The ministry wants to improve school management and thinks the measure will be step in the right direction.

EKÜ board member and principal of Nissi Elementary School Annely Ajaots said before fixed-term contracts are introduced, principals' work needs to be valued and social guarantees put in place.

"Our clear message has been that before this can happen, there should be development interviews with school leaders, evaluations and a competency model for school leaders should be in place," Ajaots said.

"The concern at the moment is that the headteacher is not getting feedback at the moment because not all school leaders are doing development interviews," said Ajaots.

"I've been a school leader for a long time, but I do not feel like I am in a comfort zone. You can always learn more," she said.

Ajaots added that nowadays people talk about environmental awareness, but for school leaders, changing the school they lead would mean traveling further from their community.

Additionally, younger school principals may be put off these roles as having a fixed-term employment contract could make life harder, for example when applying for a loan, Ajaots said.

In 2008, one of the arguments in favor of open-ended contracts for head teachers was to reduce the influence of the local government. Ajaots thinks that a fixed-term contract does not offer protected from this either.

"Political winds may also blow then," the principal said.

Raino Liblik, head of Mustamäe State High School, and EKÜ board member, agrees with Ajaotsa: before switching to fixed-term contracts, stages should be completed so that the negative aspects of a time-limited employment contract are reduced for school principals.

"For school leaders, for example, it is important to have professional support – a career model for both entry and exit, as well as a development partner in the form of the headteacher," he said.

"Until all this is in place, school leaders are not yet ready for fixed-term contracts," Liblik said.

The length of the proposed fixed-term contract also raises questions, the principal said.

"Five years is too short – a contract for seven or eight years would be reasonable. A school is a place where it is neither easy nor sensible to make a change every five years," said Liblik.

A capped employment contract also does not allow the principal to adapt, Liblik and Ajaots agreed.

"Let's start with whether they are the right person for the job. Also, every school has an owner – if they are working with the head teacher, criticizing either positively or negatively, there can be no complacency and it must not be allowed to develop," he said.

But some school leaders agree with the changes.

Kohtla-Järve High School Principal Hendrik Agur said if a good principal has done a good job, and impresses the selection committee, they can be reappointed to the role. There is nothing unnatural about reapplying for a job.

"There are also term limits for running for the Riigikogu, for city councils and even for president, and it is a very healthy and democratic process that ensures that everyone has the chance to stand and the best is elected. Similarly, university rectors are elected for a fixed term, not for life. Why should schools be any different?" Agur wrote in an opinion piece for ERR.

The Ministry of Education and Research said the plan for fixed-term contracts could reach the Riigikogu by the end of the year. It could be adopted at the start of 2025 and implemented in summer 2026.

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