While in the majority of Montenegrin schools, students are taking their certificates, their friends from 12 institutions will wait until the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MPNKS) appoints new acting officials, because the previous six-month mandates have expired and have not been extended.
The new acting principals are also eagerly awaited by the teachers, considering that in the absence of managers, they cannot bring the school year to an end - there is no one to call the meetings of the teachers' councils, where grades, absences are verified..., but also to sign the certificates. and other acts of importance for the school.
Managers are responsible for convening sessions and managing the work of the teachers' council.
As there are none in these schools, the teachers' councils of those institutions cannot even respond to the call of the National Council of National Education and Culture to propose an acting director.
MPNKS replied to "Vijesta" that there are 12 such schools.
"In Podgorica, we have two such schools, they are Primary School 'Šćepan Đukić' (Lijeva Rijeka) and Primary School 'Milan Vukotić' (Golubovci)", claims the MPNKS.
According to "Vijesti" information, the elementary school "Vladika Danilo", also in the area of Golubovci municipality, has had no principal since June 3.
MPNKS promises that it will be resolved "as soon as possible".
"Given the circumstances, the teachers' councils will have to wait for the election of acting directors, since according to Article 82, paragraph 1, point 5, of the General Law on Education, the director manages the work of the teachers' council. The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports will make every effort to ensure that the election of acting officials is carried out as soon as possible in order for the education system to function smoothly. By electing new acting officials, who will take on the obligations of their predecessors, MPNKS will make an effort to ensure that the awarding of certificates is not delayed compared to other schools," promised Vesna Bratić from the department.
Kaluđerović: Introduction to the blockade
Senior legal advisor at the Center for Civic Education Snežana Kaluđerović points out that the General Law on Education clearly prescribes the responsibilities of the school director as the person who plans, manages and organizes the work of the institution.
"There must always be someone in charge at the school, whether it is the director in term or acting status or an employee of the institution designated by the director, in case of his temporary inability to work. Also, it is clearly stipulated that the management function in the institution is performed and performed until the election of a new, or last, director, whether his mandate has expired or his acting status has expired, because the school cannot function without a manager," explains Kaluđerović.
He also points out that "any violent 'sending' of the current directors", whose mandate has expired, and new managers have not been appointed due to the deadline and complexity of the prescribed procedures, leads to blockage of the education system to the detriment of students, employees and parents.
"However, I am of the opinion that there is no room for this if the provisions of the General Law on Education are respected. If the intention of the Ministry was to re-elect all principals with the new law, then it was necessary to think about realistic transition periods for such shifts with a focus on the interest of the school, especially in the period of the end of the school year and obligations that cannot be carried out by anyone in the school except the principal. If it is not ensured that every school has a manager, it is known who is responsible for this kind of undermining of educational institutions. It should also be pointed out that the new law also has inconsistent provisions regarding the deadlines for the selection of school boards and female principals in this first period, which additionally burdens everything and a number of complications should be expected," concluded Kaluđerović.
Leković: The problem must not be ignored
In the Non-Governmental Association Educational Community of Montenegro, they support the dismissal of directors who work more than the number of mandates permitted by law, as well as those whose inspection has determined abuses and irregularities in their work.
"However, we do not see the need and purpose of replacing all school principals at the same time, at the very end of the academic year. We have to admit that in all leadership positions in the country we have people who are mainly appointed there because of party advocacy, but we also have others (albeit in the minority) who have knowledge, and have led diligently and responsibly, and it is not correct that they are now treated equally. "Also, the dismissal of principals and assistants in all Montenegrin schools at once and in the period when the school year ends, they hold sessions, sign certificates, enroll, take remedial exams... is not desirable at all," Olivera Leković from PZCG told "Vijesti".
According to her, the dismissal of around 260 directors of schools and kindergartens at the same time and the publication of new competitions for those vacant positions will inevitably lead to a chaotic situation, because "it will be difficult to control the regularity and fairness of employment".
"Let's just imagine when the vacancies are announced (if they are announced) and we assume that only three colleagues will apply for each vacancy on average, how much documentation the committees will have to review in detail in a short period of time. An additional, no less, problem is returning the principal to teaching, because that way he will be out of a job. How to provide them with norms in such a short time? Will part of the norms be taken over by already employed teachers or will they take over the positions of colleagues who have been working for years under a fixed-term contract? "It is interesting that the existing Union of School Directors of Montenegro does not advertise much on this issue," Leković points out.
She also reminded that schools recently received a letter from MPNKS in which teachers' councils are asked to submit their opinions on the election of the acting director of their institution, within 15 days.
"It is confusing that the competition has not been announced, we have no proposed candidates and that in addition to the existing acting directors, we should propose new acting directors. It is especially illogical when we know that with the adoption of the Law on Amendments to the General Law on Education, all principals automatically became acting until the election of new ones, and thus the conditions were created for the announcement of competitions for school principals and the constitution of new school boards. "We are left to wonder why the PNKS Ministry is acting outside these laws," emphasizes Leković.
He also believes that one of the specific problems is the existence of about fifteen schools that currently do not have a director at all.
"...Teachers work as usual, but there is no principal to sign all those documents. Among the documents are the testimonies of students, so it is clear to everyone that the problem must not be ignored. Among other things, there is no director who would schedule and hold teachers' councils, organize remedial exams, assign seniority and classes to teachers...", emphasized Leković.
Podgorica Education Union: Unsustainable situation
The Podgorica Committee of the Union of Education of Montenegro says that they have been informed that there are institutions where the mandate of directors or acting directors has expired, and new ones have not been appointed.
"Nor was the competition announced. Also, there is a certain number of institutions where the acting directors spend a lot of their mandate, and nothing is done about the formation of new school boards and changes to the acts, so that the competitions are announced in accordance with the law. This situation is unsustainable and educators are, to put it simply, in a free fall", say the Podgorica SPCG Committee.
Bonus video:
