the trainee’s certification. However, the guide does not mention the role of school principals in the evaluation process.
