E.L. Africa Magazine | September 2024

SEPTEMBER 2024 VOL.5, NO.18

PRIORITIZING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION NGOZI CHUKWUJEKWU DOREEN ENONE PG. 11

PROMOTING INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH: A KEY PILLAR FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS DR. DAN BUBALE MADRINE MUSONDA PG. 17

$2.99 USD

INTERNATIONAL PRICING Nigeria NGN3000 - South Africa R55 - Ghana GH€38 - Kenya KES500 - Uganda UGX12,000 - Liberia LRD475 - Namibia NAD55 Rwanda RWF33 - Sierra Leone LE59,000 - Tanzania TZS7,000 Zimbabwe ZWD2,000 - Zambia ZMW60 - Cameroon XAF2,000

DR. THOKOLOSI JOHN TSHABALALA PG. 25

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCHOOL LEADERS & TEACHERS DOES YOUR ORGNIZATION NEED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP?

Education Leadership Consulting Group (ELCG) has the tools and language to transform leaders. We work with organizations, school leaders and teachers to develop scalable tools and strategies.

By signing up to participate in professional development, you or your team will receive targeted training from experts through our customized virtual workshops. You will be able to add new and/or refined best-practices tools to your professional toolbox!

CONTACT US FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS Email elafricamagazine@gmail.com with subject line: "Professional Development Inquiry"

1

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

HERE WE GO!!!

What an incredible summer holiday, I visited four countries in Europe and had so much fun. I trust that each of you found time to get away from your environment or get outdoors and enjoy time with your families and friends. Now it is time to think about a strong start to September school openings.

This is a good time to plan how to implement your new school initiatives – your school improvement plans and the district goals. This is also the best time to connect with local businesses and not-for-profit organizations and build a robust relationship that can help support your students.

These school-community partnerships help boost your ongoing plans and goals.

Some of these partnerships may support your tutoring or mentoring programs, workforce development (including STEM and STEAM). Other partnerships may focus on career readiness to help bridge the gap between learning and doing, between an education and a career, by providing training and internships to your students.

It is also important to continue to refine your strategies to support mastery for all students to increase academic achievement. Encourage your teachers to allow students to use a variety of ways to show mastery.

Together, you and your team will overcome any challenges before you and celebrate your win at the end of the year. Michael Jordan, the retired basketball player, said that “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” I know that as a school leader, you make “it” happen for your school community.

I wish you a very strong and successful start to the new school year.

Ada Omile Dr. Ada Omile Executive Director E.L. Africa Magazine

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

2

E.L.

EDUCATIONAL LEADER AFRICA

TABLE OF

CONTENTS 10

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE ATTENDANCE

11

PRIORITIZING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION

17

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

25

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING: PROMOTING INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS

28

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

29

IN THE NEWS

31

HEALTH AND WELLNESS: PRINCIPALS’ EMOTIONAL HEALTH

E.L. Africa is a quarterly publication that focuses on school leaders' real needs, offering them practical and technical strategies for improving schools in a constantly evolving environment. Articles published in E.L. Africa are edited for style, content and space prior to publication. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent E.L. Africa positions. Endorsement by E.L. Africa of products and services advertised is not implied or expressed.

3

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

ABOUT E.L. AFRICA MAGAZINE Educational Leader (E.L.) Africa magazine provides in-depth information about the most critical issues facing education leaders today in the Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Published four times a year, each issue has a specific focus area and the articles are written by education experts and practitioners.

The E.L. Africa Magazine gives education leaders and school principals/headmasters the resources, strategies, and inspiration required to prepare students for success. The magazine also stirs school administrators toward openly discussing skills and strategies to improve schools and advance learning. It empowers these administrators to build an improved education system that is exceptional, independent and capable of self-sustaining with the correct mindset, by collaboratively sharing their skills. It also highlights their commitments and serves as an African solution to African problems.

Therefore, the E.L. Africa is a paradigm shift, viewing the change in the education systems from the lens of experts and the school principals that implement/execute the education policies in the schools.

We embarked on this game-changing project as an inspiration to other educators to improve the education system in SSA. When you share your knowledge, skills and celebrate others without being apologetic, you feel fulfilled. It’s so important.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

4

EDITORIAL & DESIGN WRITERS

Mr. Temitope Mustapha - Nigeria Mr. Chris Onwuka - Nigeria Mr. Sanvee Elmut Pinto - Togo Mr. Pascal T. Soklou - Togo

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. Dan Bubale Ngozi Chukwujekwu Doreen Epie’Ngome Madrine Musonda Dr. Thokolosi John Tshabalala

CREATIVE DESIGNER Ms. Chinenye Omile

Educational Leadership Africa Magazine (ISSN 2693-2806) is published quarterly in March, June, September, December by Educational Leadership Consultant Group- (ELCG) in Virginia, USA. ELCG is an organization focused on training and development of education leaders. The E.L. Africa magazine, a component of ELCG, is the voice for education leaders, principals, assistant principals, and others in education across SubSaharan Africa. The statements, opinions, and advertisements expressed herein are those of individual authors and companies and do not necessarily represent the views of E.L. Africa magazine or the ELCG. Article Submission: Submission on topics relevant to school leadership are requested.

Email ideas and articles to elafricamagazine@gmail.com

5

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

E.L.

EDUCATIONAL LEADER AFRICA

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHERS Ada Omile Frances Ufondu E. L. AFRICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Richard Buffington - President Steven Dike Wilhelmina McKinney Angela Agboli-Esedebe Evelyn Mamman Francis Onukwuli Eugene Otuonye James Lambart Onyait Mary Young Alfred Okello Aarom Chanso Darric Dennis James Okewa

See what educators think about Prioritizing Educational Excellence through Competitive Compensation: read Ngozi Chukwujekwu’s piece from Nigeria (pg. 12) and Doreen’s from Cameroon (pg. 14).

Learn about leadership that inspires growth by Dr. Daniel Bubale from Uganda (pg.17), and also by Madrine Musonda from Zambia (pg. 23). Also, check out promoting instructional leadership in South African schools in our principally speaking section (pg. 25).

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHERS DR. ADA OMILE

Dr. Omile earned her doctorate degree in Education Leadership & Supervision K-12, from Argosy University, Washington D.C., Post doctoral Certificate in Education Leadership & Administration from George Washington University, Washington DC. Master of Science in Computer & Information Systems, Master of Arts in Learning Disabilities, both from Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta Georgia. She has 30 years of experience in Education and Leadership in the United States of America.

Her doctoral research in 2011 was focused on providing professional learning to school principals in Anambra State, Nigeria. The result of the research showed a glaring gap in practice. To address the gap, she started the Education Leadership Consultant Group (ELCG), a Non-profit organization that provides professional learning on effective schools to school principals and directors of private proprietors of schools in Africa.

Recently, she concluded that we need to create a forum to reach more school principals throughout the Sub-Saharan Africa, hence this E.L. Africa magazine.

