The Africa Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) joins the global community in commemorating World Teachers’ Day 2025, celebrated annually on October 5th to honor teachers worldwide. Established in 1994, this day also marks the anniversary of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, a landmark framework that set standards for the rights, responsibilities, and working conditions of teachers.

This year’s theme, “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession,” speaks directly to ACSL’s mission and vision. Teachers are the lifeblood of education systems, driving learning, equity, and innovation. Yet too often, they are left to carry this mission in isolation, without the supportive structures, networks, and leadership that enable them to thrive.

At ACSL, we believe that teaching and leadership are inseparable. Our vision is to transform education by strengthening school leadership across Africa, ensuring that teachers are guided, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential. Through partnerships, research, and policy development, ACSL is advancing contextualized leadership models, fostering professional development, and building sustainable systems that make collaboration the norm, not the exception.

Effective school leadership means more than administration. It is about guiding teaching and learning with clear goals, supporting teachers through feedback and coaching, and creating inclusive environments where every learner, especially the most marginalized, can succeed. By shifting the role of school leaders from primarily administrative to instructional and collaborative, we can unlock a cycle of improvement: empowered leaders supporting teachers, empowered teachers improving classrooms, and empowered students achieving better outcomes.

This commitment is already shaping practice across the continent:

• In Tanzania, the Leaders in Teaching (LIT) initiative, supported by the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with ADEM and the government, is training 6,000 school leaders to strengthen teaching and learning for more than 2.8 million students.
• In Malawi, leadership mapping is turning strong education policies into classroom realities by improving coordination, teacher motivation, and quality assurance.
• In Sierra Leone, partnerships are tackling gaps in professional development, gender equity, and monitoring to build stronger, fairer leadership systems.

Across Africa, one truth stands out: when teachers are supported by strong, collaborative leadership, education is transformed.

Later this month, from October 29th to 31st, ACSL will join educators, partners, and leaders at the ADEA Triennale in Accra, Ghana, to reimagine the power of school and shared leadership. This gathering will be a platform to confront challenges, share solutions, and commit to practical actions that can reshape education across the continent.

On this World Teachers’ Day, ACSL celebrates the resilience, creativity, and dedication of teachers across Africa. Working hand in hand with visionary school leaders, they are laying the groundwork for a brighter, more inclusive future, where collaboration drives progress and takes education further.

The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) has concluded a rapid school leadership mapping for Sierra Leone. This followed a one-day workshop on Thursday 26th June, 2025, at Brookfield Hotels Freetown, with key school leadership stakeholders in Sierra Leone. Outcome from this activity will support the co-creation workshop for the Leaders in Teaching initiative in Sierra Leone from July 1 – 4, 2025. The effort forms part of a broader continental effort by ACSL to strengthen school leadership systems across Africa.

The workshop, which was a focused group discussion, unpacked the various school leadership context in Sierra Leone, with focus on the LEAD pillar of the LIT effort. It was an opportunityt o engage with representatives from the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), development partners, such as EducAid, Cambridge Education, Teach for Sierra Leone, and academic institutions, including the Fourah Bay College. Participants reflected on the country’s school leadership policies—including the 2017 Professional Standards for School Leaders and the 2023 Basic and Senior Secondary Education Act—while discussing challenges in implementation.

The discussions revealed interesting gaps such as the limited access to Continuing Professional Development (CPD), low female participation in leadership roles, weak CPD monitoring systems, and unclear role definitions among key institutions. Stakeholders called for a more structured, inclusive, and coordinated approach to developing effective school leadership nationwide.

The workshop’s outcomes will inform the finalization of the Sierra Leone school leadership mapping report and feed directly into a three-day co-creation workshop aimed at developing actionable strategies to design the LIT-LEAD programme in Sierra Leone. The LIT-LEAD initiative is also being implemented in Ghana and Tanzania.

The African Center for School Leadership (ACSL) joins the African Union (AU) and the global community in commemorating the 2025 Day of the African Child (DAC). Instituted by the AU in 1991, this day honors the memory of the 176 individuals who lost their lives during the Soweto Uprising of 1976, where students protested against an unjust education system. It is a day of profound historical significance and a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for every African child’s right to quality education and training.

This year’s theme, “Tracking Impact, Inspiring Action,” resonates deeply with ACSL’s mission. It aligns with our strategic commitment to securing a brighter future for the African child by supporting policies that bridge learning gaps, enhance the relevance and mobility of skills, promote equity and inclusion, and strengthen data-driven decision-making across African education systems.

Today, the ACSL honors the resilience, courage, and potential of the African child. Yet, across the continent, millions still face barriers to learning – ranging from poor infrastructure and a shortage of qualified teachers to persistent social inequalities, poverty, climate change, and conflict. These challenges continue to hinder children’s ability to acquire life-saving knowledge, thrive academically, and realize their full potential. Without the right skills, the future will remain uncertain for many of Africa’s children.

Africa is home to over 40% of the world’s youth, with more than 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population under the age of 30. The urgency to invest in quality, relevant education is both a moral responsibility and an economic necessity. Youth unemployment remains alarmingly high, with four out of every ten unemployed persons being young. ACSL is committed to helping countries close this gap.

