Management staff for early childhood and school education

10.Management and other education staff

10.1Management staff for early childhood and school education

Last update: 27 November 2023

In the field of community education, the director’s powers are formally laid down in the special decree of 14 July 1998. In the field of subsidized education, it is left more to the school board to decide which powers are delegated to the director. The director also has a number of formal tasks and duties (including evaluating the school’s staff).

The managing director also has a number of assigned powers in community education through the special decree. In subsidized education, the school board once again has more autonomy in defining the tasks and powers of the managing director.

The coordinating director (SO) and the director-coordination of the combined school (BaO) perform tasks and duties for the combined school, which specifies these tasks autonomously.

Requirements for appointment

Principal and vice-principal

Within the category of administrative and teaching staff, the post of principal is that of promotion officer, that of assistant principal is that of selection officer.

For community education, there is a 12-month probationary period for selection and promotion posts, which may be extended once by 12 months. During this period, the staff member must perform effectively in the post in which he was admitted to for the probationary period. The staff member must, in order to be admitted to the probationary period:

hold the certificate of competence required or considered sufficient,
have not received an evaluation with a final conclusion of 'unsatisfactory' during the last evaluation in the selection or promotion process,
meet the general recruitment conditions [see 9.2.2],
have the required qualifications for the post (as set by the council for community education) and have been tested.
have put themselves forward as candidates to the board of directors.

On completion of the probationary period and after a favourable opinion, the staff member will be appointed by the board of directors on a permanent basis in the selection or promotion function.

In subsidized education, there is no compulsory probationary period. The staff member will be permanently appointed by the school board to the selection or promotion function if he/she holds the required or deemed adequate proof of competence, if the last evaluation did not lead to an evaluation with the final conclusion “insufficient” and if the candidate fulfils the general recruitment conditions [see 9.2.2].

A permanent appointment is only possible in the main position. In addition to a permanent appointment to the post of principal, it is also possible that a permanent appointed member of staff (subsidized education) or staff (community education) from another post is appointed as acting (deputy) principal.

Managing Director (ALDI)

The special decree on community education of 14 July 1998 provides that the school groups will be governed by

a general meeting
a board of directors
a college of directors
a managing director

The mandate of this managing director (ALDI) is assigned by the board of directors and ratified by the general meeting. Only school directors in the school group are eligible to take part in this mandate.

The mandate is granted for an indefinite period and can be terminated at any time in a substantiated manner.

In the case of subsidized education, the school board may entrust a director of an institution with the task of managing director of all the institutions in its entirety.

Coordinating director (CODI)

In both community and subsidized secondary education, a director of a secondary school belonging to a combined school may be appointed coordinating director (CODI) by mandate. He or she is responsible for carrying out tasks for all the institutions forming part of the combined school. The coordinating directors can be deployed full-time if desired and can therefore be released from school.

Director coordination of the combined school for nursery and primary education

At the level of the combined school for nursery and primary education, a director-coordination of the combined school can be appointed. This position is held in the underlying position of director. A maximum of two part-time or one full-time position can be set up for each combined school. This staff member will be appointed class- and school-free in order to support the combined school. A permanent appointment is not possible for this position.

Director or coordinator in part-time vocational secondary education

An autonomous Centre for Part-Time Vocational Secondary Education (CDO) (see 6.4.1) is entitled to one director (= promotion post). A non-autonomous CDO receives one job from the coordinator (= selection post).

Technical advisor-coordinator and technical advisor

In secondary education, a school can, under certain conditions, set up the position of technical adviser-coordinator and technical adviser among the management and educational staff.

The post of technical adviser-coordinator is a promotion post, the post of technical adviser is a selection post.

In community education, there is a 12-month probationary period for selection and promotion posts, which may be extended once by 12 months. During this period, the staff member must perform effectively in the post in which he was admitted to for the probationary period. The staff member must, in order to be admitted to the probationary period:

hold the certificate of competence required or considered sufficient,
have not received an evaluation with a final conclusion of 'unsatisfactory' during the last evaluation in the selection or promotion process,
meet the general recruitment conditions [see 9.2.2],
have the required qualifications for the post (as set by the council for community education) and have been tested.
have put themselves forward as candidates to the board of directors.

On completion of the probationary period and after a favourable opinion, the staff member will be appointed by the board of directors on a permanent basis.

In subsidized education, there is no compulsory probationary period. The staff member will be permanently appointed by the school board to the selection or promotion post if he/she holds the required or deemed adequate proof of competence, if the last evaluation did not lead to an evaluation with the final conclusion “insufficient” and if the candidate complies with the general recruitment conditions (see 9.2.2).

A permanent appointment is only possible in the main position. However, a full post may be filled by one or two members of staff, each of whom will be responsible for half a post. In addition to a permanent appointment to the post of technical adviser-coordinator or technical adviser, it is also possible that a permanent appointed staff member (subsidized education) or staff member (community education) is appointed to these posts on an observing (temporary) basis.

Conditions of service

For the conditions of employment of the director, the technical adviser-coordinator, the coordinator, the assistant director and the technical adviser (these posts fall under the category of administrative staff), we refer to those of the teaching staff [see 9.2.].

As regards the evaluation procedure, there is a difference between the director and the teaching staff in that the director only has one evaluator, in the sense that they are evaluated by the board of directors (community education) or the school board (subsidized education). In subsidized education, the school board can choose to evaluate the assistant director itself or leave it to the director.

The salary scales for each post and on the basis of the certificate of competence can be consulted here (Dutch only).

Eurydice

Belgium - Flemish Community

10.1Management staff for early childhood and school education

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