DR. FRANCES UFONDU

Dr. Ufondu earned her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from University of LaVerne, California. She earned a California Professional Administrative Services Credential; a Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential; a Master’s of Arts in Education Administration from University of Benin, Nigeria and a Bachelors of Science in Vocational Home Economics Education from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

In addition, she received a Professional Certificate in Accounting for Governmental and Nonprofit Organizations; a Chief Business Officer (CBO) certification through California Association of School Business Officials Partner Training Program; Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Certification in Curriculum and Instruction Leadership and Leadership Coaching.

Dr. Omile and Dr. Ufondu attended the same high school and college in Nigeria and have dedicated their career and life’s work to improving leadership capacity for educational leaders in the hopes of positively improving learning for our students. This E.L. Africa Magazine is designed to give educational leaders the tools to enhance and empower their teachers as they collaborate to improve teaching and learning for students.

Her dissertation in 2005 was focused on an in-depth research of skills required by principals to effectively implement the Public School Accountability Act in California. The findings indicated that principals perceived skills in visionary leadership as very important. The study also empowered staff members and students to reach high levels of performance; creating and communicating a school vision and aligning financial, human and material resources with the vision; student assessment, gathering, analyzing, and using data to inform decision making; demonstrating and understanding of curricular alignment to ensure improved performance and designing, evaluating, and refining curricular remediation programs.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

6

CONTRIBUTE TO E.L. AFRICA MAGAZINE!

E.L.

EDUCATIONAL LEADER AFRICA

If you’re an expert in education, please share your knowledge and experience with your fellow school leaders in E.L. Africa magazine. Write about one of the following themes or submit an article on another topic of interest to principals, assistant principals, or aspiring principals.

THEMES FOR NEXT ISSUE Connecting professional learning to measurable student outcomes.

Mentorship for new principals to help them develop into effective instructional leaders and increase principal retention.

Improving students’ learning, one student at a time.

E.L. Africa is YOUR magazine—help make it an even more valuable resource by writing an article or passing these themes on to a colleague who has a great program or unique perspective.

CONTENT Manuscripts should explore one theme or other topics of professional interest to secondary school principals.

Manuscripts are evaluated by ELCG/E.L. Africa magazine staff members and are judged on their relevance, interest to principals, timeliness, originality, readability, and credibility. E.L. Africa magazine seeks articles that: Describe best practices and exemplary programs objectively and include evidence of success as well as a discussion of problems Explain how principals can act on the information Include advice, resources, and examples Offer opinions on some topic of professional interest to principals REQUIREMENTS Manuscripts should be no more than 2,000 words, including references, but may include additional supplemental material. Successful manuscripts are written in a tone and style appropriate to a magazine; are well-organized; clearly establish the purpose of the article; use specific examples—it is best to show, and adhere to the rules of grammar.

HOW TO SUBMIT Please send your manuscript to elafricamagazine@gmail.com and include: The manuscript prepared in MS Word.

A cover letter that indicates your intention to submit the manuscript to E.L. Africa magazine and stipulates whether the manuscript has been submitted elsewhere.

Contact information for each author: school and title, telephone number, and e-mail address.

A two-sentence author biography. The first sentence should include a current title, school and e-mail address; the condition sentence should highlight key accomplishments or reinforce your authority in discussing the topic.

PHOTOGRAPHS If you’d like to send photos to accompany your article, please attach the JPEG files to an email and send them to elcgtraining@yahoo.com. If no photos are available, E.L. Africa will select file or stock art to enhance the article.

7

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

We Are Your Partners for School Improvement We will transform your professional learning, increase educator capacity, and improve student achievement.

We focus on Better Leadership, Better Teaching, & Improved School Systems.

ELCG has supported leaders at all levels to transform their systems into true learning systems, where all educators engage in a measurable and scalable cycle of improvement. Our high-impact professional services help systems set an attainable vision for an effective and equitable system of professional learning that leads to improved leader, educator, and student outcomes.

We provide our partners with tools to transform professional learning, increase educator capacity, and improve student achievement. Through our face-to-face, virtual, and hybrid learning experiences, we help ensure your professional learning is standards-driven, jobembedded, and focused on improved instruction and better results for all students.

We help maximize the impact of professional learning in schools, districts, states, and organizations by: Building the capacity of central office leaders to set a vision for equity and excellence and increase the effectiveness in leading change.

Transforming school leadership by developing principals and aspiring principals with deep understanding and skills in leading learning and creating cultures of collective responsibility.

Empowering coaches and mentor teachers with the skills to support beginning and veteran teachers to meet their classroom challenges.

Ensuring that all teacher learning teams engage in a cycle of continuous improvement focused on meeting their students’ unique learning needs.

Assessing the impact of professional learning in your school or system and measure its alignment to the Standards for Professional Learning.

Contact us: elcgtraining@gmail.com or elafricamagazine@gmail.com

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

8

PRINCI-POLL We asked a group of 66 principals across Sub Saharan Africa

"As a school leader, what aspect of improving school culture do you find the most challenging?"

Check out their responses!

MAKING STAFF FEEL VALUED?

CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY?

UPHOLDING STUDENTS MORALE?

OTHER?

9

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE ATTENDANCE

W

ith the new school year approaching this September, school leaders are looking forward to seeing all the students back in the classrooms. Many students, however, may not be consistent in their attendance as they should be. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa still deal with “Street Children” – young children and teenagers selling products on the streets to support their families. Poor student attendance has serious consequences. Principals are essential to any schoolbased effort to address chronic absence.

Here are some research proven ways to improve attendance at your schools:

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

One of the most important strategies in improving attendance is stressing just how important it is for success.

A key place to start is by analyzing school data on chronic absence. Once you have data, consider the following questions: Does the level of chronic absence affect a significant proportion of the student population? Is it higher or lower than the rates at other schools in the zone, region, or municipality? Does the level of chronic absence differ among specific groups of students and their families? By grade level? By content? background? Neighborhood of residence? Attendance issues can be diminished with smart use of data, family outreach, and targeted intervention programs.

Strong attendance starts at home, schools should help families understand why attendance is important, and how to be proactive about missed days Attendance can be reduced substantially if schools’ partner with communities and families to monitor and promote attendance, as well as to identify and eliminate barriers that inhibit students from going to school every day.

There are numerous strategies principals can use to combat absenteeism. Whether it's recognizing students for good or improved attendance, or providing personalized outreach, these small changes can add up to a big difference in attendance.

Ensuring teachers make it to the classroom is also just as important as getting students to school.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

10

Prioritizing Educational Excellence through Competitive Compensation ARTICLES BY: NGOZI CHUKWUJEKWU, NIGERIA DOREEN ENONE, CAMEROON

11

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

PRIORITIZING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION

I

am Ngozi Chukwujekwu, Zonal Director of Education, Post Primary Schools Service Commission, Awka Zone, Anambra State of Nigeria. The journey that began twentyseven years ago as a classroom teacher. From being a form teacher to the Dean of studies, to a Vice Principal in 2017. In 2019, I was made the language Desk officer and was later appointed the PRO of Awka Zone in the same year. On 20th September, 2022, I was appointed the Zonal Director of Education in Ogidi Zone, the position I held till February 2023 when I was transferred to PPSSC Awka Zone.

