North Coast schools benefit from partnerships with business leaders

When 28 strangers joined together on a quest for education in the 2020 Partners for Possibility (PfP) programme, little did they know the difficulties 2020 would bring.

Partners for Possibility pairs a principal of a school with a local business leader, ideally helping both parties to grow and learn in the process.

The fourth year of PfP on the North Coast was celebrated with a “Mad Hatters Tea Party” themed event at Simbithi Country Club last week.

The typical challenges of the programme were only made more difficult by the Covid-19 pandemic which often made in-person meetings impossible.

Despite this, the programme remained a resounding success and many of the people involved reported a deeper relationship as a result of the obstacles that had to be overcome.

“It is not often you gain a brother, but I really feel like I have through this experience. Thokozani has taught me how to always see the positive side of life,” said business leader Nicky Misra of principal Thokozani Potelwa of Lloyd Primary School.

Active listening and communication are two of the main tenets of the programme and many business leaders and principals noted a shift in their approach to life as a result.

“As a leader, you have to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas. It’s about meeting someone where they are at, not where you think they should be based on your worldview,” said business leader for Dinuphozo Primary School, Katherine Laatz.

The efficiency of communication and ability to be honest with each other, from both sides, has led to direct results at the schools which joined the programme.

“There has been a huge increase in parents signing their children’s homework and coming to the school, indicating a renewed interest in education,” said Redcliffe Primary principal Nhlakanipho Zwane.

The PfP programme has been running across South Africa for over 10 years and continues to have a lasting effect on the communities it touches.

Both the principals and business leaders have to volunteer, ensuring that there is a consistent interest for the entire year of operation.

This includes many late nights and long drives to meet one another, even if many were done via Zoom last year.

“An important distinction is that the business leaders do not put up any money. There is no guarantee of funding for projects or anything like that, both parties are involved because they want to learn for the betterment of the students,” said PfP programme director Terry Dearling.

Expectation of funding aside, many projects were still implemented through the programme, including new toilet facilities and vegetable gardens at some of the schools.

“Our deepest gratitude goes out to the principals who went out into the trenches every day and to the business leaders who were courageous as active citizens. What a year it was!” concluded Dearling.

The next programme – North Coast 5 – has already begun with 10 partnerships, now in their second month of operation.