Through our various initiatives, and leveraging the capacities of our coalition members to aggressively counter these trends. The foundational phase of the ACSL initiative amplified the value of school leadership by showcasing best practices in Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda. Our work on the LEAD pillar of the Leaders in Teaching initiative is building the capacity of teachers across Africa – especially at the primary and post-primary levels – empowering them to shape the leaders of tomorrow. Through policy and practice briefs, webinars and technical learning sessions, we are mobilizing knowledge and expanding the pipeline of innovative policy options to support school leadership development across Africa.

On this Day of the African Child, ACSL enjoins governments, educators, parents, development partners, and youth themselves to recommit to the promise of education. Let this day serve as a solemn reminder of our shared responsibility – to ensure every African child is equipped not only to learn, but to thrive, lead, and shape the continent’s future. We salute the African child – brave, brilliant, and bold. Together, we pledge to keep working toward a continent where no child is left behind, and every child is empowered to learn.

By Chinedu Ejike Anarado, Shem Okore Bodo, Chantal Kabanda Dusabe and Kouamé Kouman Aimé

“How do you manage under-performing students?”

Responding to this question from the group that visited the Dar es Salam School in Tanzania on 12th May 2025, the Head Teacher said;

“First, we have student-led meetings. The students write anonymous views, which I analyze, and I identify challenge areas. I then meet with the teachers and agree on the course of action. I then give feedback to the subject teachers, and we also meet with the parents. We have created WhatsApp groups for teachers as part of using technology for peer learning and exchange of ideas. We have therefore adopted the learner-school-parent triangle.”

This interaction is a good example of instructional leadership within a distributed structure, the sort we intend to promote on the Leaders in Teaching (LIT) initiative. The reason for this isn’t far-fetched. Research confirms the link between strong school leadership and student learning outcomes. A landmark study by Leithwood et al. (2004) found that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching among in-school factors that affect student achievement. More recently, the World Bank (2022) drew insights from Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria to show that school leadership quality correlates directly with learning outcomes. Leaders who lack instructional focus often preside over weak teaching practices and poor student performance. Other studies by UNESCO, VVOB, RTI, and the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) further underscore this point: School leaders shape instructional quality, influence teacher motivation, and create conditions for student success.

But often, teachers and school leaders do not receive the sort of training they need to excel at school leadership. This was equally evident from the responses of some of the school heads we spoke to in Tanzania.

For instance, the second visiting group inquired about any formal leadership or school management trainings from the Head Teacher of Karibuni Secondary School, in Temeke Municipal Council, Dar es Salam.

“Have you had any formal training in management, administration, or leadership before becoming Head of this school?”

“No”, she replied. “I rely on observations from my predecessors and insights from fellow teachers and parents.” 

Across Africa, teacher training curricula – both pre-service and in-service – have not sufficiently addressed the leadership competencies a teacher needs to deliver quality learning or run a school that nurtures the next generation of leaders. The school leadership gap could be one of the hidden drivers of poor learning outcomes across the continent and needs to be corrected if we are to improve learning outcomes sustainably.

Lessons from Tanzania Karibuni and Dar-es-Salam Secondary Schools

Between 12th – 16th May, we joined colleagues in Tanzania for the kick-off meeting for the Leaders in Teaching Tanzania (LIT-TZ) project. A key part of the schedule included school visits. We visited two schools (Karibuni Secondary School and Dar es Salam Secondary School) to observe firsthand how leadership can make or break learning outcomes.  

Founded in 2019 with 1,045 Form One students and just 24 teachers, Karibuni now educates 1,334 students (617 boys and 717 girls) with a teaching staff of 44. The school offers 11 subjects across 21 classes averaging 63 students per class – a challenging context by any standard. Despite these constraints, the school achieved a 78% success rate in national exams in 2022, rising to 92% in 2023, and maintaining 87% in 2024. How? Through strategic leadership actions such as: 

• Remedial programs on evenings and Saturdays to help struggling learners
• Monthly assessments to track progress and close learning gaps
• Recognition and rewards to motivate students and teachers
• Weekly academic review meetings for instructional planning
• Parental engagement to boost learner support at home
• Psychological support for students facing stress, poverty, or trauma 

Meanwhile, Dar es Salam Secondary School has 912 students with 42 teachers (11 male and 31 female). Some of the subjects taught include Cookery, Business Studies, French, Textile, and Sowing Technology. One of the challenges is the teaching of Mathematics where the school accepts volunteers. The teaching load is 28 subjects per week, but most of the teachers are below this number, giving enough time to prepare, develop assignments, and link with the learners. The school achieved a 100% performance in the last Form 4 examinations, with 100 out of the 171 students scoring Division 1. The calm and peaceful environment helps to retain teachers. The school has also a teacher motivating initiative: it gives Tz Shs 10,000 to the subject teacher for each student who scores an “A” in a subject, and Tz Shs 5,000 for a “B” score. The school is currently discussing the possibility of including for those who get a “C” score in the STEM subject, depending on the budget, because a score from “A” to “C” is considered a good performance.

The school gives a high priority to discipline, where teachers conduct a student character analysis on a random day when the students are gathered, and each teacher analyses the student. This helps the teachers to have a conducive environment with the learners. During graduation, students with good or improved character are awarded certificates. There is also a referral structure where parents are also involved, for undisciplined students. The school also participates in continuing professional development seminars for teachers at the ward and district levels. There are also communities of practice sessions at the municipal level, as well as departmental meetings chaired by the Deputy Principal.

These approaches reveal a crucial truth: Leadership is not just about administration and bureaucracy, it’s about shaping school culture, driving accountability, and supporting both learners and teachers.

