Vacancies for school principals to be advertised at beginning of September
schools
02 Aug 2022
/ 20:22
CORFU. The positions in Corfu are 158 and they concern nursery schools, primary schools, junior high schools and high schools.
It is estimated that vacancies for principals in the country's schools will be advertised at the beginning of September at the latest, a process that has already been significantly delayed. The positions in Corfu are 158 and concern nursery schools, primary schools, junior high schools and high schools.
The Ionian Islands Regional Director of Secondary Education Petros Aggelopoulos said that the Ministry of Education is preparing the online platform where the applications will be submitted by those interested. The aim is to complete the process before Christmas, so that the principals can be placed in their positions immediately.
Nothing has been done since 2017
The last time such a procedure was held for this category was in 2017, while since then the existing principals have remained in their positions following an extension that was given, which normally had expired in August 2021.
According to the Teachers Union President Antonis Koursaris, the Ministry is now trying to move forward with the procedures as quickly as possible, since many of the teachers who had these positions are now retiring. "No one knows what the Ministry of Education's plan is. It is also under pressure due to the retirements and it is now at a dead end. Such a process has not been done since 2017 and either the deputy principal should be appointed as a temporary principal or there should be a local advertisement for the position. In Corfu the principals of the Old Town Primary School, the 7th Primary School, the Kinopiastes Primary School and two primary schools in Lefkimmi have retired," he said.
The delay
The long delay in completing the process for the new principals - from whom the procedures for filling the educators' positions is starting and which lasted for 7 months - has changed the Ministry's initial planning. As Mr. Koursaris pointed out, due to the delay in the process of appointing new school councillors, the Ministry was forced by an amendment passed to change the Selection Boards of Principals and School Heads. So instead of the school councillors, who have not yet been appointed, the current education coordinators will be involved in the process of appointing school principals.
"Despite the fact that a month ago the Ministry gave an indefinite extension for school principals, with this amendment it takes it back. The Ministry wants to highlight the new role of the principal as manager, supervisor and evaluator and this is why we are moving with fast procedures," he explained.
The selection process for education counsellors (former school counsellors), which started on 9 April, is still ongoing. However, the continuous resignations of Selection Boards members are making the process more difficult and there is no interest to replace the resigned members.
No problems
However, Mr. Aggelopoulos told Enimerosi that the placement of new school principals in the middle of the school year will not cause any problems in the planning and operation of schools.
The Corfu primary and secondary teachers΄ unions (SEPE and ELME), however, are objecting and stressing that doing something like that while the new school has already begun will cause a domino effect of transfers in schools. "If a principal stops being a principal, we will have to see how they will be integrated in a school, as well as how the teaching hours of a teacher who becomes principal will be covered", said the President of the Secondary Teachers' Union Achilleas Kapetanios.
It is worth noting that there are 54 positions for principals in primary schools, 70 in nursery schools and 34 in junior high and high schools in Corfu.
The Ionian Islands Regional Director of Secondary Education Petros Aggelopoulos said that the Ministry of Education is preparing the online platform where the applications will be submitted by those interested. The aim is to complete the process before Christmas, so that the principals can be placed in their positions immediately.
Nothing has been done since 2017
The last time such a procedure was held for this category was in 2017, while since then the existing principals have remained in their positions following an extension that was given, which normally had expired in August 2021.
According to the Teachers Union President Antonis Koursaris, the Ministry is now trying to move forward with the procedures as quickly as possible, since many of the teachers who had these positions are now retiring. "No one knows what the Ministry of Education's plan is. It is also under pressure due to the retirements and it is now at a dead end. Such a process has not been done since 2017 and either the deputy principal should be appointed as a temporary principal or there should be a local advertisement for the position. In Corfu the principals of the Old Town Primary School, the 7th Primary School, the Kinopiastes Primary School and two primary schools in Lefkimmi have retired," he said.
The delay
The long delay in completing the process for the new principals - from whom the procedures for filling the educators' positions is starting and which lasted for 7 months - has changed the Ministry's initial planning. As Mr. Koursaris pointed out, due to the delay in the process of appointing new school councillors, the Ministry was forced by an amendment passed to change the Selection Boards of Principals and School Heads. So instead of the school councillors, who have not yet been appointed, the current education coordinators will be involved in the process of appointing school principals.
"Despite the fact that a month ago the Ministry gave an indefinite extension for school principals, with this amendment it takes it back. The Ministry wants to highlight the new role of the principal as manager, supervisor and evaluator and this is why we are moving with fast procedures," he explained.
The selection process for education counsellors (former school counsellors), which started on 9 April, is still ongoing. However, the continuous resignations of Selection Boards members are making the process more difficult and there is no interest to replace the resigned members.
No problems
However, Mr. Aggelopoulos told Enimerosi that the placement of new school principals in the middle of the school year will not cause any problems in the planning and operation of schools.
The Corfu primary and secondary teachers΄ unions (SEPE and ELME), however, are objecting and stressing that doing something like that while the new school has already begun will cause a domino effect of transfers in schools. "If a principal stops being a principal, we will have to see how they will be integrated in a school, as well as how the teaching hours of a teacher who becomes principal will be covered", said the President of the Secondary Teachers' Union Achilleas Kapetanios.
It is worth noting that there are 54 positions for principals in primary schools, 70 in nursery schools and 34 in junior high and high schools in Corfu.
