Citizen Leader Lab officially launched Leaders for Education in March this year, bringing together public school principals and business leaders to collectively address the challenges that the schools face. Leaders for Education is a refresh of the highly acclaimed Partners for Possibility programme. It builds on the 13-year success and experience of Partners for Possibility and brings in enhancements, including new content on ethics, wellness and African leadership.

Challenges in education require solutions from both the public and private sectors. The Leaders for Education programme facilitates collaboration between these sectors, enabling them to develop long-term, sustainable solutions together.

A cohort of 24 public school principals in Randfontein, Tshwane and Johannesburg started the Leaders for Education programme with their business leader partners in March. The partners have now begun a transformative 12-month journey of leadership growth that will empower the principals to create school environments that enable quality teaching and learning and strengthen ties between schools and their communities. Through projects implemented with their business partners principals will also address some specific challenges in their respective schools. Beyond its direct impact on the school principals, the programme’s impact in these 24 schools will extend to around 600 teachers and 19,000 learners. For the business leaders, this will be an opportunity to build their leadership skills and gain insights through involvement in the unfamiliar complexity of South African public schools.

Baldwin Malebana, Principal of Phumulani Secondary in Katlehong, shared what he is most looking forward to in the next 12 Months: ‘’I am keen to understand how to integrate business skills and expertise into our school’s framework, with the goal of attracting investors and sponsors who align with my school’s vision. Through the collective life experiences of all my peers, I know that I now have access to a wealth of knowledge.’’

Citizen Leader Lab plans to implement Leaders for Education in Cape Town, Parys, Polokwane, Overberg, South Coast (KZN), Whiteriver, Gqeberha, East London, Johannesburg and Tshwane schools in 2024. If you are interested in supporting and/or participating in the programme, please email info@citizenleaderlab.org