These two schools are part of the 5,857 secondary schools in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, and part of the 350 schools in Dar es Salaam. The challenge is to define what effective school leadership looks like – and scale it nationally. This is the central goal of the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) over the next six years in Tanzania and across Africa, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, Educate! Teach United and TEN/MET who will push for improvements in school leadership across the four pillars (Train, Recruit, Motivate and Lead). VVOB and ACSL will be focused on the LEAD pillar.

The LIT initiative will work the Tanzanian government to sustainably tackle weak policy frameworks on school leadership, poor working conditions and heavy workloads for teachers, gender gaps in school leadership, limited training and support for new headteachers and address evidence and data gaps on school leadership. The LIT initiative will highlight, support and scale promising practices that are yielding results and creating impact. The overall aim is to support government in Tanzania and across Africa to invest in strong, visionary school leaders who can improve learning and lead with purpose, resilience, and instructional focus.

School leadership remains a critical component in enhancing the quality of education in Africa. To improve educational outcomes in Africa, we must take school leadership seriously. This means recruiting, training, supporting, and holding teachers and school leaders accountable – not just to manage, but to inspire, transform and groom the next generation of pupils. The insights from Dar es Salam and Karibuni Secondary School’s journey are a small but powerful example of what is possible. With the right vision, support, and strategy, school leadership can be the engine that powers Africa’s education renaissance.

From May 12^th – 16^th, members of the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) coalition participated in the official kick-off workshop for the Leaders in Teaching (LIT) project in Tanzania. Held in Dar es Salaam, the workshop brought together the representatives of the government of Tanzania, the Mastercard Foundation, Educate!, Teachers Education Network (TENMET), Teach United, and other key stakeholders to co-create the implementation model for the LIT Tanzania initiative.

It was also an opportunity to align with the Mastercard Foundation’s vision and expectations for the LIT Tanzania project, engage government counterparts, resolve key planning issues, and build a shared understanding of the collaborative roles each partner will play. Participants also defined a joint implementation framework and affirmed a shared commitment to inclusion, safeguarding, innovation, and effective communication.

Leaders in Teaching (LIT) is an initiative supported by the Mastercard Foundation to transform education across Africa, by strengthening teaching and learning so that young people acquire 21st-century skills and competencies needed for employment, lifelong learning, and adult life. Working through a multi-partner implementation model, LIT is a holistic approach to enhancing teaching and learning. LIT is structured around four key pillars:

• RECRUIT (led by Teach United in Tanzania)
• TRAIN (led by Educate! in Tanzania)
• MOTIVATE (led by TENMET in Tanzania)
• LEAD (led VVOB with support from ACSL)

VVOB, in partnership with ACSL, is responsible for the LEAD component in Tanzania, which focuses on strengthening school leadership systems at national and continental levels. ADEA, as a founding member of the ACSL coalition, joined the workshop alongside government stakeholders and development partners. The ACSL is expected to leverage the implementation outcomes from the Tanzania project to drive continental level advocacy on the value and importance of school leadership in grooming young Africans to find dignified work and lead fulfilling lives.

The four-day event laid the groundwork for robust coordination, developing an engagement plan for the national coordination platform and its working groups. It also helped define the LIT brand and its communications strategy, and initiated the development of a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plan with input from Tanzanian authorities.

This kick-off marks a pivotal milestone in advancing coherent, inclusive, and effective school leadership across Africa. The LIT initiative is expected to build a new generation of empowered teacher leaders and school heads equipped to prepare young Africans for work, lifelong learning, and meaningful civic engagement.

About the ACSL Coalition

The Africa Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) was established in 2021 to promote effective school leadership. ACSL collaborates with governments and stakeholders in the education sector to build supportive school leadership systems with the objective of improving teaching and in turn learning outcomes. Its core coalition members include the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), VVOB – education for development, and Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA).

Kigali, Rwanda – October 4, 2024 – The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) successfully convened educational leaders and partners from 12 countries from September 25^th to 26^th, 2024, in Kigali, Rwanda for the End of Foundation Phase Project Dissemination Conference. This event aimed to share insights, and learnings from the foundation phase of the ACSL initiative and to set the groundwork for its scaling phase.

The conference’s objectives included the dissemination of key project products such as school leadership country mapping reports, policy frameworks, and practice briefs. Attendees explored best practices from the ACSL partners and emphasised school leadership as a critical lever for improving educational quality across Africa.

“School leadership is the cause; all others are effects,” this was a resounding message throughout the conference, originally stated by Professor Stephen Adei in 2019.

“Many of the things we see in the school system, such as not achieving learning outcomes, absenteeism, etc., are mainly the effect of bad leadership. If you get your leadership right, most likely all the other things will be better,” said Dr Michael Boakye-Yiadom, the Director General of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA).

To implement its activities during its foundation phase (2023 – 2024), the Centre has been supported by the Mastercard Foundation, the Jacobs Foundation, and the Global Education Monitoring team of UNESCO. While reflecting on the Mastercard Foundation’s support to the Centre, Isabelle Byusa, Lead of Education and Skills, Rwanda said: “At the Mastercard Foundation, we believe that education is a cornerstone of economic growth, and we have the Young Africa Works Strategy, which aims to enable 30 million young people to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030. The African Centre for School Leadership aligns with that vision and will be an enabler for our young people to become more employable and access not only existing jobs, but also the jobs of the future. We are proud to support this initiative, and we remain steadfast and determined to continue walking this journey with different partners and expanding to include other partners along this journey”.

