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 Law nº2022-010 (2022) modifying Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law mentions the “Head of School” (Chef d’Établissement), “Pedagogical Advisor” (Conseiller Pédagogique), “Centre Director for Educational Activities” (Directeur de Centre d’Animation pédagogique) and “Regional Pedagogical Inspector for Secondary Education” (Inspecteur pédagogique regional de l’Enseignement) as the hierarchy in the teaching profession.
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide uses the term school director (directeur d’école (DE)), school administrator (administrateurs scolaires), and head of school (chef d’établissement). Administration is defined as “a social process capable of formally and informally identifying, maintaining, stimulating, controlling and unifying organized humans and material energies into an integrated system capable of accomplishing pre-established objectives.” School administrators fulfill requirements within that framework by establishing and applying processes, procedures, and human and material techniques to achieve educational objectives.
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide, developed by the Ministry of National Education, is used as a reference tool for administrators, including school directors. It does not seem to be mandatory to follow.
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law gives school leaders the responsibility managing the organization and animation of school life. The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide describes the planning that educational administration is required to do. By school year, administrators must establish a schedule of activities and a work plan. Example activities include back-to-school tasks, educational monitoring, teacher training actions, and school activities such as celebrations and sports competitions. The work plan is based on the regional and national action plans. It specifies the school’s objectives, expected results, results indicators, those responsible for the activities, sources of financing, execution period, and cost. The schedule and work plan can be further divided by quarter, month, and week. Each school must have its own development plan.
Developing teaching and learning: The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide gives school directors the responsibility for ensuring the school environment is clean and conducive to learning. They provide and distribute all the supplies and teaching materials needed to ensure that classes and teachers are equipped for a good start. School directors help to plan educational activities and ensure the safeguarding of school heritage. Of course, directors must have a working knowledge of legislation, effective teaching, and the national curriculum. They may guide teachers through observation and encouragement, informing and training them in the field of experimentation and educational innovation.
Promoting collaboration: According to Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law, school leaders should coordinate between different stakeholders in the educational community. The benefit from the collaboration and help of local authorities and parents. The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide states that the Head of School is a true facilitator of social life around the school, acting as a conduit between the school and parents, and organizing complementary relationships between the place of learning and the learner's social, cultural, and economic environment. It encourages school leaders to build fruitful partnerships with parents, youth, sports, and charitable associations; resource organizations; the village community; and neighboring, distant or foreign establishments. They must also ensure communication and encourage cooperation with internal and external partners through various means. Chapter IV in the guide completely focuses on communication and partnership and includes instruction on how to develop and communications plan.
According to the 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide, the Head of the School is also responsible for all external relations (Minister, Director of the Académie d'Enseignement, regional authorities, parents, other departments, etc.).
Supporting staff development: Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law asks school leaders to ensure the animation and supervision of teachers in initial and continuous training. The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide states that school directors are responsible for identifying teachers’ weaknesses and remedying them. They should meet frequently with staff to see problems and find solutions together.
The Ten-Year Programme for the Development of Second Generation Education and Vocational Training (PRODEC 2) 2019-28 aims to improve the skills of school managers in planning training plans for their teachers.
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: A Code of Ethics and Deontology for Teachers and Researchers exists at the higher education level, but no similar code has been found for school directors at the primary and secondary levels.
Others: School directors must meet with representatives of the union and the school management committee to keep them informed of upcoming activities, the progress of the school, concerns and priorities as well as problems. To keep up their skills, school directors must make it a point to teach from time to time.
According to the Law nº2022-010 (2022), the duties of the Head of School are based on merit; the training profile; the professional experience and competence; the character; the rank, and; the hierarchy within the corps.
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
The “category advancement” procedure described in the 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide seems to describe the path by which teachers may become a school administrator. Category advancement gives teachers access to a higher hierarchy and can only be achieved through recruitment and a job vacancy. Category advancement is carried out through professional or internal competition. These competitions are open to civil servants who must be at least three (3) years from retirement, have at least seven (7) years of seniority in his or her corps (category C), and three (3) years seniority in his body (category B1). Advancement through training requires that the civil servant has successfully completed studies at the level corresponding to the accession category.