A Zonal Director of Education is a Principal of all Principals. In Awka Zone, I oversee and supervise the activities of sixty-four Principals, about one thousand six hundred teachers and over thirty-one thousand students.

INTRODUCTION As we strive for academic superiority in our region, it's essential to recognize that the cornerstone of an exceptional education system lies in the hard work and dedication of our schools, leaders, and teachers. To ensure that their tireless efforts remain the top priority, we must focus on providing competitive compensation packages that not only attract but also retain the best talent in the industry. The upgrade of teacher’s salary through a reasonable Minimum wage will go a long way in assisting the system in retaining our best teachers who we lose every day as they look for greener pastures elsewhere.

THE CURRENT STATE Unfortunately, many educational institutions in our region face significant challenges in recruiting and retaining top performers due to subpar compensation packages. This has resulted in a brain drain, with many skilled educators seeking better opportunities elsewhere. The consequences are far-reaching, impacting not only the quality of education but also the overall growth and development of our community.

Author: Ngozi Chukwujekwu

Nowadays, teachers in order to sustain themselves, look for option B which drastically affects their input in the teaching workforce. In my state, the grading of schools was introduced to encourage school administrators to sit up and compete with others in bringing out the best from both student’s achievements, conducive learning environments, students' population, students’ appearance and the general conduct of a school. So, with this, we have - grade A school, grade B school, C school, D school. With this, many have risen to the occasion. There are tremendous improvements, healthy competitions for the best among schools. No group has been compensated for excellence so far.

A NEW APPROACH To address this pressing issue, we propose a comprehensive compensation framework that prioritizes the hard work and dedication of our educational workforce. By offering competitive salaries, benefits, and incentives, we can: Attract Top Talent: Draw in the best educators, leaders, and support staff from across the region, ensuring our schools have the expertise and passion to deliver exceptional results. Recently, the recruitment of eight thousand teachers in the state were drawn from the best from eighteen states of the federation. In the past, such were based on candidates from the state. But since excellence is the priority, the best were employed from other states as well in order to give our students the best.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

12

PRIORITIZING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION

Retain Valuable Employees: Recognize and reward the hard work and commitment of our existing staff, reducing turnover rates and maintaining continuity in our educational programs. In the upper basic school system, teachers retire at sixty years. The strong, energized and committed ones are retained in various offices to help guide the upcoming staff and the system to succeed exceptionally.

Foster Collaboration: Encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing among educators, leaders, and schools, driving innovation and excellence in education. Entrepreneurs are partnering with schools in imparting skills such as tailoring, Information Communication Technologies, farming, detergent makings etc.

Communities do come in to construct blocks of classrooms, equip laboratories/ libraries.

Philanthropists give out scholarships to students.

Drive Student Success: Ultimately, by prioritizing the well-being and satisfaction of our educational workforce, we can ensure that our students receive the highest quality education, preparing them for success in an ever-evolving world. Here students are given free extra mural classes to help bring the desired results.

Regularly Review and Refine: Continuously assess and refine our compensation framework to ensure it remains competitive and aligned with our region's evolving educational needs.

CONCLUSION By prioritizing the hard work and dedication of our schools, leaders, and teachers through competitive compensation, we can create a world-class education system in our region. Let us work together to attract, retain, and empower the best educational talent, ultimately driving student success and prosperity for generations to come.

DO YOU HAVE NEWS THAT YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IN E.L. AFRICA MAGAZINE? SEND AN EMAIL TO

There is a need for compulsory valedictory service in schools where students’ excellence are rewarded to motivate others to work hard.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES To achieve this vision, we will: Conduct Comprehensive Market Research: Analyze compensation trends and best practices in education to inform our compensation framework.

Develop a Tiered Compensation Structure: Offer competitive salaries, benefits, and incentives that recognize experience, qualifications, and performance.

Provide Professional Development Opportunities: Support ongoing growth and development for our educational workforce, ensuring they stay updated on best practices and emerging trends.

13

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

ELAFRICAMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM

PRIORITIZING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION

A

midst the chronic problem of poor educational standards in some parts of my region (Africa, Cameroon, South West Region), orchestrated by several factors including the poor salary structure and the endemic Anglophone crisis, educational excellence remains the quest of the ordinary citizen. Unfortunately, a number of factors militate against the attainment of quality standards in education. This paper focuses on the role of competitive pay package, a type of remunerative approach, not only the employee’s salary but how other benefits to school leaders and teachers and a conducive teaching environment could ignite, maintain and sustain educational excellence in the South West Region and Cameroon in general.

A competitive compensation blended with other benefits like health insurance, handsome incentive, disability coverage, risk and housing allowance, study leave benefits among others to school leaders and teachers will invariably provide a magic wand and trigger educational excellence because employees will be sufficiently motivated to provide their time, labor and skills. The school leader is significant because he is responsible for establishing the vision of a school setting, the well-being of the staff and the academic success of the learners.

These school leaders include: Principals, Vice Principals, Discipline Masters, Department heads and Head teachers. Their work within a learning environment defines the school pedagogic, administrative and social vision which in turn impacts the learner’s achievement.

Educational excellence is the hallmark of every society. Unfortunately, it cannot be attained in many areas because of some factors that militate against excellence for example poor teacher motivation, poor leadership in schools and poor work.

For excellence to be attained, focus has to be on the school leaders; motivating school leaders who in turn also motivate school teachers.

Author: Doreen Enone

And with this, the teachers are going to do extra work to attain syllabus evaluation, evolution, to avoid absenteeism, to work exceptionally hard for educational excellence to be attained. The focus is on school excellence, how to motivate school employees to attain school excellence.

These employees include Principals of colleges, Head teachers of primary schools, classroom teachers of primary schools and colleges.

WHO HAS TO COMPENSATE THEM, GIVE THEM COMPETITIVE MOTIVATION FOR THEM TO ATTAIN EXCELLENCE? The government has to give special recognition to school heads. The private sector (proprietors of schools) has to motivate principals of private colleges and head teachers of primary schools by giving them extra allowances so that they can work extra hard, by following up teachers to do their work effectively. In turn, the government has to give special benefits to teachers to enable them to work extra hard.

A good pay package so that the teachers will be able to do extra lessons, and do a lot of research to be able to provide for the learners in order to achieve excellence. These benefits come in the form of research allowances, housing allowances, risk allowances, health insurance which should be guaranteed because when a teacher is healthy and comfortable, the teacher will do extra work and excellence will be attained.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

14

PRIORITIZING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION

The government has to provide extra benefits to school heads, special allowances like principal allowance or duty allowance, running credits to run the schools. Principals/head teachers in turn must also motivate teachers by giving them sufficient output allowances according to the work that they do and creating an enabling environment between themselves and teachers. When these situations are done, teachers will work exceptionally hard, absenteeism by teachers will be minimized.

