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The selection of primary education directors: (Doctoral thesis)

Ουζούνης, Δημήτριος Σ./ Ouzounis, Dimitrios S.

The smooth operation of primary education schools, as well as the activation and coordination of all those involved in the educational process, is achieved, through the effective functioning of Educational Administration at the level of the Regional Unit, in order to achieve the educational objectives. Within the framework of coordinating actions related to the operation of primary education schools- namely primary schools and kindergartens- administrative functions, human resource management, collective action, feedback, and the setting of expectations are included (Chytiris, 2013, p. 11). The achievement of all the above presupposes the presence of capable leadership, which is embodied in the role of a senior educational executive, the Director of Primary Education. How can the most suitable Director of Primary Education be selected though? Which procedures should be employed and which objective and measurable criteria should determine the final selection? It is widely aknowledged that, within the educational community, a critical stance is consistently recorded toward every legislative initiative concerning the selection of Directors of Primary Education. This is also justified in practice, given that from the period of the Political Changeover to the present day, a multitude of legislative acts concerning the selection framework of these executives has been enacted, to the extent that each selection process to date has been carried out under a different legislative framework. It is evident that the delineation of the framework and the implementation of the selection process for Directors of Primary Education, fall within the responsibility of the Greek educational system, which is inextricably linked to the institutional mechanisms of the state. Through these mechanisms, educational executives are selected in a manner that often raises questions regarding the pursuit of expediencies or even the implementation of policies of political influence, manipulation and clientelism. This reality, in combination with the growing concern surrounding the particularly significant role of the Director of Education and the effort to improve the quality of the educational system, constitutes the starting point of our research approach. The study was conducted among educators who currently serve or have previously served as Directors of Primary Education in the five Regional Units of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its significance lies in the fact that it attempts to investigate, analyse, and comparatively present all the procedures for selecting Directors of Primary Education from the period of the Political Changeover (the institution of inspectors), through the introduction of the institution of Directors of Primary Education (1982), up to the recent enactment of the new law governing their selection. Although numerous and diverse views have been expressed on this issue, relatively few researchers have examined it in depth, which renders the present research particularly interesting. It is our hope that the findings of this study will serve as a useful tool for the educational community and will contribute to the context of a substantive and sincere dialogue aimed at shaping a timeless, objective, transparent, and merit-based system for the selection of Directors of Primary Education.