In line with the above reflection, the foundation project dissemination conference showcased several impactful outputs aimed at strengthening effective school leadership in Africa:

School leadership country mapping reports – An in-depth analysis of school leadership policies and professional development offerings in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Zambia, guiding ACSL’s efforts to strengthen leadership across the continent.

Framework for policy development – A framework established to guide the development of national policies, emphasising leadership roles, competencies, standards, career stages, certification, gender inclusion, and professional organisation. This framework was validated through a consultative workshop with policymakers and experts, and the next step involves developing policy briefs that address different topics within the framework.

Leadership Communities of Practice framework – An initiative designed to enhance Early Childhood Education (ECE) through collaboration among district education officers, school leaders, and community leaders, based on experiences by partners in Ghana.

Blended school leadership professional development practice brief – This brief outlines best practices for delivering scalable blended professional development programmes for school leaders, emphasising the Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate (ADDIE) instructional design model.

Engendering School Leadership in Africa – A policy brief addressing the underrepresentation of women in school leadership and presenting actionable recommendations to foster gender equity in leadership roles.

Exploring Ubuntu school leadership – This research will explore how Ubuntu principles are reflected in current school leadership in Rwanda, how Ubuntu school leadership can meet leadership standards, and how it can be integrated into leadership development programmes.

“The African Centre for School Leadership stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, bringing together a coalition of partners in Africa, all dedicated to promoting effective school leadership across the continent,” said Pascal Gatabazi, Chief Technical Advisor, Ministry of Education, Rwanda.

Panel discussions explored critical topics such as the importance of mentorship and coaching in school leadership professional development. The role of mentorship was highlighted as a key driver for sustainable professional growth, allowing school leaders to reflect, learn, and navigate the complexities of their roles together.

During a panel discussion that brought together both young and retired school leaders, Sister Hélène Nayituriki, a retired headteacher with more than 30 years of experience, emphasised the importance of lifelong learning in leadership. “Society is constantly changing, and new developments emerge every day including fast-evolving technologies. Therefore, it is essential for school leaders to continuously learn and adapt to the evolving world,” she said.

She further advised young leaders to be passionate about their work and to embrace collaboration at all levels. “First and foremost, you need to love what you do. Additionally, it’s important to prioritise collaboration with various actors, including the school community, parents, and most importantly, learners, who should remain at the heart of everything.”

Reflecting on the critical role of leadership in shaping the future of education in Africa, Dr Elyas Abdi, Director General of Early Learning and Basic Education at the Ministry of Education in Kenya, emphasised the importance of investing in school leaders. He highlighted that equipping principals with the right skills and knowledge not only fosters individual growth but also benefits the entire school community.

“We need to support our school leaders and the entire leadership within the school system. Supporting one principal with skills and knowledge is as good as reaching out to the entire school community,” he said. “If we have to develop, it’s about our human capital in Africa. Because even when you look at the well-developed economies, they have one thing in common, their human capital is also well-educated. If we are looking for development, our entry point is through education. Therefore, this focus (effective school leadership) is welcome,” he added.

Participants were also urged to reflect on the barriers to gender equity in school leadership. Teresa Omondi-Adeitan, Deputy Executive Director and Head of Programmes at Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) raised a critical point about the double standards faced by women in leadership roles when she said: “We are facing significant challenges to get more women leaders. For example, when a woman is transferred on a promotion basis, it is seen as breaking families. But when a man is transferred it is considered as part of promotion and empowerment.”

She went on to highlight that “this needs to change, and we don’t even need to ask such a question amongst ourselves because transfer is transfer. It has nothing to do with breaking or building families.”

Furthermore, participants stressed the need for deepening partnerships and co-creating initiatives to ensure the ACSL remains the leading authority on school leadership in Africa.

“I would like to appreciate the countries and partners that are here. We started this journey together, we are still together, and let’s hope that we will still be together in 10 years to come, and we will bring more partners. This is the power of partnership. Let’s continue to work together as one,” said Albert Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary for the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). “If there is a single legacy as educators we need to leave, is to make sure that we have contributed to improving the learning outcomes of our children,” he concluded.

The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) is a coalition of partners in Africa committed to the promotion of effective school leadership by bringing together partners that offer professional development services, research, and policy advice on effective school leadership. As the conference concluded, discussions shifted towards the future of ACSL. In this regard, the first ACSL Pan-African Coordinating Group (PACG) meeting took place to deliberate on various issues regarding governance matters of the Centre. One of the resolutions of the meeting was the co-option of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) into the PACG as a permanent member focusing on gender and school leadership.

Therefore, moving forward, the ACSL is coordinated by VVOB-education for development, The Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE).

About VVOB

VVOB – education for development is an international non-profit organisation with over 40 years of experience in strengthening the quality of education systems in Africa, Asia, and South America. VVOB convenes and coordinates ACSL activities related to professional development for school leaders. VVOB collaborates with government-affiliated partners responsible for the professional development of school leaders.

For more information on VVOB, please visit: www.vvob.org

About ADEA

ADEA is the leading platform for policy dialogue on education in Africa. ADEA supports education stakeholders across the continent to strengthen education policy and guidelines and coordinates communication, convenings and advocacy on effective school leadership. ADEA collaborates with national government partners and other relevant continental and regional bodies.