Teachers will be able to cover their syllabuses in time, to follow up the learners, through extra classes, homework and other assignments. They will have close attention given to the learners. They will also be able to do counseling so that they will be able to know the needs of learners who need additional attention for further follow-up to the level that even the weak learners would be able to get good results.

WHAT HAS THE GOVERNMENT DONE? Government gives some allowances to teachers.

But those allowances are not commensurate. For example they give duty post allowances for Head Teachers, Principals and Vice Principals, research and housing allowances, but they are not enough.

Other allowances like risk allowance, health benefits and other duty posts allowance like those for the Heads of Departments are not there.

This is why a good number of teachers are demotivated and are leaving the profession and going to greener pastures elsewhere because the pay package is not encouraging. Most of them experience burn out situations. Most teachers don’t feel motivated to work. A good number are absent because they go to other areas to make ends meet.

Whereas if they are motivated, compensated and encouraged absenteeism and lack of zeal will be minimized. The government also gives subsidies to Private schools. But sometimes these subventions don’t come or they come late.

WAYS TO ACHIEVE EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION TO SCHOOL LEADERS AND TEACHERS 1) The Government: The government should increase the allowances already given and add others like housing, health insurance, risk

15

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

allowance; study leave benefits have been given to other professions like the military, Magistracy and health (medical doctors). This has been the problem of teachers and probably what is disturbing the educational growth and educational excellence. That is why you find in particular schools and areas excellence is obtained mostly in the private sector because some proprietors take care of teachers, they provide them houses where they live on campus and other benefits. These teachers are able to go the extra mile to see that academic excellence is attained. But in the government sector, there is laissez-faire because the teachers don’t feel motivated to work. Some teachers have accidents and they don’t even have the means to get medical attention. Some have to be flown abroad but it’s always impossible.

The government should encourage meritocracy.

Most teachers feel disturbed and angry when meritocracy is not recognized, when it is killed at the bud. A good number of teachers are hardly recognized when it comes to meritorious recognition in terms of certificates and medals.

Sometimes, hierarchy tells them to apply, but this does not work. So the idea of giving recognition to hardworking teachers is not there. This kills initiative and the zeal to work. A good number of teachers cannot think out of the box because they believe that hard work is not rewarded. It is not what you know but who you know; tribalism and bribery comes into play. Because of this, they take undue absences because to them there is no reason to work so hard when at the end you will not be recognized. Others who are mediocres are recognized. So this kills the hardworking spirit in them, kills syllabus coverage and engenders absenteeism, burn out. Thus at the end excellence cannot be attained.

Teachers who do extra work apart from their main activity of teaching like coordinating extracurricular activities in school in the form of clubs like Drama, music, health, ballet, environment and even manual labor etc. are supposed to be recognized and encouraged. If they are not encouraged in terms of incentive, it kills their hard working spirit.

PRIORITIZING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION

Non-payment/late payment of salaries by the government particularly to newly posted teachers should be looked into. These teachers stay for up to two years working without a salary. Within this period, the best they can do is to roam about chasing documents in the ministry of Public Service for eventual integration into the government payroll. Given that they don’t have places to stay, they don’t have means to go to work, they cannot put food on their table; most of them look for other things to do to make ends meet. The probability that they can do some work in school is very low hence the classes that they are teaching and syllabus coverage will suffer deficiency and at the end you will not have educational excellence attained.

3) The Parents Teachers Association (PTA): This Association and an important stakeholder in the educational system can play a role in this domain by establishing a pedagogic aspect of the budget which they can always use to motivate teachers at the beginning of the school year. They can motivate teachers whose subjects performed well in certificate exams so that it can act as a spur to other departments and teachers. Where these motivational factors are lacking, there’s no need for competition. But if these motivational factors are there and they have some motivational package that they give to teachers, there will be competition and others would be forced to work harder. The PTA can also motivate the teachers through the Best Teacher Award scheme.

2) Principals and Headteachers: Heads of schools need to increase output allowance to teachers.

Principals and Headteachers of schools, as leaders of educational establishments have an important role to play to attain educational excellence.

Unfortunately, most at times, the rapport between the Principals/Heads Teachers and teachers are nothing to write home about. Because they don’t have sufficient means, what is supposed to be kept to motivate teachers as output allowances is not sufficiently given. So even a good number of teachers who would have loved to work sufficiently, feel cheated at the end and they feel that the efforts they put in is not worth it. It is true that output allowance is based on enrollment. If the enrollment of the school is low then the output allowance will be low. But if the Principals are motivated and are given sufficient running credits, Principals can use part of that money to motivate teachers. Even after the end of course exam results (General Certificate of Education exams, BEPC, Probatoire and Baccalaureate exams), something can be given to teachers.

All the factors militating against educational excellence in schools stem from poor salaries and lack of allowances which kill the initiative, zeal and vision of teachers. When they find it difficult to make ends meet they are forced to concentrate elsewhere. This saps out their energy and they cannot contribute to the excellence needed in their school. If the issues that militate against educational excellence by teachers are looked into by the competent authorities, if some of those benefits and incentives, bonuses are given them, this is going to boost their morale; they will feel motivated to work and even go the extra mile and will develop their skills. They will give their all, then the educational excellence that everybody so desires will be attained.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Doreen Enone Ebude Epie'ngome is a high school History teacher. She is married to Epie Ngome with four children. She is also an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, in the Beach congregation, in Limbe Cameroon. Her passion is teaching, music and sports.

The Heads of schools can also give awards to teachers like the Best Teacher Award. Some schools do this but to a very limited extent. More has to be done where many more schools are involved and more teachers are recognized for their input and hard work.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

16

Pictured: Dr. Dan Babule

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH ARTICLES BY: DR. DAN BUBALE, UGANDA MADRINE MUSONDA, ZAMBIA

17

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

L

eadership that inspires professional growth often transforms schools by aligning best practices and policies with desired education goals to attract

competent staff, build a positive culture and drive innovation for a competitive edge. This powerful alignment fuels growth, attracts staff competence, develops and retains top talent.

Such a school leadership paradigm fosters a high performing workforce and secures a sustainable competitive edge. By strategically promoting and integrating leadership in day-today school operations with school objectives, school leaders are required to create a dynamic work environment where teachers’ potentials flourish and performance goals are achieved efficiently.

In education circles, every school has its roadmap to navigate and translate performance goals and vision into actionable plans. In this competitive edge, headteachers and teachers need to understand their set school performance goals and then translate these goals into tangible practices by designing programs and initiatives that thrust successful implementation.

This collaborative effort by school leaders is to ensure the school is guided in the right direction and actively supported by staff aligned to those set goals. The collaborative spirit across school and classes allows headteachers to integrate performance strategies with set performance goals.

