The term of the fixed-term employment contract of 78 school principals and 88 kindergarten heads expires this year, and in order to renegotiate it, heads of educational institutions must undergo re-certification. Kyiv became the first city where such an innovation was introduced, because it will make it possible to weed out inefficient pedagogical managers who did not show results during their tenure. This was announced by the head of the Kyiv City Council's permanent commission on education, science, family, youth and sports, Hanna Starostenko, during a direct inclusion from the districts where the testing took place.

"Three years ago, Kyiv was the first region to introduce the appointment of school principals and kindergarten heads using a competitive approach. From now on, this decision is already enshrined in the "Law on Education" and is binding for all of Ukraine. And here Kyiv is again ahead - those heads of educational institutions who have completed their term of work under the contract are currently undergoing testing to confirm their right to contract extension. In particular, during the testing, knowledge about educational legislation, the concept of the new Ukrainian school is tested. Leaders should also answer questions about methods of communication with parents and students, etc.," the head of the commission said.

According to her, testing is only one of the three elements of checking the heads of educational institutions whose contracts expire this year. The first stage was an online survey of parents whose children study in schools where school principals worked. In particular, parents expressed their opinion regarding the provision of quality knowledge, communication with the administration, food, etc.

"The last stage of the test will be the public presentation of the prospective development plan of the institution by the directors to the members of the competition commission. And based on the results of three components: parents' attitude, personal testing and presentation, a decision will be made on whether or not to extend the contract, and if so, for what period. Our task is to stimulate the continuous development and self-improvement of pedagogical managers of the capital in this way," summarized Hanna Starostenko.

It should be noted that the development and re-certification is carried out by the KNP "EDUCATION AGENCY OF THE CITY OF KYIV". It is a modern research institution that monitors the educational sector of Kyiv, a platform for communication between like-minded people, and an independent union of educational experts.

Based on the results of monitoring studies, the Agency identifies trends and problems in the education sector and provides recommendations for their solution at the level of the educational institution, district administrations, city administration and makes proposals to the Ministry of Education and Science. The Agency's data will allow rational planning of the education budget in accordance with the real needs and requests of the capital's residents. Independent testing carried out by the Agency at the level of elementary, primary and high school makes it possible to prevent bias in assessment, identify causes and make timely corrections.

An important tool of the Agency is the information and analytical system "Educational Map of the City of Kyiv", which ensures the openness of the capital's education system.