The diagnostic assessment of the management staff working in state preschool educational institutions (kindergartens), held for the first time, took place on October 25.
One of the participants in the exam is the director of the nursery-kindergarten in Sabir settlement of Shamakhi district, Sevinc Adgözəlova.
AzEdu.az contacted her.
“In 1982, I received extramural education at the Baku Preschool Pedagogical Technical College, specializing in preschool education. I started working as an educator that same year. Later, in 1986, I received higher education at the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute named after Lenin, specializing in the pedagogical and psychological aspects of preschool institutions.
From 1982 to 1990, I worked as an educator in Shamakhi district. Subsequently, from 1990 to 1996, I worked as a methodologist at the nursery-kindergarten in Sabir settlement of Shamakhi district. Currently, I serve as the director of that nursery. I have been working as a director since 1996. I started my pedagogical career in 1980, which is now more than 40 years ago.
It seems to me that the diagnostic assessment can eliminate certain gaps. As a result, it becomes clear who is experienced in this field and who needs further training. The goal is not to blame or criticize anyone. The purpose of this assessment is to identify leaders and reveal who needs more preparation.
This assessment creates conditions for the formation of healthier relationships in the field of professional leadership. There are directors who have been active in the pedagogical field for many years. For them, this assessment system is new and can cause a certain level of stress. For this reason, certain psychological preparations should have been made.
The announcement of the exam and the setting of its date were somewhat unexpected, and the interval was short. No matter how experienced we are, we are not perfect, and the exam created a certain degree of stress. Tests and exam anxiety cause stress and discomfort for everyone.
For many years, one of the main problems in this field has been the uneven quality of management. As a result of the assessment, it is possible to determine who is professional and who needs further training. This also creates conditions for the formation of healthier relationships in the field of professional leadership. Furthermore, it can positively impact the social, emotional, and intellectual development of children. Everything depends on the leadership's activity.
I scored 45 points on the exam. Frankly, I was expecting a higher result. Because the questions were situational and required logical thinking to answer. However, I was still satisfied with my result. If I had been a little more careful, I could have achieved a better result. Everyone approaches the questions from their own perspective. It seems to me that there were no difficult questions. The questions were formulated in a situational manner. This might have caused difficulty for some people. For me, however, it was interesting and useful. Answering situational questions required thinking, and choosing the options was also interesting. Overall, the difficulty level of the questions was moderate.
The exam is a process that will play a positive role in increasing the professionalism of directors. This assessment process is not solely aimed at punishment or criticism. It seems to me that this was a motivating step for development. If a transparent, objective, and development-oriented diagnostic assessment is carried out today, it seems to me that this will have a very serious impact on the quality of preschool education in our country. Everyone will now clarify what they need to work on, their area of development, and which direction to take to either develop themselves or their institution.”
