Fears and Uncertainties in Education: Competitions for Principals, Up in the Air. Teacher: “I'm already scared”

The school principals who four years ago supported the competition for the position completed their mandates at the end of last week. Most will continue their work at the head of the school, with delegation, until the end of the school year, but the concern remains.

Director of “P. Pandrea” High School, Marian Anghel, president of CEMS PHOTO: FB/Marian Anghel

The year 2026 should be one of great transformations in education. The high school has been wearing new clothes since the fall, for now starting with the 9th grade, and the schools have been called to take over the piloting of new programs. In some it will happen, while in others what prevents this is precisely the temporaryism we live in these days.

The mandate of the directors who competed for the position four years ago, after many years of “pen appointments”, ends these days for some of the directors, respectively in April. Some would like to continue, but I don't know under what conditions that would happen, because the organization of a new contest, which seemed absolutely natural last year, is a topic that has not been mentioned for months.

It is certain that the principals who have reached the end of their mandate will, most of them, continue to lead the schools with delegation, starting from January 17, 2026.

“I had discussed with the old minister that the methodology should have appeared sometime in February”

Among these directors is the president of the Community for Excellence in School Management (CEMS), professor Marian Anghel. He leads the “Petre Pandrea” Theoretical High School in Balș, Olt county, and after January 17 he remains at the head of the school based on a new appointment.

The teacher is among those campaigning to improve the quality of educational management, advocating merit-based appointment, adequate remuneration and consultation of principals on school policies. This is the reason why the Community for Excellence in School Management (CEMS) was established, and throughout the past year, through the community, discussions with representatives of the ministry were held including on the topic of organizing the competition for director positions. Nothing is known about this contest now. “We don't have any rumours, or more than that, any kind of communication from the ministerial side,” Angel specified.

“I had discussed with the old minister that the methodology should have appeared somewhere in February, the competition should have started with some tests in March-April, not to go to the national exams. (…) I'm already afraid that it can no longer fit into an optimal calendar”, continued Marian Anghel.

In the optimistic scenario, the directors hope that a “full” minister will be appointed quickly and that discussions will begin for the appearance of the director's profile, then the competition methodology and timetable will emerge. In the pessimistic scenario, however, we are talking about returning to the situation in which “these papers are issued from the pen of the inspector general, from time to time.”

“I think there were directors who stayed with the delegation for decades. Because there were no contests, for many years there were no contests. But I thought we would not end up in this situation again. It is not desirable. On the contrary, it is even to be avoided a situation in which people are at someone's pen”,
draws the attention of the director of “Petre Pandrea” High School.

A director who does not know how long he holds the position cannot make projections, cannot engage in large projects. Even piloting the framework projects was a decision influenced, in his case, by this aspect, explains the director.

“I have avoided entering the pilot precisely because I do not know under what conditions these director profiles will appear. And if I couldn't assume that, that I would be director, one way or another, you can't involve the school in big, lasting projects for 3-4 years either. Because it's one thing to have a vision you can rely on, it's another to put a vision of yours in the hands of someone else, or some steps you took as a director. It wouldn't be fair. That's why stability would be needed in the system, so that the directors know that they have a four-year mandate in which they can assume the coordination of bigger things”said the director.

At this moment, all kinds of projects are being piloted in schools. Some will be generalized, such as the electronic catalog and how it is desired to become the standardized assessment, instead the pilots of framework plans affect the school for years and the same happens with the projects that follow the development strategy. And in order to understand how fluid the position of those who have reached the end of their mandate won through the competition is today, it must be specified that through the documents on the basis of which they remain in charge, they have also assumed that they agree to the termination of their secondment before 31.08.2026, “on the proposal of the general school inspector”.

“You assume that at any time the inspector general can terminate your posting. But that creates a relationship… It's not my case, because I have a fair relationship with the inspector general, it's really not my case, but it's not okay to have the ax over your head without necessarily having I don't know what justifications. It's simply up to the inspector general's decision. I don't think it's OK, in a system where the inspector general is not validated by a competition, it's only validated politically. I mean What are we returning to? To the complete politicization of the system?”asks Marian Anghel.

The uncertainty also gives other colleagues a headache, confirms the director. There are a lot of people who have not decided if they will continue from the summer, if they will appear in the competition. Many also weigh the benefits, make all kinds of calculations. If he chose the chair and also had management, he would approach the director's salary.

At least in Olt County, of the 118 mandates (principals and deputy principals) ending on January 16, 2026, all principals, with one exception – one principal who requested to be replaced – were kept in office.

Changes, on the other hand, at such a time would have brought many headaches. For every director who returns to the department, another teacher leaves, or solutions must be found to avoid being sent home.

“It seems that no one has taken it upon themselves to continue some things”

As for the interim head of the ministry, fears are that it could indicate that the austerity measures in education are not over. Will there be further rate increases? Will hourly pay change again? There are questions on everyone's lips, with no one providing answers. There are also reasons enough for executives not to jump in head first. “If the system doesn't help you at all, you start being just a fireman as a director, solving problem situations that you don't create, and that's not right.”
Prof. Marian Anghel explains why his colleagues are still hesitant about continuing to work at the head of schools.

Director Marian Anghel has confidence in Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, but does not see his presence at the head of the Ministry of Education as a solution for the education system.
“I invested the current prime minister with confidence. I'm even a member of the party he's been part of for a long time, for decades, but I don't think this is a long-term solution. I mean, I'm really disappointed that he's not (ed. – at the head of the MEC) someone who comes from the system and who knows what the problems are and would be open to discussing them. I don't see the interim as a solution. It seems to be an economic solution again, where someone comes to cut something. That's how it looks from the outside. It seems that no one has taken it upon themselves to continue some things. And if that's it, I'm really afraid that people will lose even more trust. Maybe it's not like that,”
Angel concluded.