The degree requirements for teachers are found in Law No. 2018-007 on the status of teaching staff in secondary education, basic education, preschool, and special education.
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide mentions as Teaching Academies, the Institut de Formation des Maîtres (IFM), the Centre d’Animation Pédagogique (CAP), Professional Schools and High schools.
Appointment decision
Article 60 of Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law states that the positions of head of establishment and directors are subject to competitive examination. According to the 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide, school administrators are appointed at the central level. At the secondary level, directors are appointed from among the teachers of Secondary and Technical Education, by order of the Minister and on the proposal of the director of general secondary education.
Employment equity measures
No information was found.
Working conditions
School staff may be civil servants or contract workers. School directors are also protected by the 1992 Labor Code. There are several teachers' unions in Mali of which teachers and school administrators can join. The main ones are the National Teachers' Union, the National Union of Education and Culture (SNEC), and the National Education Federation (FEN).
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
Pre-service training
The Law nº2022-010 (2022) states that managers appointed to hierarchical positions undergo training beforehand to enable them to carry out their roles and responsibilities. The national education and vocational training policy for 2019 to 2028 is outlined in the document detailing the main educational policy guidelines of the Ten-Year Programme for the Development of Second Generation Education and Vocational Training (PRODEC 2) 2019-28, along with its related amendments. Strategies in the Program include the strengthening of existing teacher training schools and/or doctoral schools in terms of training content and professional skills of the teaching and management staff. Specifically, plans include strengthening the training of normal education teachers with a view to future supervisory positions.
Induction and in-service training
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide was developed to address the lack of specific training for school administrators. It highlights the importance of continuous training for teachers. It states that continuous training must primarily target student success and school improvement. Training actions must have precise objectives and start with the identification of needs. Each level selects the training needs for which it considers to be priorities and for which it has the resources. For school directors, training is managed and organized by the Centre d’animation pédagogique (CAP). The director of the CAP participates in the identification of training needs for directors; designs and develops modules in related to the identified needs; and carries out the evaluation. The Ten-Year Programme for the Development of Second Generation Education and Vocational Training (PRODEC 2) 2019-28 discusses the need for school managers to be trained in management and leadership.
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law defines the “educational community” as all the people who participate, in one way or another, in carrying out education and training activities. This includes learners, teachers, parents of students, training staff, administration, management and educational support. Article 58 states that a management body is established in each school and university establishment. The organization and operating methods of these bodies are established by Order No. 04-0469/MEN-SG, which mandates the establishment of a School Management Committee or Comité de gestion scolaire (CGS) at every school. According to the order, the School Management Committee is a body for the participation of teachers, parents of pupils and other partners and stakeholders in the management of the school. School Management Committees have the missions of creating and consolidating partnerships in the service of the school; studying any question relating to the life of the school; ensuring the provision of goods and services useful to the school; preparing the start of the school year; preparing the financial report; developing and implementing the school development plan; and preparing the annual report. The School Management Committee develops school projects and submits them to the local authorities for approval. The School Director/Head of Establishment, a Teacher Representative, a Student Representative, two Parent Representatives and two Civil Society Representatives, at least one of whom is a woman, are ex officio members of the Committee with voting rights. Members are selected for three-year terms which are renewable.
The 2010 Guide on the democratic establishment/renewal of School Management Committees and the 2010 Training Module for School Management Committees (SMCs) in participatory school management techniques serve as reference documents for these committees. Both were developed with the support of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide describes three additional councils of which the school director leads. The Teacher’s Council, the Disciplinary Council, and the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council includes two parents, two teachers, and two students. It is responsible for taking care of educational guidance and administration in the establishment and making suggestions to the Management. Its role is essentially advisory.
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide mentions that the Head of the School is an ex-officio member of the Parents' Association, the CGS, and the Union Committee.