For more information on ADEA, please visit: www.adeanet.org

About ESSA

ESSA is a registered charity that uses evidence to enhance education in sub-Saharan Africa. ESSA organises and coordinates regional research activities on school leadership in Africa. ESSA partners with educational institutions, universities, and individual researchers to achieve its objectives. ESSA is also the ACSL lead for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), designing and managing MEL activities to evidence and refine the theory of change and drive learning.

For more information on ESSA, please visit: www.essa-africa.org

About FAWE

FAWE is a membership-based pan-African Non-Governmental Organisation that operates through 34 National Chapters in sub-Saharan Africa to promote girls’ and women’s education. FAWE’s vision, mission and goal are all resolute on the well-being of girls’ education. Within the ACSL, FAWE is responsible for coordinating gender and school leadership activities and processes.

For more information on ESSA, please visit: www.fawe.org

For more information about the conference and the ACSL, please visit www.africancentreforschoolleadership.org

Media Contact:

Etienne Ntawigira
Strategic Education Advisor, Advocacy and Communication
African Centre for School Leadership at VVOB
Email: Etienne.ntawigira@vvob.org
Tel: +250 788791586

School leaders are the cornerstone of any successful education system, shaping the environment where effective teaching and learning flourish. Based on the findings of an empirical review of research on school leadership, effective leadership in schools is crucial for tackling the root causes of the learning crisis affecting the African continent, including unprepared students, poor teaching quality, weak school management, and a focus on educational inputs that fail to enhance learning.

Recognising this, the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) is dedicated to advancing effective school leadership across the continent, building on regional expertise and experience. By fostering partnerships, cultivating networks, and promoting co-creation and mutual learning, the ACSL tackles educational challenges with a collaborative and comprehensive approach.

In a significant step towards this mission, from 12 – 15 June 2024, the ACSL team, together with its partners from Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana, embarked on an important learning visit to Ghana. This visit which included a two-day workshop and school learning was an opportunity to delve into Ghana’s successful practices in school leadership, reinforcing the critical role of partnerships and shared learning in driving improvements across Africa’s education landscape.

Why Ghana?

Having made significant strides in promoting school leadership for quality education, Ghana provided an ideal setting for this exchange. The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), a UNESCO Category II Centre in Ghana, is renowned for its excellence in educational research and training educational planners, administrators, and leaders. Its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 aligns perfectly with the ACSL’s mission. The IEPA’s efforts in advancing effective school leadership in Ghana and the broader West African region made it an exemplary partner for this learning visit.

Ghana’s progress in school leadership

In July 2023, IEPA, alongside its counterparts in Rwanda and Kenya, completed a comprehensive school leadership mapping exercise. This exercise highlighted Ghana’s significant achievements in promoting school leadership. These include piloting the National Education Leadership Institute (NELI) to create a dedicated pathway for developing school leaders, providing blended professional development in transformative leadership, and establishing the National Professional Education Leadership Qualification Framework to guide academic institutions in training school leaders. The Ghana Education Service (GES) and the National Teaching Council (NTC) also play an active role in supervising and appraising school leaders.

Leadership is the cause. All others are effects

During the workshop discussions in Accra, it was highlighted that leadership is fundamental, influencing and determining various organisational outcomes. Leadership is the key driving force behind various outcomes, whether they are positive or negative. On one hand, this implies that, in school contexts, effective school leadership can lead to success, motivation and overall positive results as far as school performance is concerned. Poor school leadership can result in failure, demotivation, and low educational outcomes, on the other hand. Therefore, there is a strongneed to nurture and foster effective school leadership, not just leadership.

Dr Michael Boakye-Yiadom is the Director General of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA). He believes school leadership is very important in the effective management of every school. “Many of the things we see in the school system, such as not achieving learning outcomes, absenteeism etc., are mainly the effect of bad leadership. If you get your leadership right, most likely all the other things will be better,” he said. Dr Boakye-Yiadom closed his remarks by citing Professor Stephen Adei’s popular statement that says, “Leadership is cause, everything else is effect.” Indeed, effective leadership is paramount to sustainable success in every sector, including in education.

Power of partnerships

The visit emphasized the importance of collaboration among education stakeholders for achieving effective school leadership and enhancing learning outcomes. Participants learnt that by working together, they can leverage their collective expertise and resources to address complex challenges and improve school leadership practices.

While reflecting on this visit, Dr Fay Hodza, the Regional Coordinator of the ACSL said, “This visit has once again reinforced Hellen Keller’s popular idea that “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” He further said, “in the context of supporting school leadership in Africa, national efforts alone are limited in impact, but when education actors collaborate at the regional level—sharing knowledge, resources, and strategies—they can drive significant improvements in school leadership and ultimately enhance learning outcomes across the continent.”

Retirees programme

This Ghana’s innovative programme engages retired school leaders driven by the motto “we’ve retired but are not tired”, in mentoring and coaching new leaders, ensuring continuity and the transfer of valuable experience. The IEPA organises training for retirees to ensure they can perform their responsibilities effectively and are up to date with current trends in the education sector and school leadership.

Community involvement

Participants visited St. John’s Catholic Basic School in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem district to observe how Right to Play and Sabre Education integrate play-based learning into the curriculum. At this school, the Leadership Communities of Practice (LCoP) mobilized parents to improve learning conditions, demonstrating the power of community engagement. The LCoPs, initiated through a project by VVOB, Sabre Education, Right To Play and AfriKids, bring together District Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coordinators, teachers, school leaders, and School Management Committee (SMC) members to enhance school leadership and support play-based early childhood education in Ghana.