Schools that excel in attracting and retaining top performers gain a significant competitive edge.

Identifying teachers with the right professional knowledge and skills to teach requires an engaging employee experience that fosters royalty and reduces turnover. Similarly, understanding what motivates teachers, from career development opportunities to a positive work environment is significant. Successful school leadership implements strategies that address these needs, ensuring a skilled and motivated workforce that drives innovation and growth.

Most importantly, school leadership has

Author: Dr. Dan Bubale

increasingly become an innovative and forwardlooking approach to achieve substantive and sustainable quality learner performance outcomes. An often-missing ingredient and the unintended consequence of education progress in closing performance gaps in literature has been linked to zero or minimal opportunities for school leadership growth for the academic staff.

Today, leadership that inspires professional growth of staff has been placed at the top of a service economy driven by information, knowledge, innovation and creativity which demands that teachers are empowered and equipped with the relevant 21st century instructional leadership skills. Such school leadership thrives on flatter management structures, decentralized decision making, information sharing and the use of task teams, cross-functional networking, and flexible work arrangements.

Similarly, the aging of current school leaders and the widespread shortage of effective school leaders justifies a case for promoting leadership that inspires growth amongst staff in effort to prepare tomorrows and future competent school leaders. Currently, more than ever, school leaders and classroom teachers are required to effectively teach and perform routine, nonroutine, and creative tasks if they are to succeed. While skills such as self-direction, creativity, and critical thinking may not be new to the existing school systems, they are newly relevant in an age where the ability to excel at E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

18

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

routine and non-routine work is not only rewarded but expected as a basic performance requirement.

SHARED LEADERSHIP Equally important is a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of teaching and learning that demonstrates the spirit of collective efficacy of staff to offer support so as to achieve radically different solutions that yield better system-level performance and professional growth. Depending on their school context, school leaders need to know issues about shared leadership practices, best practices on capacity development, and change management so that they can confidently promote quality and quantitative transformations.

Consequently, the desire for school leadership growth among staff at school level explains why support for school leaders has become a key policy priority.

In educational practice, the contributions of school leadership practices are concerned with school quality and in the light of the growth of leadership for learning, the support for teacher learning is thus critical as a pedagogical improvement strategy. Considerable empirical evidence indicates that leadership growth for teachers in the space of quality teaching and learning can be a critical factor in explaining variation in learner performance outcomes between schools.

Efforts by government and educational policy makers to reform schools and education systems are linked to holding headteachers and teachers more publicly accountable for improving school performance in the national examinations. In efforts to set high expectations, school managers’ responsibilities have broadened and intensified, and now requires a new leadership framework for practice that obliges a greater focus to reconsider the role of school leaders and teachers therein.

Literature on effective leadership suggests that the 21st century schooling necessitates a shift away from vertical, policy-driven change to lateral, capacity building change for increased teacher and learner performance outputs. Born from cooperative decision-making leadership processes of all staff, new school management practices demand that a new approach to leadership ought

19

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

to enable school leaders to create a school climate in which positive professional learning for teachers is regarded as a school policy priority. Without redefining schools for broad-based and quantitative leadership behaviors, where teachers access learning opportunities to take up tasks and implement school programs, quality school performance will remain a big challenge.

COLLABORATIVE TEAMS Drawing from existing literature, there is evidence that in schools where teachers collaborate through teamwork and supportive mechanisms when taking action regarding specific problems on improving school performance or mentoring less competent staff, they cope with school leadership systems in order to take up new instructional roles and tasks.

In such schools, teachers gain professional autonomy which gives them opportunity to reflect on their practice to gauge their own potentials and challenges on a continuous basis for performance improvement. Besides, school leaders are tasked to develop talent, promote staff cohesion and embrace collective decision- making processes so as to achieve excellent results. Moreover, such a leadership practice not only fosters professional skills needed to increase efficiency but also helps school leaders to effectively manage work schedules better, coordinate and handle multiple priorities to move schools forward.

Additionally, education reforms emphasize reenvisioning and re-designing school systems that promote leadership growth for staff. A wide spectrum of scholars in literature agrees that school systems that increasingly use a range of innovative ideas from staff on a regular basis, often perform better. Under such circumstances, outstanding results come from loads of pedagogical content knowledge, skill acquisition, and leadership behavior of headteachers and teachers in the school. Through broad based flexible formal school leadership structures, teachers have opportunities to professionally engage and actively learn from one another to excel. They participate in instructional leadership processes based on a collective wealth of innovative ideas for instructional growth. For

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

example, in Uganda particularly, Kayunga District, focus is placed on pedagogical leadership skills and teacher efficacy response, and coping skills in instructional performance and assessment of learning outcomes as reinforced by Center Coordinating Tutors (CCTs).

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The CCTs jointly organize Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training where our headteachers and teachers are invited to attend and share their professional knowledge and skills to make teaching a successful program in the district. Through such professional conversations and dialogue, teachers create space for learning opportunities and exchange for better results.

School based workshops set by the CCTs as a method of follow up are organized at school level and this helps to bring together a network of education experts who extremely engage teachers of different classes and provide examples of best promising instructional and assessment practices at the time of debriefs.

The inspectors of schools equally participate in the school field visits and provide valuable comments on the CPDs training and workshops held. Each of the participating schools prepares a detailed background report analyzing quality instructional approaches to school leadership and developing realistic strategies of how to implement innovative practices learnt on instructional performance improvement. Such school policy driven strategies in the district help to guide particular pedagogical leadership and teaching practices in the selected model schools which are later disseminated to other schools in the district. This school policy framework involves holding regular meetings with key stakeholders in all selected schools, including local politicians as well as school management committees, in effort to give feedback and promote teacher quality and professional development.

COLLECTIVE EFFORT Furthermore, CCTs and inspectors' lesson observations, as well as giving specific support to individual headteachers and teachers is done to address identified instructional leadership gaps. As a result, headteachers, deputy headteachers,

heads of department and classroom teachers are required to make useful contributions towards improving school performance. The price of leadership growth and the collective contributions from a multitude of different school players can supplement school administrative and management structure and repurpose patterns of school leadership therein to spur levels of learner performance outcomes.

Such a school leadership approach employs formal and informal leadership to supplement head teachers' instructional supervisory roles in the school with a shared influence process involving several individuals and different actors. When leadership occurs in the interactions of diverse individuals who share a collective identity, as well as common expertise, there is likelihood that efficiency and effectiveness yield maximum outputs.

In education practice, teachers are subordinate in such formal leadership structures but for leadership growth to have impact in the school, teachers may also have the capacity to influence and create powerful synergies that can generate change for organizational excellence. Put simply, leadership for learning and growth offers a comprehensive analysis of numerical and performance action of different school actors through collective decision making, team building efforts, structures, procedures, and practices that combine to make the school a successful learning organization. This form of leadership fosters a genuine collective responsibility, whereby teachers may transcend being functional implementers to co-constructive actors towards school performance.

