Cluj-Napoca hosted the latest of the 4 regional judging proceedings of the Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala, organised by AVE (The Association for Values in Education). Of the 18 mid-country regional finalists (the counties in Transylvania and Maramureș), 3 entered the national judging phase to be held in Bucharest.
This year, for the very first time, AVE added to the judging process a regional-level phase. As such, Craiova, Galați, Oradea and Cluj-Napoca were chosen to host the regional-level judging proceedings for the Southern, Eastern, Western and Central areas. From each area, a school headmaster was declared the winner in one of the three award categories – Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal opportunities. Of the 72 regional finalists, 11 will meet for the national judging proceedings to be held in Bucharest.
The judging process engaged representatives of the top companies in Romania, present in the region, of the non-government sector, of school inspectorates, of the students or the media. The structure of the three regional judging committees was tailored to better match the award category, whereas the members of each committee individually scored each headmaster during a 60-minute interview.
“The judging session where I was honoured to represent Deloitte Romania was an intense exercise, with positive emotions, lessons and inspiration at every turn, and was beautifully set up by AVE. I saw in the headmasters with whom I became acquainted not only genuine teachers and team players, but also remarkable entrepreneurs, communicators and psychologists, dedicated to the values of education, to the students and communities they manage to assemble around the school”, said Ioana Lucaciu, Audit and Related Services Manager with Deloitte Romania.
“A headmaster’s career means total dedication to the institution, empathy and resonating with everything under training and science, providing solutions and coming up with resources aimed at supporting students in their professional and personal development.
In the case of “Ioan Ossian” Technological High School, the “Headmaster of the Year for Innovation” award has strengthened from a value standpoint the status of agricultural education, receiving special attention from the press and the two ministries it is part of. The presentation film became the institution’s business card, being watched throughout the country and abroad on various occasions. We were honoured to represent the Romanian agricultural education in France, at the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
This award has given a new energy boost to the team I work with, and other awards and distinctions have been won, as well, rendering this high school more appealing. As such, there has been an uplift in the number of students, the class count, the number of young teachers – specialists – who gained their tenure at our school, the number of partnerships concluded with businesses”, stated Vasile Benedek, the headmaster of “Ioan Ossian” Technological High School from Șimleu Silvaniei, winner of the “Headmaster of the Year for Innovation” award in 2023.
The awards ceremony of the Gala’s eight edition will be held on October 24, at Bucharest National Opera House, when 4 school headmasters are set to be awarded for the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal opportunities categories, and the winner of the grand award, the 2024 Headmaster of the Year, will be announced.
The Innovation category takes a close-up of achievements that have enabled unlocking certain processes, have brought in players from outside the school to fulfil objectives, have pursued the use of technology or innovation elements for visible learning in students. The Entrepreneurship category focuses on skills demonstrated in managing resources and the budget, in identifying and raising additional income, but also in the savvy spotting of opportunities where challenges existed. The Equal opportunities category is dedicated to endeavours that have helped each student enjoy participation in school, and the more vulnerable of the children be integrated and enjoy academic progress.
The 2024 Headmaster of the Year title is granted to one of the finalists of the first 3 award categories, who exceeds the expected level of one particular category and meets cross-cutting criteria: they have a clear vision of the path they are taking to lead the educational establishment, demonstrate creativity, communication and negotiation skills, resilience before challenges, they are an inspirational leader, they know how to motivate their team and to create a positive learning environment for the adults and the students.
The award granted to each category shall be 3,500 Euro, an amount aimed at supporting the headmasters in their projects that are under way at their schools or at starting up a new project, but also a secured spot within the Program for the Transformation of Schools in Romania, coordinated by AVE.
The media partners supporting the eighth edition of The Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala are: Republica, BIZ magazine, Agerpres, Cariere magazine and România pozitivă.
The partner in the judging proceedings in Cluj-Napoca is Deloitte Romania.
About The Association for Values in Education
The Association for Values in Education (AVE) is a non-profit organisation whose main goal is to bring the educational system in Romania to Europe’s top 10 by 2035. AVE wishes to support the transformation of the educational system in Romania into one that promotes respect, honesty, team spirit and responsibility. You can stay in touch with AVE’s endeavours by following the LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages.
About Deloitte
Deloitte Romania is one of the largest professional service organizations in our country and provides, in cooperation with Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal, audit, tax consulting, legal, risk consulting and management and financial consulting services, technological service and consulting solutions, as well as other related services, by means of more than 3,400 professionals. To find out more about the global network of member companies, please access www.deloitte.com/ro/despre.