LCoP members regularly visit schools to address concerns. This year at St. John’s Catholic Basic School, they successfully mobilized parents to fund new chairs and tables for ECE learners and resolved the lack of electricity in kindergarten classrooms through parent engagement.

Emmanuel Abaidoo, a former teacher at St. John’s for 36 years, now leads the School Management Committee (SMC) and remains active in the LCoP. “Children learn as they play. We’ve painted classrooms and are working on a playground to create a welcoming environment for the children,” he said.

Community members also contribute based on their professions. Philomena Kwawolah, a hairdresser and LCoP member teaches kindergarten learners about personal hygiene. “I teach them how to care for their bodies, including their head and hair, to prevent infections,” she said.

Alumni programme

The team also visited St Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, engaged directly with the school leaders as well as administrative and teaching staff and discussed various aspects of leadership within the school context. They gained insights into the administrative challenges and strategies employed by the school leaders to manage operations effectively.

One of the best practices highlighted is St. Augustine College’s alumni programme. This ensures continuous support from graduates, with contributions made every 25 years. This means that every year, a new cohort reaches its 25th anniversary since graduating, consistently returning to significantly contribute to the school’s development in various ways, such as renovating the school infrastructure, buying new desks and other needs of the school.

Key partners represented in the learning visit included government partners from Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana. In addition, representatives from VVOB and Mastercard Foundation also participated in the visit. The Government of Rwanda was represented by the University of Rwanda-College of Education, the Government of Kenya was represented by an official from the Ministry of Education and Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI), while the Government of Ghana was represented by officials from the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service (GES), National Teaching Council (NTC) and the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA).

The ACSL partners’ learning visit highlighted the critical role of partnerships in enhancing school leadership across Africa. By learning from Ghana’s experiences and sharing insights, the coalition aims to foster effective school leadership, ultimately improving the quality of education on the continent.

The ACSL is a coalition of partners in Africa committed to the promotion of effective school leadership by bringing together organisations that offer professional development services, research, and policy advice on effective school leadership.

In August 2023, a transformative project called “Strengthening Play-Based Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Ghana through Leadership Communities of Practice” was launched by four partners, namely VVOB-education for development, Sabre Education, Right To Play, and AfriKids. The initiative aims to create ‘Leadership Communities of Practice (LCoP),’ bringing together District ECE Coordinators, teachers, school leaders, and selected School Management Committee (SMC) members to enhance school leadership and support play-based early childhood education in local communities in Ghana. 

Supported by the Jacobs Foundation, this 18-month project has established Leadership Communities of Practice in three districts across Ghana: Ho West district in the Volta Region, Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem district in the Central Region, and Binduri district in the Upper East Region.  

In this project, each Leadership Community of Practice consists of communities from two schools, one rural and one urban, that meet every two months to tackle specific challenges in their school community. Guided by trained facilitators, members collaborate to identify the needs for implementing quality play-based learning in kindergarten classrooms. Through shared leadership and inquiry, they develop community-based solutions.

Partners’ learning visit

The four partner organisations have been collaborating virtually each month to share experiences and learn from each other as they facilitate the project implementation in different districts. On June 10-11, 2024, they organised a field visit to the Ho West district to: 

• Review the project’s progress 
• Observe Leadership Communities of Practice sessions in practice 
• Identify best practices and challenges 
• Collect evidence for qualitative research on strengthening play-based ECE through LCoP.

Embracing the project model

Thirteen staff members from the partner organisations visited the District Director of Education for Ho West, Paulina Slyn Eworde Gobe, and the Volta Regional Director of Education, Francis Yaw Agbemadi.

Mr Francis commended the partners and the district for their efforts in bringing quality, equitable, and accessible education to Ghanaian children through the Leadership Communities of Practice project. “Anyone who invests in education is interested in transforming our future, as education continues to remain the solution to the world’s problems,” he said. He expressed his commitment to extending the project to other districts in the region, ensuring more learners benefit from the model. “Even if there are not enough resources, we are ready to offer additional support to cover other districts,” he added. 

Community commitment

In Ho West, the two school communities that come together to form the LCoP are Abutia Kpota Primary School and Kpedze Primary School, both of which have kindergarten children. The team visited Abutia Kpota Primary School, a rural school with over 500 learners, and met with LCoP members from both school communities during their fourth session. Previous sessions had identified and addressed issues affecting early childhood education, with inadequate and inappropriate furniture in kindergarten classrooms being a priority.

As a result, the school now has appropriate chairs and tables for all kindergarten learners, and the classrooms have been painted to create a more attractive and friendly learning environment. Additionally, the district received technical support from Right To Play on play-based learning, along with coaching and mentoring for teachers. These skills have helped teachers enhance their practice and improve learning outcomes.

During the visit, the team was welcomed with drumming, dancing, and cultural displays. They then toured kindergarten classrooms to observe lessons and witness the community’s transformation efforts firsthand. The team also visited Abutia Kpota Chief Togbui Tsali IV, who pledged his community’s full support in promoting the LCoP model. “As long as I’m alive, I will never let the project die,” said Togbui Tsali IV, who is currently writing a thesis on Communal Spirit/Labour for his master’s degree.

