Strengthening school leadership in Africa: Lessons from Ghana
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.