A new educational program is to help improve the work of directors in Prague
A new program, Developing a School Together, is to contribute to improving the work of school principals and other school leaders. Those interested will start studying there on February 24. The director’s academy will offer them six short courses, two seminars or the opportunity to get a mentor to set up the school’s development. The program is part of the iKAP II – Innovation in Education project, which is managed by the Prague Innovation Institute (Pii).
According to the director of the institute, Bohumil Kartous, influencing the abilities of directors of education development in the Czech Republic. “School is so good, so progressive, so responsive to the changes in the world we live in, what a principal he is,” he said. According to study, developed by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Analysis in 2019, school management in the Czech Republic is often inefficient and does not contribute much to improving teaching. Directors are overburdened by the administration and tend to be ill-prepared for their position. According to experts, the problems are exacerbated by the high autonomy of schools and the large number of smaller school facilities in the Czech Republic.
According to Kartouse, the director’s academy in Prague is therefore to help the participants develop a long-term strategy for the school management and teach them how to unite the teaching staff. The program includes six courses that will last a total of nine days. The all-day meetings will take place gradually over a period of 20 months. Participants will work with a maximum of 12 people. They will get acquainted, for example, with how to effectively manage the school and support the motivation of subordinates, how to solve problems and implement viz.
The second part of the program will consist of two half-day seminars and individual consultations with mentors, which will be provided by the Faculty of Education of Charles University. This part will focus on the strategic development of the school, informs the media representative of the institute Šárka Mrázová.
According to her, the pilot group of the nine-day program will start on February 24. The deadline is already taken. Specific dates for other courses can be found at web. Those interested in participating can register on the program website.
The school management in the Czech Republic should also be supported by the introduction of the so-called middle support article, which is being prepared by the Ministry of Education in accordance with the Education Strategy 2030+. According to him, these should be teams of experts who would help with the management of schools in individual regions.
The two-year iKAP II project, which also includes the Developing a School Together program, began in Prague last June and will run until the end of November 2023. Its goal is for the Ministry of Education’s educational policy priorities to be implemented in Prague schools. These include supporting disadvantaged and gifted pupils, improving the quality of schools, developing skills and cooperation between secondary schools and the company. The project is paid from European subsidies.