Fostering partnerships for transformative change in education in Africa
From the 26th to the 27th 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.