Reviving the communal spirit

Priscilla Walters, Head of the ECE Unit, Ghana Education Service (GES), joined the team and expressed gratitude to the partners for initiating the project and commended the district for embracing it. She appreciated the community engagement through LCoP, which she believes is reviving the communal spirit for the promotion of quality teaching and learning. “We are going back to our roots,” she said.

Project impact

Overall, the LCoP project has had a positive impact on all the implementing communities in the three selected districts, including Komenda – Edina – Eguafo – Abirem, Ho West, and Binduri. Communities have seen the need to support their children’s education rather than always waiting for government interventions. Enrolment has increased, classrooms are print-rich and both schools now have the recommended furniture for learners. Parents frequently visit schools and hold briefings with teachers on their children’s academic progress. Specifically in Ho West, government education officials have embraced the project model and have assured its extension to all schools in the Ho West district and the entire Volta region, following its observed successes.

The LCoP project is also in line with the African Centre for School Leadership(ACSL)’s goal to collaborate with key partners in the education sector to build a supportive school leadership system and improve teaching and learning outcomes. The ACSL is a coalition of partners in Africa coordinated by VVOB, the Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA). The learnings from the project will ultimately benefit the Centre by enhancing its understanding of effective school leadership approaches and competences relevant to the African continent.

The African Centre for School Leadership supports governments and other educational stakeholders in Africa to help build robust school leadership systems that strengthen teaching and improve learning outcomes for all. 

Find out here what the African Centre for School Leadership can mean for quality education in Africa and how you can engage. VVOB’s most important resources on school leadership are included too. 

ACSL in a nutshell

Governments in Africa have made great strides to ensure access to basic education. But ‘being in school’ does not equal ‘learning’, and the quality of education indeed remains a challenge. School leaders are essential to tackle this, as research shows that effective school leadership contributes to better teaching and learning through setting direction, empowering and developing teachers, and leading teaching and learning. 

Governments and other stakeholders in the education sector can call on the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) to help build robust school leadership systems that strengthen teaching and improve learning outcomes for all. Building constructively on the review by Bush et al (2022) shared above, the ACSL works with partners on 4 key areas to ensure quality school leadership systems: 

1. Development of school leadership policies and guidelines and effective and scalable professional development programmes for school leaders. This requires engaging with governments across the continent to put the strengthening of school leadership systems as a step towards quality education high on the policy agenda. 
2. Delivery of professional development programmes for school leaders through supporting professional development providers. To have an impact, continuous professional development (CPD) programmes for school leaders should: 
   • have a long-term focus
   • be embedded in national education systems
   • be offered to a significant number of school leaders 
3. Monitoring, evaluation and research on the effectiveness of school leadership and school leadership development. The ACSL will institute a continent-wide research programme to address the limited knowledge base on school leadership in Africa and develop tools for consistent monitoring and evaluation of CPD initiatives on school. 
4. Knowledge mobilisation, advocacy and sector coordination through multi-stakeholder dialogue. The Centre will become the ‘go-to’ place for research and information on school leadership in Africa, and build a strong school leadership network that bring together scholars, policy makers and practitioners interested in school leadership and leadership CPD on the African continent. 

The ACSL promotes effective leadership at all levels of the education system, but its priority focus is on schools and their school leaders. 

Download the concept note for the ACSL

Read on below the visualisation of the ACSL’s theory of change.

How you can engage with the ACSL

For more information or further contact, reach out to our committed team through info@africancentreforschoolleadership.org

• If you’re a representative of an African government: The ACSL is set up to strengthen the capacity of school leaders to spur increased learning outcomes on the continent. Reach out if you want to collaborate and discuss how the ACSL can support your government to direct the focus of school leaders on learning outcomes.  
• If you’re a government affiliated provider of continuous professional development for school leaders in Africa: The ACSL is a point of reference for home grown, evidence-based approaches and strategies to strengthening school leadership capacity. Reach out if you are keen to share insights on your work and develop good practices for the region. 
• If you’re a funder interested in investing in a key driver for SDG 4 in Africa: The ACSL is currently seeking partnerships with donors and investors who share our belief and vision of school leaders as key drivers of learning outcomes and are interested in investing in this area on the African continent. 

Empowering school leaders and developing their capacities are key actions to allow them to establish systems that enable teachers to continuously improve their practice and galvanize the whole community to support students’ hopes and dreams

DR. VALENTINE UWAMARIYA, MINISTER OF EDUCATION OF RWANDA

Read Dr. Uwamariya’s full speech announcing the ACSL at the 13th Policy Dialogue Forum of the International Task Force on Teachers on 2 December 2021 here. 

VVOB and school leadership in Africa

The ACSL builds on the experience and expertise of VVOB and the Ministry of Education in Rwanda on promoting effective school leadership.

Starting from a set of five standards of what constitutes effective school leadership, Rwanda has put in place a CPD support system for school leaders, consisting of a certified initial course for school leaders delivered by the University of Rwanda – College of Education, and complemented by professional learning communities for school leaders. This support system leads to better performing school leaders and an improved culture of teaching and learning in schools.  

For this approach and the innovative blended modalities for delivery of professional development, the Government of Rwanda received recognition from the African Union twice, during the Innovating Education in Africa Expo in Dakar (2018) and Gabarone (2019). 

