In the Leadership Academy for principals established by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria together with the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Science, took participation 23 principals from Sofia and the region

At the official ceremony on July 11 were given certificates to the successfully graduates from the first edition of the project “Leadership academy – qualification for successful school directors.” The Academy is organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria together with the Committee on Education and Science in the National Assembly.

In the first such initiative were involved 23 school administrators from Sofia and the region. During the training the directors gained additional skills in leadership, team management, initiative promoting, methods of communication and interaction with representatives of the school society – authorities, pedagogical specialist, parents and children. The pilot edition of the project was opened on December 13, 2016 in the National Assembly.

Official guests on the closing event of the Leadership academy were Dimitar Glavchev – Chairman of the 44^th National Assembly, Yordanka Fandakova – Mayor of Sofia, Milena Damqnova – Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Education and Science, Petar Kanev – Chairman of the Parliamentary  Committee on Economic Policy and Tourism, Tanq Mihailova – Deputy Minister of Education and Science, members  of the Committee on Education and Science, Dr. Eng. Borqna Manolova – Chairwoman of the board of The Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and CEO of Siemens Bulgaria, and Vanq Kastreva – Head of the Regional Education Inspectorate – Sofia.

During the ceremony opening Milena Damqnova, Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Science Committee in the 44^th National Assembly commented that, “For decades people talk that there should be stable communication between business and education. We started this initiative with the clear consciousness that the school directors are not administrators. They should be the major engine of the education institutions management”. She also included that, “One of the major goals of the Leadership Academy is to expand the network of directors – innovators, who are able to manage the school in a new way – as a successful company which carries additional value to everyone – children, teachers, parents, business and local government”.

“You, the directors, have to be not only trainers, parents and enlighteners, but also managers and leaders. The role of the leader is very important for the successful development of the schools and for the complete realization of the children after school graduation”. This is what Dimitar Glavchev , Chairman of the 44^th National Assembly, said in his greeting speech. He also added that, “We consciously seek relationship between education and business and I hope that after the success of that pilot project we will expand the scope and will give opportunity to wider spectrum of directors to be involved because education is the basis of society, on which all successes are built”.

“The Leadership academy during the years proved to be of a great importance for the development of women in business and I thank the Council for its efforts toward the educational system. I believe that the participants in the Leadership academy for directors will continue to develop their schools and I hope that this course gave you the basis to become better and soon to reach higher results. I am sure that there is meaning and will be thankful to the Council of Women in Business if the Academy is continued during this year because I truly believe that it will be extremely helpful and for other colleges to be able to take the course”. This is what Yordanka Fandakova, mayor of Sofia and a patron of the Leadership Academy, said in front of the organizers.

Petar Kanev, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy and Tourism, also made an invocation saying, “Today the topic for the quality of the workers and employees in economics is incredibly popular and it has no format where the problem didn’t take place. That’s why we are happy to greet such initiatives and we very much count on having more successful school directors who are able to prepare the next generations and to feed the Bulgarian economy”.

Engineer Tanq Mihailova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science, also greeted the organizers and the participants not only in her quality of representative of the Ministry, but also in her role as a member of the Academy and former director the National Vocational High School of Engineering and Optics Precise “M.V. Lomonosov”: “Our responsibility as directors is very important and meaningful and we know that we have to work hard and to develop. We highly value the efforts of the Council members to pass on their skills of good managers toward us – the directors of the Bulgarian schools and we promise that will work without stopping in the direction of a better educational environment in the country”.

“Our choice to make a program with focus on education is not a coincidence. Education is one of the main priorities in our organization, but it is the basis for the prosperity for every nation as well. School directors and all workers in this particular sphere have a special role and meaning in this case, carrying the torch of enlightenment and encouraging young minds to develop and build better future”. This is what Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova –  Chairwoman of the board of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and CEO of Siemens Bulgaria said. In addition she noted: “I hope that you all, graduating this special edition of the Leadership Academy, have been able to enrich your knowledge with helpful things which you successfully use in your practice. For us as organizers, this would have been the biggest satisfaction and motivation to continue working in that direction”.

Lectors in the Leadership Academy are proved specialists in the sphere of HR management, as well as top managers with proved experience in the management of leading Bulgarian and international companies. The program for qualification of school directors is a sequel of already established Leadership Academy of The Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, which is held successfully for three years and is focused on teaching in leadership and soft skills of women on managerial positions and women – entrepreneurs, developing and managing personal business.