Nairobi, Kenya, 28 August 2026 – EAC Member States are placing transformational school leadership more explicit on the regional education agenda, with education leaders emphasising the importance of more relevant school leadership policies, professional development, evidence-informed decision-making and accountability to improve both teaching practices and learning outcomes.
The message emerged at the 2nd East African Community (EAC) Regional Education Conference, held in Nairobi from 25 to 28 August 2026 under the theme “From Commitments to Impact: Fostering Resilient and Future-Ready Systems for Sustainable Development.” The conference brought together more than 600 education leaders, policymakers and stakeholders from the eight EAC Partner States – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda – to share evidence and practical approaches for strengthening education systems across the region.
School leadership featured prominently in the discussions, including through research examining how leadership, evidence and accountability can contribute to school and system improvements. This reflected a growing focus on what is required to translate regional education commitments into effective action at school level. The Nairobi conference built on the commitments and priorities emerging from the inaugural EAC Regional Education Conference held in Arusha in August 2024, while placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability and measurable results.
The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) contributed to this dialogue through research on the role of school leadership in using evidence to strengthen teaching and learning. The paper, titled “Reclaiming Data for Learning through School Leadership in Tanzania and Uganda,” was presented under the conference’s data-driven decision-making sub-theme and examined how school leaders generate, interpret and use data to support school improvement.
The research highlights the importance of strengthening school leaders’ capacity to move beyond collecting and reporting data towards using evidence to identify challenges, inform decisions and improve teaching and learning. It also points to the organisational and system-level conditions that can either enable or constrain evidence-informed leadership.
The discussion was complemented by “Strengthening Standards-Based Accountability in School Leadership: Comparative Evidence from East African Community Member States.” Presented in the session on school leadership, accountability and system improvement, the paper examined standards-based accountability as part of efforts to strengthen school leadership and improve education systems across EAC Member States.
Together, the research contributions reinforced the importance of connecting school leadership, evidence and accountability. In fact, effective school leadership requires not only access to information, but also the capacity, professional support and enabling systems needed to turn that information into meaningful actions.
The discussion also drew on emerging country-level evidence from Tanzania and Uganda. In Tanzania, the National School Leadership Mapping Report, disseminated in July 2026 by the Agency for the Development of Educational Management (ADEM) in collaboration with ACSL, highlighted the need to strengthen instructional leadership and professional development while improving coordination across the school leadership ecosystem. Evidence from Uganda similarly points to the need to use school-level data for school improvement rather than only for reporting.
These priorities align with the conference’s preliminary communiqué, in which Member States committed to enhancing transformational school leadership alongside stronger teacher recruitment, retention and continuous professional development. The communiqué also calls for professional development to focus increasingly on sustained, school-based coaching, mentorship and reflective practice, with technology supporting coaching and peer learning for in-service teachers.
The importance of investing in teachers and school leaders together was underscored by Hon. Khamis Abdulla Said, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), Zanzibar:
“We need to invest in teachers before they engage with students. The regional bloc should focus more on promoting the learning of our teachers and school leaders. By 2028, we expect teachers and school leaders to be able to point to the practical benefits of learning and collaboration.”
The emphasis on professional learning reflects the close relationship between teaching and school leadership. School leaders help create the conditions in which teachers can collaborate, reflect on practice, use evidence and continuously strengthen their work.
The conference also placed these priorities within a broader focus on implementation and accountability. Discussions included strengthening evidence ecosystems, improving data use and translating evidence into action. The preliminary communiqué calls for stronger use of data and evidence in decision-making, and for commitments to be carried from national to subnational and community levels.
Progress towards 2028 will be tracked through an accountability framework setting out regional and country-owned priorities, targets and milestones.
The Nairobi conference provided an opportunity to bring research and country-level evidence into a regional policy dialogue on strengthening school leadership, professional learning, evidence use and accountability.
As East Africa moves from commitments to actions and impact, ensuring that school leaders are equipped, supported and made accountable for leading learning and using evidence effectively will be critical to turning regional ambition into meaningful improvement for schools and learners.