TEACHER LEADERSHIP In regard to this, headteachers’ formal authority is transformed to have complementary leadership expressed in synergies of leaders that reflects a network pattern of control, in which teachers are relatively involved in making school decisions as a means of coordinating instructional workflows and resolving identified school challenges. According to this view, focus is mainly on a wide range of leadership sources and mutual actions and support

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

20

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

that enhance the accomplishment of school desired goals. Teachers’ expertise across boundaries of departments, as well as roles are best managed through promoting increased teacher influence and supportive forms of administrative leadership potentials of school personnel. In this regard, control by those lower on the ladder can lead to greater acceptance of an increased sense of shared responsibility to accomplish the set performance goals. By this way, coordination of teaching is made collaborative, explicit, discussable, and transferable at every class level through collective and administrative supportive mechanisms on a regular basis.

Critically, leadership from headteachers is scaled down to all levels to ensure teachers continuously engage and sufficiently dialogue in the day-to-day school leadership activities. Such leadership provisions create room for growth opportunities so as to unlock the increasing leadership inefficiencies of school leaders to merit teacher performance outputs in schools. Leadership for growth mindset is participatory and collective and sets a framework for shared instructional tasks, and depth of learning.

Failure to effectively lead and manage schools by most headteachers automatically translates into failure by students to achieve their expectations.

As a measure of instructional leadership growth, headteachers effectively deal with underperforming members of staff through use of collective intellect and energy at the most appropriate time. For example, Headteachers together with senior members of staff, subject heads and or their deputies may take a full review of the quality of teaching by giving direct and detailed feedback to each teacher periodically, along with strategies to improve.

Promising practices and rubrics for teaching good lessons are introduced and shared with dates set to assess the quality of teaching and learning. Each subject teacher is either supported by the CCTs or district education staff on what is expected to improve. Mentoring, coaching and peer observations are used as effective strategies or models for scaling up standards required. This case

21

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

scenario reasserts that such multiple sources of professional guidance and direction in school-wide instructional performance and assessment, particularly for those in middle-level leadership positions such as heads of department and class teachers warrants considerable application of a social form of leadership structure in schools, where all teachers’ potentials at different levels are valued and supported for co-constructive school performance.

Conclusively, teacher professional growth through delegation is a critical aspect in pursuit of school leadership. Delegation impacts positively on quality learning and teacher development. Teachers are empowered and supported to lead certain administrative tasks and report instructional related challenges to relevant authorities for action and progress. Such leadership opportunities not only motivate teachers to excel but also give them space to learn new school leadership experiences.

For example, a staff can take initiatives and make decisions within predetermined boundaries of responsibility and feedback responsibly.

Delegation of authority to staff enables schools implement shared leadership practices that focus on promoting meaningful learning and development. Similarly, progressive delegation of authority in a work environment is most preferred as opposed to traditional delegation where leaders’ leadership traits and interests are promoted. In progressive delegation practice, teachers’ capacity is developed to sustain effective leadership and record positive results. Thus, Headteachers are required to use progressive delegation if leadership growth among staff is to be widely effective in schools. When progressive delegation is practiced, expertise is shared, mutual actions and relationships are collectively guided, and stakeholders collaboratively implement instructional tasks to ensure organizational performance outputs are enhanced in more sustainable and successful ways.

This article has set out to pave an educational leadership spoor into the 21st century, while bearing in mind the myriad challenges that have been raised by scientific and technological

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

revolution in education. Leadership for professional growth in its nature is never static, but highly dynamic across time and space, which calls for an equally relevant and worthy teacher leadership ethos which corresponds with the demands of the moment - the 21st century.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Dan Bubale is the District Education Officer of Kayunga District Local Government in Uganda.

-----

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A COLUMN IN E.L. AFRICA MAGAZINE? SEND AN EMAIL TO

“My professional and administrative role is to coordinate all education activities in the district and promote quality education in line with the Ministry of education and sports policy frameworks, goals and objectives. Aware leadership marks the center of true and impactful education outcomes, therefore leading schools in today’s global world school system driven demands, requires successful school leaders that inspire staff to excel at workplaces for the benefit of all learners. School leadership is now an education policy priority issue in the world.

School leadership unlocks teacher potentials, transforming it into a school organizational success. Such a leadership approach immensely and undoubtedly enhances commitment and dedication of staff and richly created a positive and productive work environment in effort to maximize professional excellence and performance.”

ELAFRICAMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM

UNICEF reports that millions of children across Africa still lack access to schooling due to ongoing conflicts across the continent. An alarming number of schools remain closed, destroyed or occupied by conflict parties.

In West and Central Africa alone, more than 14,000 schools are closed mainly due to conflict, affecting 2.8 million children.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

22

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

L

eadership that inspires growth typically exhibits the following characteristics:

Visionary: Clearly communicates a compelling vision and goals. This entails that the leader is the one that carries the vision for the people he/she is leading, knowing where they want to take their people, they clearly explain what needs to be done in order for the people to buy into the vision and do what is supposed to be done.

Empowering: Encourages autonomy, ownership, and decision-making. The leader will always strive not to leave anyone behind. Leadership that inspires will always ensure the leaders are encouraged, knowing that people have different abilities, everyone will be taken at their pace with the encouragement that they will make it and they will get the best. The leader does not make decisions that do not involve the people, he/she involves the subordinates in decision making. Only when people are part of the decision will they own the result because they will have been involved in the initial stage.

Supportive: Fosters a culture of trust, open communication, and constructive feedback. A good leader will always be supportive to the people he/she is leading. It is true that when people are given the freedom to work independently, they maximize their potential.so a leader will trust that people will do their best as they work independently but they may make mistakes on the way. A leader will then give constructive feedback so as not to discourage them to forge ahead. In leadership, feedback is very important, whether negative or positive.

Collaborative: Encourages teamwork, inclusivity, and diverse perspectives. This means a leader will always involve his/her subordinates.

He/she will strive to bring everyone on board appreciating the diverse perspectives people may have but will show the way so that there is teamwork and all will work towards achieving one common goal as to the vision earlier explained.

23

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

Author: Madrine Musonda

Adaptable: Embraces change, learns from failures, and pivots when necessary. A good leader will always accept changes that come on the way not to be so rigid. He/she will adapt to changes and look back to cross check for any failures so as to easily make amends if any and forge ahead without losing track.

Authentic: Leads with integrity, transparency, and emotional intelligence. A good leader is genuine. They do not change goal posts. He/she ensures they practice an open door policy in their management so that people are free to approach them and give suggestions or question them where they are not clear. This in turn promotes transparency.

Developing: Invests in the growth and development of team members. A leader will trust that the people being led have the potential to excel to higher heights. He/she will inspire the team members to grow professionally not to always be at the same level. The more the team members grow professionally, the stronger the team linkages.

Accountable: Sets high standards, takes ownership, and leads by example. A good leader will set high but attainable standards for the team members. These set targets in turn will help the members be accountable for their work.

