165 business and education experts were engaged, at the invitation of AVE (The Association for Values in Education), in the assessment of school headmasters who applied for the eighth edition of the Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala. 194 headmasters underwent a rigorous judging process that comprised business leaders representing the largest employers in Romania, representatives of NGOs specialising in education, students, school headmasters as winners of previous editions, journalists, but also Ministry of Education representatives. The time these have allotted was more than 1,900 hours.
The Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala is a major opportunity to demonstrate that a school headmaster is a vector of change that provides critical thrust to the educational community, while also being a source of inspiration to other headmasters, teachers and beyond. With each edition of the Gala, AVE enables partnerships between schools and companies, schools and NGOs and boosts the impact of education in each individual’s life, beyond the immediate realm of school.
“With the Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala, AVE wants every school headmaster to realise that each implemented endeavour, however insignificant it might appear, can transform a child’s life; to be aware that, through mindset, character, dedication, resilience, courage and team spirit, they can have a huge impact within the community. Moreover, they can inspire an entire world to contribute to a better educational system.
The entire process, as well as awarding the finalists, is a form of validating the efforts and results of these school headmasters despite the significant challenges all of them are facing. By engaging the players that are relevant to education within the judging process, we aim to have the assessment cover complementary expertise areas.
The Gala is the event through which AVE brings together schools, business leaders, NGOs, the press and representatives of government institutions under their commitment to excellence, meritocracy and correctness”, says Radu Manolescu, Managing Partner K.M. Trust Group and co-founder and president of AVE Romania’s board.
Headmasters of public schools from Romania’s pre-academic education system had two months to enter the competition. Eligibility was granted to headmasters and deputy headmasters of public high schools, middle schools and kindergartens that were operational during the 2023 – 2024 academic year, with the exception of those who were awarded during previous Gala editions. The judging process comprised 5 phases and a regional-level phase was added for the first time. As such, Craiova, Galați, Oradea and Cluj-Napoca were selected to host the regional-level judging proceedings for the Southern, Eastern, Western and Central areas. From each area one school headmaster was declared the winner of one of the three award categories – Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Equal opportunities. Of the 72 regional finalists, 12 entered the national judging phase to be held in Bucharest.
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 Equal opportunities and the 2024 Headmaster of the Year categories.
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 secure 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.
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.