The local authorities will test the managerial capacities of the candidates to fill the posts of school principals or deputy principals, and the Ministry of Education will assist the process logistically and through expertise. This was sated by Education Minister Corina Fusu at a news conference today.

She said the Ministry chose this method after efforts had failed to set up a School Inspectorate, which was supposed to perform the evaluation and issue conformity certificates to the candidates. “A person to head the School Inspectorate was appointed merely a month ago. Now 45 school inspectors need to be hired. While there was plenty of time, the testing procedures weren't developed. Even the tests themselves weren't prepared. Had my predecessor and her team had done their job, no such problems would have existed”, said Corina Fusu.

The minister went on to add that the testing of principal candidates by the local authorities was in line with the decentralization processes, denying any political motives. “The local authorities were elected recently. And the Liberal Party (IPN: of which Corina Fusu is a member) has no district heads and very few mayors. It's clearly not a matter of political agenda”, argued Fusu.

The change of the procedure to test candidates for school principals has been harshly criticized by civil society as an “anti-reform”. Some civil society members accused Corina Fusu of having a hidden political agenda.