AVE (The Association for Values in Education) are opening registrations for The 2025 Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala, an event aimed at acknowledging and bringing to the fore the contributions made by school headmasters in transforming education in Romania, according to Business Review.
Eligible to register are all headmasters and deputy headmasters who have held this position during the 2024-2025 interval at a public pre-academic educational establishment (kindergarten, primary school, primary and lower secondary school, high school), save for those who were awarded at the Gala’s previous editions. Headmasters can register by filling out a form online until July 20 (23:59). Filling out the online registration form can be done in several stages.
During the period reserved for registration, there will be an online form available by means of which any person who knows a school headmaster with exceptional results can recommend the latter.
“Each year, the Gala has shown us that there are headmasters who have the courage and drive to change the communities they are part of. These headmasters do not seek recognition, though they fully deserve it. Hence, the following are invited to recommend exceptional headmasters: teaching staff, parents, students, but also representatives of NGOs, the press, partner institutions and inspectorates. All recommended headmasters will be phoned by an association representative to encourage them to register. AVE believe in the power of things done together, and the over 6,000 recommendations received throughout the Gala’s previous eight editions show us that there are headmasters who make school a better place,” states Simona Pavelescu, AVE Executive Director.
Bacău, Alba Iulia, Oradea and Constanța will host the regional judging proceedings
The judging proceedings for The 2025 Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala have for stages: validating registrations, preliminary assessment, the regional judging proceedings and the national judging proceedings. This edition, too, will include a regional stage, hence there will be four such judging proceedings based on geographical partition, in Bacău, Alba Iulia, Oradea and Constanța. Each region will send for the Bucharest stage three winners, for the Innovation, Equal opportunities and Entrepreneurship categories.
The judging process engages from recruitment specialists to business leaders representing the largest employers in Romania, representatives of NGOs versed in education, students, school headmasters who won previous editions, journalists, Ministry of Education representative.
The awards ceremony will take place on October 20, at Bucharest National Opera House
During the Gala, awards will be presented to 4 school headmasters for the Innovation, Equal opportunities, Entrepreneurship and the 2025 Headmaster of the Year categories. Applications are allowed for no more than two of the three award categories (Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal opportunities). Each registered headmaster shall be automatically considered for the grand prize, the 2025 Headmaster of the Year.
The Innovation category focuses on implementing innovative solutions that have restructured a key process; the visible effects of the respective solution on the quality of education, team work and resource acquisition; taking up risks and overcoming obstacles throughout the innovation process.
For the Equal opportunities category attention is paid to preserving or enhancing access to education for disadvantaged groups at school and from the community; ensuring education quality for each pupil by means of integrated services and remedial learning; regard for wellbeing and positive educational results for all the children at school, even under crisis conditions.
The Entrepreneurship category concerns managing resources and budgets, including the acquisition of additional resources; promoting an entrepreneurial culture, both among the teaching staff and among pupils; applying marketing strategies to highlight the school and draw pupils in.
The 2025 Headmaster of the Year title is granted to the one who exceeds the expected level of a category and meets cross-cutting criteria. They have a clear vision as to the path they are setting for the educational establishment they coordinate, display resilience in the face of challenges. They are an inspirational leader, know how to motivate their team and to create a positive learning environment for adults and pupils. They are able to make decisions and own solutions to issues.
The winners will be announced and the awards will be presented on October 20, at Bucharest National Opera House.
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