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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Management staff for early childhood and school education

Romania

10.Management and other education staff

10.1Management staff for early childhood and school education

Last update: 27 November 2023

Requirement for appointment

Management positions of headteacher and deputy headteacher, including the position of headteacher in preschool/ante-preschool establishments with a legal person status can be occupied by teachers with tenure who are members of the national body of experts in educational management. By way of exception from the legislative provisions in force, teachers with tenure who are not experts in educational management may participate in the national competition for headteacher/deputy headteacher positions if they meet the following conditions:

  • they hold a bachelor's degree or an equivalence certificate, and
  • their length of service in education is of 5 years at least.

Candidates for management positions should meet, cumulatively, the following requirements:

  • they are higher education graduates with a bachelor's degree or an equivalence certificate.
  • they are teachers with tenure in school education, with an employment contract for an indefinite period of time.
  • length of service in school education of 5 years at least
  • they received the descriptor “very well” in the last 2 completed school years of actual work in teaching or management positions in schools/school inspectorates/in-service teacher training centres/ National Children’s Palace/Ministry of Education or in guidance and control positions in school inspectorates or specific positions in the Ministry of Education
  • they had no disciplinary sanctions in the last 2 completed school years of actual work in teaching or management positions in schools/school inspectorates/in-service teacher training centres/ National Children’s Palace/Ministry of Education or in guidance and control positions in school inspectorates or specific positions in the Ministry of Education, or such sanctions were struck off as of right pursuant to Article 248 paragraph (3) of Law 53/2003 – Labour Code, republished, with its subsequent amendments and additions
  • they were not denied the right to occupy a management position in education by a final court decision enforcing a criminal conviction and they were not disciplinarily sanctioned, by a disciplinary sanction decision, which remained final and in force, suspending their right to enter a competition for occupying a management position.
  • they are able to carry out the responsibilities of the position concerned in medical terms, according to the provisions in force.
  • they did not have the status of worker of the former intelligence service under the Romanian communist regime (lucrător al Securității) or collaborator of that service (colaborator al Securității).

Headteacher and deputy headteacher positions can be occupied based on a competition coordinated by the Ministry of Education and organised through the school inspectorates in accordance with a specific methodology. The methodology is developed by the Ministry of Education and is adopted by an order of the Education Minister. 

In schools where teaching is also delivered in languages of national minorities, one of the headteachers is a teacher from the minority concerned, in compliance with professional competence criteria. In schools where teaching is delivered entirely in languages of national minorities, the headteacher is appointed in consultation with the organisation representing the minority concerned in the Parliament of Romania or, if the minority is not represented in the Parliament, by consulting the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities.

The management of military, public order and national security schools is exercised by a commander/director appointed in accordance with the legislation regulating the statuses of the staff of the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Justice. The commander/director is also the chair of the management body.

Headteachers of private schools are appointed by the management of the founding legal entity in compliance with competence criteria. The appointment document will be notified to the school inspectorate of the area where the school operates.

The tests of the competition for headteacher and headteacher positions in schools are the following:  

  • a written test – the candidates take a standardised test with 50 items with a single correct answer, which lasts for maximum 120 minutes and is designed to assess skills and competences relevant to educational management (cognitive skills, management and leadership competences); and
  • an interview lasting for 60 minutes for every candidate, which evaluates:
    • strategic management competences, operational management competences and communication skills based on the presentation of a development strategy for the school for which they candidate
    • skills related to finding solutions to some problem situations taking into account the context and the specificity of the school for which they candidate
    • digital skills based on computer use.

A candidate who got at least the mark 7 in the written test is declared admitted. Only the candidates who were declared admitted in the written test may participate in the interview. A candidate who got at least 7 points in the interview is declared admitted.

Conditions of service

The appointment, after the competition, in headteacher and deputy headteacher positions for public schools, including preschool and/or ante-preschool establishments, is based on a decision of the general school inspector, in accordance with the decision of the board, and is valid for 4 years. 

After passing the competition, the school headteacher/deputy headteacher concludes an educational management contract with the general school inspector, as employer, for a period of 4 years from the date of appointment.

The appointment in headteacher and deputy headteacher positions in schools with teaching in languages of national minorities and in schools with sections with teaching in languages of national minorities which have provided for one or more positions of deputy headteacher is made with the reasoned opinion of the organisation representing the minority concerned in the Parliament of Romania or, if the minority is not represented in the Parliament, in consultation with the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities.  

The appointment in headteacher and deputy headteacher positions of theology schools and high schools is made after the endorsement by the cult concerned. The consultation takes place at the request of the school inspectorate board and the representatives of the cult will notify in writing their well-argued opinion.

