Page 104 - Educational Leadership in a Changing World

Martina Kovačič and Anita Trnavčević

sor, senior advisor, or counsellor, a minimum of five years of experience
in education, and successful completion of the principal certification
exam. For example, principals of public kindergartens, schools, and in-
stitutions for children with special needs must meet qualifications ap-
propriate to their institution, including pedagogical or counselling cre-
dentials. Principals of higher vocational colleges must hold the title of
lecturer and have a minimum of five years of experience. Notably, a can-
didate who does not yet hold the principal certification may still be ap-
pointed, provided they complete the required examination within one
year of starting their term. Failure to do so results in automatic termi-
nation of their mandate, which otherwise lasts five years.
However, despite this detailed enumeration of tasks and conditions,
the law does not provide a specific list of leadership competencies re-
quired for the position. It defines the function, not the profile. This gap
places the responsibility for interpreting and developing leadership ex-
pectations in the hands of educational institutions and training bodies.
Effective educational leadership increasingly relies on a broad range
of interpersonal and managerial skills. These include social intelligence,
communication abilities, emotional stability, team leadership, and hu-
man resource management. Such competencies are essential for im-
plementing distributed and shared leadership, guiding the school com-
munity, engaging with parents and the broader public, and fostering
a collaborative school culture. As Pellitteri (2021) emphasizes, emo-
tional intelligence, encompassing the ability to recognize, understand,
regulate, and express emotions, is crucial for effective interpersonal
communication and the creation of a positive emotional climate within
schools. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are better equipped
to navigate the emotional dynamics of the school environment, thereby
strengthening relationships among teachers, students, and parents and
promoting a culture of collaboration.
These competencies are somehow recognized and promoted in the of-
ficial training programmes for principals, coordinated by the Ministry
of Education. The training goes beyond regulatory knowledge and cov-
ers practical aspects of leadership development, with specific attention
to managing teams, developing a school vision, and resolving interper-
sonal conflicts. One such example is the programme Mreže ravnateljev
za razvoj vodenja (Networks of principals for leadership development),
implemented by the School for Principals (a unit of the National Educa-
tionInstituteof theRepublicofSlovenia, 2024), whichemphasizeslead-

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