The assessment covered 5,277 head teachers, deputy head teachers in charge of academics, and deputy head teachers responsible for discipline in both primary and secondary schools. The evaluation is provided for under the 2024 Teachers’ Statute, which requires school leaders to undergo performance reviews every three years. It also applied to those appointed within three years prior to the statute’s enactment.

The review process, conducted from November 2024, took place at both district and national levels. At district level, evaluators assessed attendance, general conduct, and compliance with professional responsibilities, alongside performance measured against five pillars of effective school leadership. These included institutional vision, support to teachers, student welfare, management of school resources, and collaboration with parents.

At national level, REB administered four assessments, including a written test on school leadership principles, English language proficiency, and an analysis of student academic performance over the past three years. Final scores combined district-level evaluation results and REB assessments equally, each contributing 50 percent.

School leaders were required to score at least 70 percent to retain their positions. Those who scored below the threshold were deemed to lack sufficient leadership capacity and were reassigned to teaching duties, in line with their professional training.

Of the 890 leaders removed from management roles, 349 were from primary schools while 541 served in secondary schools. Records indicate that 297 primary school leaders and 324 secondary school leaders will be immediately placed into available teaching positions, while 164 do not currently meet requirements for placement.

Implementation of the decision will begin in the second term of the 2025/2026 academic year. Leaders who are not immediately placed in teaching posts will remain on a waiting list for six months while receiving two-thirds of their salary. If no placement is secured, salary payments will be suspended for an additional 12 months, after which those still without posts will receive separation benefits in line with the law.

REB reported that many of the leaders who failed the evaluation scored poorly in areas related to professional conduct and financial management. Weak English proficiency and declining student academic performance over the previous three years were also cited as major contributing factors.

New school leaders are expected to assume their duties starting in the second term of the 2025/2026 academic year. REB indicated that by March 2026, all schools are expected to have fully appointed leadership teams, with vacancies filled through open recruitment. Former administrators who choose not to return to classroom teaching will be formally dismissed.