A leader will ensure he/she works towards attaining the set standards him/herself first so as to lead by example.

LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES GROWTH

Positive: Maintains a positive attitude, celebrates successes, and learns from setbacks. A good leader will always believe in his/her people, knowing and trusting they will do it. He/she takes plight in the subordinates’ success and maintains a positive attitude that encourages them to always work hard.

Self-Aware: Recognizes strengths, weaknesses, and areas for personal growth. A leader takes time to do self introspections most times so he/she understands him/herself. In so doing, the personal weaknesses, strengths and areas of potential growth will be revealed and action will be taken as such.

Mentoring: Provides guidance, support, and valuable feedback. Here the leader gives guidance believing that helps the people being led to see far ahead Coaching: Helps set goals, develops skills, and improves performance. Coaching will help the people being led to develop more skills and improve performance.

Development Opportunities: Offers training, education, and new challenges. A good leader sometimes acts like an eagle training its young to fly independently. The eagle mother flies its young so high and lets it go to train it to fly on its own, helping it here and there as it prepares to safely land. In this way, the young eagle is trained how to fly on its own hence taking up the challenge. A good leader operates in a similar manner to train people to work independently but gives guidance where necessary so that they are not lost on the way.

Role-Modeling: Demonstrates expertise, work ethic, and professional values. A leader must show expertise in what he/she is doing so that the people will see and follow the example exhibited.

Encourages Innovation: Supports new ideas, experimentation, and learning from failures. A good leader encourages diverse ways of doing things not to restrict to only one way of doing things. He/she allows people to explore and discover new ideas at the place of work.

Recognizes and Rewards: Acknowledges and rewards achievements and contributions. Not everyone is intrinsically motivated. So a good leader outlooks for avenues to motivate his/her people with sone rewards. These may not just be material rewards but sometimes even just words of encouragement or a written or a certificate of achievement. That goes a long way in encouraging the people being led.

Creates a Positive Work Environment: Supports work-life balance, well-being, and job satisfaction.

A leader must always be sensitive to the work environment. He/she outlooks at what makes the environment conducive and also sets out some relaxing time for his/her people. He/she may even think of taking them out for some relaxing and refreshing time.

----Leadership should not be taken for granted in institutions because sometimes it is possible for one to race alone with a big gap between the leader and the people being led if one does not cross check to see if the people being led are with him/her.

Leadership is a skill that is learnt and can be improved.

By adopting these leadership strategies, you can inspire professional growth in your team members, leading to increased job satisfaction, retention, and success. By embracing these qualities, leaders can create an environment that inspires growth, innovation, and success among their team members.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR My name is Madrine Musonda. I am the District Resource Center Coordinator for the Kabwe district of Central province in Zambia, Africa. I have been in this position for twelve years now.

I am a district resource center coordinator in charge of the teacher education department at the district office. I bridge the gap between the college/university and the schools where the teachers come to implement. There are a lot of initiatives that come in the ministry of education and those mostly come through my department. I retain and reorient serving teachers in ministry initiatives that concern classroom teaching.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

24

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING: PROMOTING INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS BY: DR. THOKOLOSI JOHN TSHABALALA

25

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

I

n my 25 years as a school principal, I have seen many schools evolve from underperforming to becoming beacons of hope and excellence in their communities.

Coming from the townships of the Vaal, in Sebokeng and Evaton, I have been deployed to work mostly with schools where there were ‘issues’ of leadership which negatively affected learner performance. I have worked at KhutloTharo Secondary school, Sizanani Comprehensive, Prestigious Aureate High, Evaton Primary, and Letsema-Ilima Primary school. I must say that being an Instructional leader fostered a new culture of success and achievement in these schools.

Hallinger and Murphy’s (1985) model of Instructional leadership proposes three key dimensions, which are; (1) Defining the school’s mission, (2) Managing the instruction program, and (3) Promoting a school climate conducive for learning. As a Science teacher with passion for teaching, I ensured that my focus in every school that I have been to, was to engender a strong culture of teaching, followed by serious learning. I emphasise on the teachers to prepare and teach lessons that are success oriented.

This means teachers have to make sure that every minute of a teaching period is spent productively, and learners on the other hand have to take their learning seriously. Once this is achieved, issues such as learner absenteeism, bunking of periods and late coming are reduced and eventually eliminated because everyone realises the importance of time on task.

Teachers on the other hand cannot afford to miss a teaching period because they would not like to have a backlog. Departmental Heads are key in monitoring this by monitoring the teachers in their various departments.

DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP While we emphasise the principal as the Instructional leader, we need to acknowledge that there are other leaders within the school whose role cannot be undermined. Various scholars acknowledge that organisational leadership, particularly in big and complex organisations like schools, is not dependent and

Author: Dr. Thokolosi John Tshabalala

also not performed by a single individual. Rather, such leadership functions are distributed amongst other members of the organisation (Lee et al., 2012; Spillane et al., 2001; 2004). On the other hand, Spillane et al. (2004) highlight two vital aspects of school leadership which are; that the school leaders are mainly responsible for the quality of teaching taking place in their schools, and that leadership is not only vested on formal leaders, but instead, on activities of both formal and informal leaders (Lee et al., 2012), as well as the interactions between leaders, followers, and the environments in which they perform their leadership tasks and functions (Stoll & Fink,1996).

ASSESSMENT When a strong culture of teaching and learning is entrenched, it becomes critical to assess what has been taught. This happens in a controlled way in the form of weekly and standardised monthly tests. Results of the monthly tests are thoroughly analysed and expanded opportunities are provided to those who did not do so well.

SA-Sams’ dashboard is very helpful in the analysis of learner marks. This resonates well with the United States Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which made it compulsory for schools to use data in order to support their decisions. We ensure that the SMT does not leave anything to chance. We follow up and monitor at all times.

VISIBILITY As a principal and an astute Instructional leader, I spend more time in the school, and I ensure E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

26

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

that I am visible to all staff members, in the corridors. I spend my time talking to teachers and coaching them here and there, while at the same time motivating them to press harder. I walk around the school and visit identified classrooms which according to assessments experience problems in certain areas. It is during these visits that I engage with learners on matters of interest and the challenges they encounter in their learning. I have found that the closer a principal gets to the learners, the harder they work, because they do not want to be invited to the principal’s office. I strictly monitor the implementation of the teaching and assessment plans from all departments. The learner results analysis dictate matters of priority to me, where I engage with parents of those who are struggling and together we seek solutions to help their children. I have found this very helpful because parents realise that I am supportive to them and their children instead of always complaining. Several scholars agree that school effectiveness is contingent on the principals’ focus on classroom instruction (Blasé & Blasé, 2000; Hallinger & Heck, 1998).

