Kigali, Rwanda, 30 October 2026 – Education professionals from eight African countries have completed a five-day workshop in Kigali with peer-reviewed proposals to strengthen school leadership at home, grounded in African values, knowledge systems and community practice. Each country’s team tested its proposal for feasibility, resources and institutional support, and will now refine it using feedback from peers.
The workshop, held from 26 to 30 October 2026, brought together 17 participants from Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda under the Blended Exchange and Learning Trajectory (BELT) of the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL). The workshop is part of a 16-week learning programme on Afrocentric School Leadership and School Leadership Professional Development that combines online learning, practical application and peer exchange.
Discussions explored how principles such as Ubuntu, collective responsibility, ethical leadership, community participation and intergenerational mentorship can shape the way schools are led. Participants reflected on the importance of approaches that draw on African knowledge and cultural values while responding to the realities of their respective education systems.
Learning from Rwanda’s experience was an important part of the exchange. A panel discussion with Rwandan education stakeholders examined how community traditions such as Itorero (civic education), Umuganda (community service) and Imihigo (performance commitments and accountability) contribute to collective responsibility and national development. Participants discussed how such practices could offer lessons for strengthening relationships between schools and their surrounding communities.
These discussions continued during visits to GS Rosa Mystica and GS Mpushi, two inclusive schools in Kamonyi District, to enable participants to experience these principles in practice. Participants met school representatives, toured the schools, and learned about their approaches to school management, teacher support, learner development, and community engagement.
The visits offered practical examples of how school leadership extends beyond managing daily school activities. Participants saw first-hand the importance of parental engagement, shared leadership responsibilities, teacher collaboration, and community involvement in supporting school improvement.
For Ms. Evodia Marco, a participant from Tanzania, the visits offered particularly relevant lessons on how community values can translate into everyday school practice.
“The Rwanda workshop and school visit provided important insights into Afrocentric school leadership, particularly the philosophy of Ubuntu (I am because we are), which emphasises humanity, togetherness, mutual respect and collective responsibility. I also learned from Rwanda’s community practices, such as Itorero and Umuganda, which promote community participation, shared responsibility and collective action. The school visit further demonstrated the importance of parental engagement, school feeding programmes, environmental conservation, income-generating activities and collaborative teacher professional development (CPD),” said Ms Marco, an ADEM trainer and participant from Tanzania.
Ms Marco noted that these lessons could inform Tanzania’s efforts to develop a contextualized school leadership model guided by Jifunze–Tekeleza–Tafakari (Learn–Act–Reflect).
“By integrating Ubuntu principles with relevant Tanzanian cultural values and community practices, the model can support newly appointed school leaders to acquire leadership competencies, apply them in their schools and continuously reflect on their practice. Hence, we aim to develop collaborative, culturally grounded and community-responsive school leaders,” she added.
Beyond the school visits, participants presented school leadership challenges from their countries and shared proposed solutions. These included Uganda’s Ubuntu School-Community Baraza Model, which brings school leaders, teachers, parents and communities together to address school challenges; Rwanda’s mentoring and coaching approach; and Malawi’s focus on strengthening instructional leadership.
Proposals from Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Sierra Leone explored leadership induction, continuous professional development, peer learning, mentorship and community-led school improvement. The presentations gave participants an opportunity to compare how different countries are responding to common challenges in preparing and supporting school leaders.
The final two days were given to peer review. Participants worked through one another’s proposals and looked for ways to build on existing professional development structures in each country.
For the ACSL team, seeing participants connect their learning with experiences from other countries was one of the most encouraging aspects of the exchange.
Reflecting on the experience, Ms Jocelyne Kirezi, ACSL Strategic Education Advisor, said:
“I came away from the workshop feeling encouraged by what we achieved. It was wonderful to see BELT participants share experiences, reflect on Afrocentric school leadership, and begin building connections with others who share the same commitment. What I look forward to most is seeing how they put these ideas into practice in their own contexts. I hope we can learn from their experiences and generate practical lessons on how homegrown, Afrocentric approaches can strengthen school leadership professional development across Africa, and that these lessons will inspire and inform similar efforts in other countries across the continent.”
As the first cohort continues through the BELT learning trajectory, participants will share their progress through the Community of Practice. The next phase will show how these approaches translate into practice, what participants learn from implementing them, and how their experiences can inform school leadership professional development in other African contexts.