3.2. Middle leaders
According to the 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide teachers do have a career system which they can advance in step, grade, and category. The step advancement takes place at least every two years and consists of moving to the next higher level of the grade scale. Grade advancement is driven purely by professional merit. They take place annually and consist of promoting the teacher to the grade immediately higher. Category advancement gives teachers access to a higher hierarchy, such as that of a school director. Law No. 2018-007 on the status of teaching staff in secondary education, basic education, preschool, and special education states that there are three grades: the third grade comprising seven steps, the second-grade comprising four steps, the first grade with three steps, and the exceptional grade with two steps. Teachers may become master teachers after three years and then associate teachers after five more years and successfully undergo an exam.
Other school leaders include the “Censeur,” the Director of Studies, the Bursar, and the General Overseer; all of which are appointed by order of the Minister and from existing teachers. The first two middle leaders serve as a point of contact for teachers in their relationship with students and in the organization of lessons. They direct and organize the students’ studies, control the work and attendance of teachers, and help to manage the supplies and materials of the school. They also contribute three to six hours of teaching. The overseer looks after the school’s documents and organization. The bursar functions as a financial agent and supports the school director with administration.
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide mentions the important roles that the administrators have within the school. For example, it is the responsibility of individual teachers, teacher collectives, and school administrators to prepare a schedule of activities for the upcoming school year starting in September. This should take into account the various activities of the school, including follow-up and teacher training. Furthermore, the administrator must place great importance on the meetings they organize as part of the management of their department. Among the different types of meetings are those with pedagogical objectives, such as identifying collective training needs and planning training sessions.
3.3. Parents
Chapter 4 of Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law focuses on parents and their responsibility to ensure their children are enrolled and attend school. Parents participate in the management and running of establishments. They sit on the various deliberative bodies of educational institutions under conditions set by school regulations. It does not mention parent associations or other such modes of organization. The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide encourages partnerships with parent associations. According to this guide, Parents’ Associations or Associations des parents d’élèves (APE) have been the primary partners of Malian schools since the 1962 reform. APEs constitute the first link in the chain of school partners, their main role being to support the Government's educational actions and schooling efforts for the benefit of the population.
3.4. Students
Article 15 of Law No. 99-046 on the Education Framework Law states that pupils and students are members of the educational community and as such, they sit in deliberative bodies where their representation is required. The internal regulations of establishments determine, for each level of the education system, the conditions of their representation and the modalities of their participation. Furthermore, the law gives secondary school pupils and students the right to organize themselves into associations. Within these associations, they may polish the defense of their materials, moral interests, and the development of their schools. While students do have this right, there is no mandate for the establishment of student associations at every educational institution.
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
The first Programme for the Development of Education (PRODEC) called for the decentralization of public administration and the development of democratic management. This gave more responsibilities to school administrators. School directors preside over the development of the establishment’s budget and are responsible for authorizing the budget of the Establishment: revenue and expenses. The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide also notes that for school directors to better play their management role, they must have powers in regard to the acquisition of personnel, their retention, their evaluation, and their promotion.
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
According to the 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide, schools are assessed by the director of the local education center at least once a year. During these visits, the director carries out checks on the management of the school director.
The DCAP carries out local monitoring activities; it must visit all the schools in its district at least once a year, and during these visits, it will carry out a quick check on the school principal's management and at least one classroom visit, with a supporting inspection report.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
The 2006 School Administrator's Practical Guide notes the importance of educational evaluation for the success of teachers’ educational actions. The guide details the process of “proximity monitoring,” or close educational supervision by the head of the establishment. This includes components such as educational supervision and classroom visits. It is an opportunity to evaluate the material working conditions of teachers and students; the methodologies chosen by teachers and their effectiveness; and the interpersonal skills of teachers. Class visits also help to identify and measure the gaps between the results obtained by the teacher and those expected. The school head must communicate to the supervisee what they have observed, identifying the strengths and weaknesses, and asking for the supervisee’s opinion. According to the guide, the “best directors practice minute management by visiting each teacher daily for about a minute”; instead of punishing errors, they use it as an opportunity for training and improvement. Additionally, the guide provides evaluation forms of which the school director can use during full evaluations and classroom observations.