The appointment, after passing the competition, of the director/deputy director of the National Children’s Palace is made by an order of the Education Minister for a period of 4 years.

After the competition, the headteacher of a public school, except for directors of sports school clubs, children’s palaces and clubs, concludes an administrative-financial management contract with the mayor/district mayor of the administrative-territorial unit for a period of 4 years from the date of appointment.

After passing the competition, the management contracted concluded by deputy headteachers of schools in the defence, public order and national security system with the general school inspector is endorsed by the ministries concerned.

After passing the competition, the director/deputy director of the National Children’s Palace concludes an educational management contract with the Education Minister for a period of 4 years from the date of appointment. The management contract may be extended, if the parties so agree, after an evaluation of managerial performance in accordance with Article 259 paragraph (3) of Law 1/2011, with its subsequent amendments and additions.

After passing the competition, the headteachers/deputy headteachers of special education establishments, the directors of county centres for educational assistance and resources or the director of Bucharest Centre for Educational Assistance and Resources and the directors of school centres for inclusive education conclude, for a period of 4 years from the date of appointment, an administrative-financial management contract with the chair of the county council/district mayor and an educational management contract with the general school inspector.

As a general rule, headteachers/directors and deputy headteachers/directors are employed for a 4-year period.

Conditions of service are set out in the Framework Regulation for the Organisation and Functioning of School Education Establishments (ROFUIP), as well as in the job descriptions developed by the Ministry of Education, which are an annex to the “Methodology for the organisation of the competition for positions of headteacher and deputy headteacher in public schools”. The job description signed by the two parties – the employer and the employee – becomes an annex of the educational management contract (the employment contract).

Headteachers/directors and deputy headteachers/directors benefit from partial or full relief of class teaching duties, as provided for in the job description and based on the methodological rules developed by the Ministry of Education. 

The management staff may work extra hours, which are paid based on an hourly rate, with a limit of 4-6 extra hours per week. The workload is 40 hours per week. Headteachers/directors and deputy headteachers/directors are responsible for organising their time at the workplace so as to carry out all their duties provided for by the relevant legislation.

The management staff who is relieved from class teaching duties receive the salary entitlements for their position, as well as other bonuses and indemnities stipulated by law for their activity, as appropriate.

The salary income and the extra-salary income of headteachers and deputy headteachers of private schools are determined based on a negotiation between the management of the funding legal person and the person concerned, with the endorsement of the school board.

The teaching staff holding management positions benefit from a reservation of their teaching posts, which means that after they have completed their work in a management position, they can return to the teaching post they had before. At the same time, after completing their work in a management position, teachers may compete again for the same position or for another management, guidance or control position.

Individual performance of headteachers/directors and deputy headteachers/ directors is evaluated annually by the general school inspector. The evaluation is similar to the evaluation applied to teachers, except that it focuses on managerial duties set out in the job description. Considering that all management positions in school education are occupied by teaching staff for definite periods of time, all general provisions of the legislation concerning the teaching staff apply as appropriate.

In all situations where a headteacher’s/director’s or deputy headteacher’s/director’s management contract is terminated, the general school inspector issues a termination decision.  

In all situations where the management contract of the director/deputy director of the National Children’s Palace is terminated, the Education Minister issues a termination order.

A headteacher/ deputy headteacher of a public school, appointed after passing a competition, may be dismissed based on a reasoned proposal of the county school inspectorate board/Bucharest School Inspectorate Board, a reasoned proposal of two thirds of the members of the school board or a proposal of the teacher council of the school voted by two thirds of its members. In the last case, an audit by the school inspectorate is mandatory. The conclusions of the audit are analysed by the school inspectorate board. Depending on the decision of the school inspectorate board, the general school inspector issues a dismissal decision for the school headteacher/deputy headteacher concerned. 

A headteacher/ deputy headteacher of a public school or the director/deputy director of National Children’s Palace, appointed after having passed a competition, may be dismissed if during their mandate they obtained the descriptor “unsatisfactory” after the annual evaluation, after an institutional evaluation inspection or an inspection concerned with management issues. 

In case of headteacher or deputy headteacher positions remaining vacant or becoming vacant in public schools, the interim management is ensured, until a competition is organised but not later than the end of the school year, by a teacher with tenure, appointed by assignment in the interest of education or by delegation of the duties of the position, in compliance with the legislation in force, by a decision of the general school inspector. For positions which remained unoccupied after a competition, priority is given to those persons who passed the competition.