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 2020 National Policy on Teachers uses the terms “proviseur” or “directeur” to describe school leaders. The 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan also uses the term “directeur.”
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
A set of competency standards for school leaders in Togo does not yet exist. However, the 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan does seek to develop a tool defining the role of school principals. The World Bank’s Improving Quality and Equity of Basic Education Project (PAQEEB) focuses on improving governance and management of the education system. It mention developing standards for educators
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: School directors have a management mission and are responsible for the administrative and educational aspects of the establishment. The 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan seeks to strengthen directors' abilities to pilot and manage schools in aspects such as finances, administrative management, and educational management. The sector plan also mentions school development plans; without specifying who is responsible for their development.
Developing teaching and learning: The supervision of teachers recruited and relaying administrative instructions from inspections is also a responsibility of directors. Directors should also be able to have skills in analyzing statistical data and dashboards.
Promoting collaboration: While school directors are not explicitly directed to promote collaboration, community partnerships are key to a successful school. This includes partnerships with other villages, partnerships with the Primary Education Inspectorate, partnerships with NGOs or missions; and partnerships with rural communes.
Supporting staff development: Directors ensure a natural training function and educational supervision of their teachers. Their supervision and advice in particular aim to support teachers' awareness and application of the national education program as well as their ability to keep course preparation notes and develop educational sheets. Other qualities include maintaining various administrative and educational documents; school time management; managing a multi-grade class; and preparing and conducting evaluations.
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: Togo’s Ordinance No. 16 of 6 May 1975, which set up the education system in Togo, states in Article 16 that all teaching and administrative staff in schools must have the moral conditions essential to the accomplishment of their mission. Furthermore, Law No. 2013-002 Providing General Status of the Togolese Public Service details the standards of ethics and professional conduct which are imposed on civil servants- including school directors. It states, “the civil servant placed with regard to the Administration in a regulatory and statutory situation has the obligation to respect the rules and principles of ethics, professional conduct and morality as they result from this general statute, and where applicable, the statute which governs it.”
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
To become a director, applicants must pass an examination and receive the Certificate of Professional Aptitude for the Direction of General Education Colleges (CAP-DCEG). In addition, a school director must have a bachelor’s degree in a teaching discipline, a certificate of aptitude for teacher in a general education school, or a certificate of completion of studies from a higher education college. They must also have at least 10 years’ experience in a public general education school; and register with the inspectorate of affiliation.
Appointment decision
The school director is appointed by the Directorate. For an EDIL school, this happens after the school has existed for several years and has a sufficiently large staff.
Employment equity measures
The 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan does mention the gender disparities in the field, where only 12.48% of public schools are headed by women. The plan states that “steps will be taken to promote more female directors.” Strategies include “special measures to promote the entry of women into the teaching profession with (1) the establishment of flexible criteria and “quotas” for new recruitments and the (ii) creation of toilets for female teachers in schools”. The plan also calls for incentive measures to encourage women to pursue the careers and to put in place security arrangements for areas where women can teach.
Working conditions
School directors are known as civil servants who are paid by the state. As such, Law No. 2013-002 Providing General Status of the Togolese Public Service governs the working conditions of school directors. The 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan mentions teacher unions and encourages their involvement in improving educational outcomes. As of 2022, the State will now allocate a new monthly allowance of 12,000 CFA francs to directors of preschool and public primary school.
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
Pre-service training
Togo’s Ordinance No. 16 of 6 May 1975, states that “the quality of education provided depends on the Qualification of the master, a sound personnel policy teacher must be applied. Every teacher must be prepared for his career by a Teacher Training Institute.” The State fully covers the processing of all teaching, technical and administrative staff of all degrees of education. All future teachers must be recruited with a secondary school diploma and three years of general and professional training. In the end, teachers must have a professional teaching license. According to the 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan, there is no specific training for directors in Togo; however, one of the priorities of the sector plan is to “strengthen the educational, administrative and financial management capacities of school directors through the development of continuing education and online certification training (Strategy S12.1).” The plan calls for the use of ICT in initial teacher training.
Induction and in-service training
Togo’s Ordinance No. 16 of 6 May 1975, states that “the quality of education provided depends on the Qualification of the master, a sound personnel policy teacher must be applied. Every teacher must be prepared for his career by a Teacher Training Institute.” The State fully covers the processing of all teaching, technical and administrative staff of all degrees of education. All future teachers must be recruited with a secondary school diploma and three years of general and professional training. In the end, teachers must have a professional teaching license. According to the 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan, there is no specific training for directors in Togo; however, one of the priorities of the sector plan is to “strengthen the educational, administrative and financial management capacities of school directors through the development of continuing education and online certification training (Strategy S12.1).” The plan calls for the use of ICT in initial teacher training.
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
Decree No. 2012-007/PR stipulates that a management committee shall be established in each school. The school management committee develops, implements, supports and evaluates development projects; mobilizes stakeholders around the objectives of their structure's development project; contributes to the development of local education development plans; and promotes training activities. Primary School Management Committees (COGEPs) are recognised by law as "guidance, planning and decision-making bodies for the management of financial and material resources in public primary schools and local initiative schools". They are composed of an executive board, a police station, members elected by the students' parents, representatives of the community and teachers of the school.
The school committee is created at the district level. A school subcommittee is responsible for each canton and municipality. The school committee reviews topics such as school attendance; hygiene and cleanliness; the creation, opening, construction, transformations, status changes, extensions and deletions of classes of public and private establishments; the provision of furniture; the definition of parental participation in school life; and the creation and promotion of pre- and post-school activities.
3.2. Middle leaders
According to the 2020-2030 Education Sector Plan, a “professional teaching master” title can be obtained after receiving the professional teaching license or basic license in a secondary 2 discipline or equivalent. The applicant must then go through two years of training.
3.3. Parents
The Children's Charter guarantees the creation of parents' committees in public and private educational establishments. The Federations of Parents' Associations were involved in the development of the Education Sector Plan. They are also represented in the various bodies of the Education Sector Plan steering system. Togo’s Ordinance No. 16 of 6 May 1975 states that school financing may come from parental involvement. Local Initiative Schools (EDIL) that began operating as local initiatives have parent committees. These committees are supported by human, social, material, and financial contributions from women groups, agricultural groups, and the community, all of which are used to support the schools. The parents' association gives its opinion on issues such as the organization of mutual societies, school canteens, and medical services. They also participate in school construction work and maintenance of the premises. They help provide equipment and teaching materials for teachers. Additionally, parent committees have a role to play in teacher management (recruitment, attendance monitoring, remuneration, and accommodation).
3.4. Students
No information was found.
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
School directors in Togo have autonomy regarding the financial management of schools.
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
The Primary Education Inspectorate (Inspection de l’enseignement du premier degré) has the responsibility of administrative and educational supervision of schools. They conduct at least one annual administrative supervision visit each year and conduct educational supervision through inspection of the educational advisors and teachers.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
According to the 2020 National Policy on Teachers, principals do evaluate their teachers and write reports on their performance in an effort to raise teachers' awareness and train them in the challenges of performance evaluation. School directors participate in the evaluation of the teacher using the criteria: knowledge, methods, behavior, attendance, animation, and efficiency. For example, a director may look at teachers’ preparation notebooks and give feedback on them.
