On the 24th of January every year, the global community celebrates the International Day of Education. For 2026, the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) stands in solidarity with young people across Africa whose voices, creativity, and aspirations are central to shaping the future of education—and, by extension, the future of the continent. The 2026 global theme, “The power of youth in co-creating education,” reminds us that education systems thrive when young people are recognised as active agents in their learning journeys. Youth participation does not emerge in isolation, it is enabled—or constrained—by the quality of leadership within schools.
Across Africa, school leaders occupy a pivotal position at the intersection of policy, pedagogy, and lived experience. They shape whether classrooms are spaces of silence or dialogue, fear or belonging, compliance or curiosity. When school leaders are equipped to listen, include, and lead with purpose, young people gain more than academic knowledge: they gain confidence, agency, and the belief that their ideas matter.
At ACSL, our work is grounded in the understanding that youth is future, and that youth voice is inseparable from leadership practice. Through our leadership development programmes, research, and continental platforms, we support policymakers, principals and head teachers to foster inclusive school cultures where students are encouraged to question, collaborate, and contribute meaningfully to their learning environments. These conditions are essential not only for improved learning outcomes, but for preparing young people to navigate life beyond school with dignity, resilience, and purpose.
This is exemplified in our various initiatives and projects such as the Leaders in Teaching (LIT) initiative in Tanzania, where we are strengthening the capacity of 6000 school leaders in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Our continental school leadership mapping initiative is helping us set up a one-stop-shop for all school leadership support services in Africa. We demonstrated the efficacy of these services during our foundation phase – from 2022 to 2024 – in Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda.
At ACSL, we believe that youth agency is foundational to building pathways toward meaningful and fulfilling lives. When students experience voice and agency in school, they are better prepared to shape their futures—whether in further learning, work, entrepreneurship, or civic life. In this sense, school leadership plays a critical role in linking education to broader life outcomes, including employability, social cohesion, and well-being.
On this International Day of Education, ACSL reaffirms its commitment to strengthening school leadership across Africa as a catalyst for youth agency and long-term transformation. We stand with young people, educators, and policymakers in advancing education systems that do not merely teach, but empower—systems that recognise young people not only as learners, but as co-creators of their futures.
We call on policymakers and political leaders to recognize the role of school leadership in shaping the future, and thus strengthen the capacity of teachers and school leaders to build the young people who are the torch-bearers of our tomorrow.