I must admit that school success strategies are mostly contextual, and I argue from a point of a stable and conducive climate, where there is a strong, clear and progressive mission statement to excel in all fronts. I argue that being a school principal does not make one an instructional leader, but in order to achieve success with learner outcomes it is imperative for the principal to become one. I say this because many principals are often found meddling in actions and activities that do not promote learner achievement, while on the other hand expect to achieve good results in their schools. According to Louis et al., (2010), there are two types of actions that principals have to engage with in order to improve teaching and learning, the first being the creation of a culture of professional growth and development and learner learning. The second is Instructional action, which is mainly about the actions taken in order to achieve the set goals. As alluded here before, proper planning is crucial, followed by strict and consistent monitoring and reporting.

27

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Thokolosi John Tshabalala is currently the Coordinator of the Teaching Schools and Lecturer at the University of Free State, South Africa. Prior to that, he was the principal of Khutlo-Tharo Secondary school in Zone 3, Sebokeng in the Vaal. While he was the principal, the matric results of the school improved from 29% to 90%, and thus getting Provincial and National Awards for Most improved and Consistency in matric performance improvement. He was deployed to Sizanani-Thusanang Comprehensive school, a gang and drug infested environment, including a collapsed culture of teaching and learning. He changed the school for the better.

In 2005, he was requested to go and start a new secondary school in the suburbs of Vanderbijlpark (Prestigious Aureate High), thus becoming the first Black principal in the area. The school grew steadily until its first matric class in 2009, obtaining 85% pass. He is known to turn-around schools for academic achievement and especially schools with sub-par leadership at the secondary and primary school levels.

REFERENCES Blase, J., Blase, J. & Phillips, D.Y. 2010. Handbook of school improvement: How high-performing principals create highperforming schools. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press Hallinger, P. & Heck, R. 1998. Exploring the principal’s contribution to school effectiveness. An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice, 9(2):157-191.

Hallinger, P. & Murphy, J. 1985. Assessing the instructional leadership behaviour of principals. Elementary Schools Journal, 86(2):217-248.

Louis, K.S., Leithwood, K., Wahlstrom, K.L., Anderson, S.E., Michlin, M. & Mascall, B. 2010b. Learning from leadership: Investigating the links to improved student learning. New York: Wallace Foundation.

Lee, M., Hallinger, P. & Walker, A. 2012. A distributed perspective on Instructional Leadership in International Baccalaureate (IB) schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 48(4):664-698.

Spillane, J.P., Halverson, R. & Diamond, J.B. 2001.

Investigating school leadership practice: A distributed perspective. Educational Researcher, 30(3):23-28.

Spillane, J.P. Halverson, R. & Diamond, J.B. 2004. Towards a theory of leadership practice: A distributed perspective.

Journal of Curriculum Studies, 36(1):3-34.

Stoll, L. & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. London: Open University Press.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT The International Confederation of Principals (ICP) convention was held in Mombasa, Kenya from August 19th to the 23rd 2024. The three-day learning concluded with celebrations, music, dance, and making connections.

A friend to E.L. Africa was in attendance and presented at the event: Mr. Welcome Sipho Mhlanga, the current president of the Eswatini Principals Association and a key figure in the African Confederation of Principals Association. His presentation was on the Estiwani Public School principals’ workload and its effect on their wellbeing.

Mr. Welcome Sipho and other attendees

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

28

IN THE NEWS UGANDA

Kasese Schools Struggle With Critical Shortages of Facilities, Affecting Learning and Sanitation Primary schools in Kasese District's Bukonzo West Constituency, particularly in the sub-counties of Kitholho, Isango, and Nyakiyumbu, are facing severe shortages of essential facilities such as toilets and desks.

This shortage is significantly affecting both sanitation standards and academic performance in the region, impacting government-aided and unaided primary schools alike.

Currently, each government-aided school in these sub-counties has only three makeshift latrine stances, which are inadequate for the large number of pupils and teachers. The scarcity of proper sanitary facilities has created unsanitary conditions, making it challenging for students and staff to maintain hygiene, and has disrupted the learning environment.

During the commissioning of new classroom blocks at Kathembo, Kamukumbi, and Kitalikibi primary schools, head teachers expressed their concerns over the lack of essential facilities.School children study in dilapidated structures filled with dust, and inadequate seating poses health risks, and there is also a shortage of teachers.

The Resident District Commissioner assured the head teachers this August that the government is committed to improving the situation. He announced that the government has allocated shs1.2 billion for the construction and renovation of classroom blocks in over twenty government-aided and unaided primary schools across Kasese District.

This announcement brought hope to the affected school communities, marking a crucial step towards creating better educational environments for students and teachers in the region.

29

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

IN THE NEWS RWANDA

Post-Covid Economic Recovery Initiative - School Feeding Campaign has Reduced Dropout Rates and Spurs Community Engagement

Recently, the Prime Minister announced an increase in the budget for the school feeding program.

The school feeding program initially catered for high school students. In 2021 the government extended it to all levels in public schools and government-aided schools. This initiative has made significant strides in reducing dropout rates in primary schools. The Minister of State for Education confirmed that school feeding is not the only factor contributing to this success, but it is undoubtedly a significant one. The government, alongside local authorities, has also been actively mobilizing parents through door-to-door campaigns to ensure their children attend school. This collective effort has helped make a substantial difference.

The number of students benefiting from school feeding programs has increased, including the number of schools providing meals to students.

As the new academic year approaches, the focus remains on maintaining and improving these gains. According to the ministry of education, the core structure of the school feeding program will remain unchanged, but schools are encouraged to be innovative in how they utilize contributions to diversify student meals.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

30

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

PRINCIPALS’ EMOTIONAL HEALTH Get started towards a happier, healthier you!

Dispute negative thinking. When you overreact, blow things out of proportion, or become overly self-critical, stop and analyze the facts. Usually, they won’t support your negative thoughts.

Stop ruminating. Constantly going over adverse situations and thoughts perpetuates bad feelings and doesn’t accomplish anything. Look for healthy distractions that focus your attention elsewhere. Engage in activities that bring you joy.

Look for the silver lining in challenging situations. If you habitually view the glass as half empty, challenge yourself to find it half full.

Try mindfulness activities like yoga and meditation to learn how to attend to thoughts with awareness and without judgment. Having a negative thought doesn’t mean you must react to it emotionally.

Read inspirational quotes and stories. Watch movies that make you laugh. Savor the beauty around you and share good news with others.

Keep a gratitude journal. Count your blessings and give thanks to those who help make your world better.

Engage in an act of kindness every day. Volunteer for a cause you care about.

Utilize your personal strengths in the work you do on a daily basis. Visualize a successful future achieving your goals and dreams.

31

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

GROWTH MINDSET A National Experiment in the USA Reveals Where a Growth Mindset Improves Achievement Nature

Promoting a growth mindset is a popular strategy in schools, but does it work? A nationally representative study suggests that it does. A brief, low-cost online module that teaches students that intellectual abilities can be developed with effort was associated with improved grades among lowachieving secondary students and increased enrollment in advanced math courses. The effect was sustained over time when messages about growth mindset were reinforced by students’ peers.

Click here to read the complete article.

E.L. AFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2024

32