To this day, VVOB is working closely with the Ministry of Education in Rwanda on effective school leadership. The LEAD project (2022-2026) focuses on strengthening the competencies of school leaders to rely on and use data to improve teaching, learning and school-based teacher professional development. But as the video below shows, VVOB’s partnership with the government to strengthen the school leadership system goes back quite some tiIn Kenya too, VVOB’s priority focus in its collaboration with the Ministry of Education is on school leaders. The INCREASE project (2022-2026) supports school leaders in junior secondary education to acquire strong instructional leadership skills and organise quality teacher professional development at school-level, thus supporting the effective implementation of the new competence-based curriculum. 

Journey Of Promoting Effective School Leadership In Rwanda

More resources and news about school leadership in Africa

• Working paper by VVOB (2023): Building a Consensus on School Leadership for Quality Education in Africa
• Press release by The Rwanda Ministry of Education and VVOB in Rwanda (2023): Shaping the future of school leadership in Africa
• Blog and video by VVOB in Rwanda (2022): Initiating the African Centre for School Leadership  
• Press release by VVOB in Rwanda (2022): Stakeholders rely on new African Centre for School Leadership to build consensus around effective leadership 
• Chapter in Education Reimagined: Leadership for a New Era by WISE (2022): Effective School Leadership: a Path Towards Institutionalisation (pp. 38-39) 
• Joint op-ed by VVOB and Mastercard Foundation (2021): School leaders can shape Africa’s future 
• WISE blog (2020): Strengthening Instructional Leadership in Rwanda: A Collaborative Effort 
• Blog on UNESCO IIEP’s Learning Portal (2020): Shared leadership, coaching and mentoring: Key ingredients to create a positive school environment in Rwanda 

From the 26^th to the 27^th of February 2024, VVOB-education for development convened a two-day consultative workshop with partners in Naivasha, Kenya, organised by the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) to shape the future of education in Africa through effective school leadership.  

The African Centre for School Leadership is a coalition of pan-African organisations and governments dedicated to promoting effective school leadership through collaboration on professional development, research, and policy advice in the education sector.

The workshop objectives

The workshop brought together regional and country-level organisations, governments, and partners who share the goal of advancing quality education on the continent. Together, we:

• Gathered inputs to validate draft documents including a framework for school leadership in Africa, a practice brief on blended school leadership professional development, as well as an advocacy, knowledge mobilisation, partnerships and sector coordination strategy of the Centre
• Reviewed progress and sustainability plans and discussed scaling the activities of the Centre from the current three countries to 12 by 2030
• Presented preliminary findings of research on school leadership competencies in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Welcomed new members to the ACSL Foundation Phase Project Steering Committee
• Strengthened commitment to support the ACSL efforts to promote school leadership

At the regional level, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) were represented. At the country level, representatives from the following organisations participated in the workshop – the Ministry of Education in Kenya and Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI), the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) from Ghana, the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) and the University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE) from Rwanda.

The initiative to establish the African Centre for School Leadership is a testament to our collective commitment to advancing education and driving positive change in our communities

DR ELYAS ABDI

A message from partners

Addressing the workshop participants, Dr Elyas Abdi, Director General of Early Learning and Basic Education at the Ministry of Education in Kenya, commended the initiative to advance effective school leadership and pledged the Ministry’s full support to the Centre’s work in Kenya and beyond.

“When you are not feeling well you go to a doctor. S/he prescribes medicine, and you are fine. But education, being a social science, there is no particular prescription. It requires a multi-faceted approach, and this is where leadership comes in. The initiative to establish the African Centre for School Leadership is a testament to our collective commitment to advancing education and driving positive change in our communities,” said Dr Elyas.

He also reconfirmed his commitment to advancing the Centre and its ambitions: “This Centre represents a bold statement forward in our quest for excellence, equity, and inclusivity in education. So, for us in Kenya and on behalf of the Ministry of Education, I want to assure you of our commitment and support in advancing this Centre’s work.”

Sven Rooms, VVOB’s General Director, described the workshop as a platform for engaging in meaningful dialogue, exchanging best practices, and collaboratively devising strategies to advance effective school leadership on the African continent.

“Together, we can explore innovative solutions, learn from each other’s successes and challenges, and lay the groundwork for a brighter future for education in Africa,” he said.

The African Centre for School Leadership

The African Centre for School Leadership works with governments and governmental agencies in the education sector to build supportive school leadership systems that strengthen teaching and improve learning outcomes and well-being for all. The Centre does this by using the best available expertise in the region to deliver high-quality continuous professional development services, research, and policy advice.

Currently in its foundation phase (2022-2024), the Centre is implemented through a series of projects that are coordinated by VVOB, focusing on three countries: Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana. The ambition is to expand activities and partnerships from the current three countries to 12 by 2030.

At the regional level, partners will collect, disseminate, and share best practices from partner countries. Within countries, the Centre will support and collaborate with coalitions that reflect the same interplay between policy, practice, and research. The outcome of this double-tiered approach will strengthen school leadership support systems at the regional and national levels, and stronger leadership practices in schools. Ultimately, the goal of the Centre is to positively impact the quality of education for students of all ages across the continent.

The Centre expects to reach about 7,000 in-service and aspiring school leaders by 2027. This number is expected to increase, reaching more than 18,600 by 2030.

Currently, the ACSL is supported by the Mastercard Foundation, the Jacobs Foundation, and the Global Education Monitoring team of UNESCO to run its activities from May 2023 to October 2024.

Learn more about the African Centre for School Leadership.