MZINTI – Elangeni Lodge was packed with principals and department heads from the Khulangwane and Malalane circuit on Wednesday 27 July. They shared their stories on the impact the Penreach Courageous Leadership Development Programme (PCLDP) had on their schools, as well as tips and advice.
“The purpose of this knowledge sharing session is to share the success that schools have achieved, to share the ideas that have been generated among the schools so that everybody can motivate each other to grow. When we start with the implementation phase, with the actual training modules, they will have a sense of having achieved something,” said Neil Avery, the PCLDP Coordinator.
After the induction workshop and the baseline study was done, it was time to implement the quick wins programme that allowed the schools to work on the challenges they faced.
Some of the quick wins included the cleaning and maintenance of the school, addressing absenteeism, involving parents in school activities and donating clothes to needy school children.
“The purpose of quick wins is to build relationships with the different stakeholders, learn from each other and gain district support,” said Sanette Mattheus, the PCLDP Manager, in her presentation.
“It is about helping schools to understand that by doing simple things at no cost, they can start making changes to their school. It is about empowering them to believe in themselves. So that when they come into the main programme, they have a real sense that they can do things and achieve for the betterment of the school,” explained Neil Avery.
At first parents were thought of as people who are mostly not learned and who do not want to be involved in their children’s school activities. “We had a negative attitude that parents do not want to be involved in school activities, stakeholders are not are not supportive. Whenever we called them to meetings, this is the argument that I used to hear from my principals as well as teachers,” said Mrs Memory Thembi Khoza, the Khulangwane Circuit Manager.
The implementation of the quick wins at schools has shifted principals’ mindsets. Schools have gained the support of both internal and external stakeholders. The communication gap between the schools and its stakeholders has been bridged and this has changed the school environment for the better.
“As we have started doing our best now, let us make sure that in our minds we must tell ourselves that we will never lose anything that we strive for. If we want to change our schools to what we want them to be, they will be what we want,” said Khoza.
School principals who participated and completed the quick wins process were awarded certificates.
Read the article on the official launch of the Courageous Leadership Programme here.
