The Role of the School Principal in Motivating Teachers for Professional Development: Case Study of the Municipality of Gjakova in Kosovo

Teachers must always increase their knowledge and develop personally and professionally since teaching is a process that needs to be expanded and improved. This is increasingly in harmony with the perspective of lifelong learning as a characteristic feature of the complexity of the teaching profession, with the main aim of adapting to the rapid changes in development and the current needs of the time. The aim of this study is to look into the impact of professional development on improving teaching quality and the school's cooperation with teachers in achieving professional development. This paper uses a qualitative research method, where 13 principals of primary and lower secondary schools of the Municipality of Gjakova in Kosovo have participated in the research. From the principals' responses, data were collected based on their opinion regarding the professional development of teachers and practices of cooperation and ensuring the professional development of teachers in the schools where they work. The results of the research show that the professional development of teachers is considered necessary and important in facing more successfully the challenges of the teaching and learning process, teachers adapt more easily to changes in the educational system and can advance faster in terms of personal and professional.