Newly Elected School Principals in Bulgaria: Challenges

As the new school year approaches, newly elected school principals in Sofia and across the country face a number of important tasks and challenges. This becomes clear from the statements of Asen Alexandrov, chairman of the Association of Secondary Education Directors in Bulgaria, in an interview for BTA.

According to Alexandrov, one of the main tasks for the new principals is to complete the so-called list template 1 - an official document that must be ready by September 10. This document contains detailed information about the number of teachers, their hours, the number of classes and students, as well as extracurricular activities at the school.

This means that all the school's activities must be planned and described in this official document called list template 1

In addition, new principals must deal with ongoing repairs in schools, prepare classrooms for the new school year, and announce vacant teaching positions, if any.

Process of selecting new principals

The process of selecting new principals in Bulgaria was extensive. In June this year, 444 competitions were announced for principals of state and municipal institutions in pre-school and school education. Of these, 401 were for school principals, with the most competitions - 35 - announced in Sofia.

However, for 82 schools in the country, there was not a single candidate for principal, and in Sofia this applies to two schools. In these cases, the acting "principal" will continue to lead the school until the next competition is organized, probably in the summer of 2026.

Advice for newly elected principals

Alexandrov gave important advice to newly elected principals - to approach changes carefully:

I would advise newly elected principals, even if it seems necessary, not to start with drastic changes immediately, because this will be a very big psychological burden for teachers. The changes planned by new school principals should be gradual and should be explained to teachers - why what will change is better than before

The chairman of the Association of Directors also emphasized that the same policies cannot be applied in all schools. He advised new principals to familiarize themselves well with the organizational culture, traditions, and expectations of teachers and students before making changes.

Trend of appointing young principals

Alexandrov also noted the positive trend of appointing young principals. He gave examples of newly appointed principals of prestigious schools in Sofia, who are between 32 and 37 years old.

It's good that young people have the courage to apply as candidates for school principals because there isn't a long queue for principal positions

As the new school year approaches, all eyes are on the newly elected principals and their ability to cope with the challenges facing Bulgarian schools. Their success will be crucial for improving the country's educational system.