Rubavu, Rwanda 19 - 21 July 2023. The Rwanda Ministry of Education and VVOB-education for development organised a co-creation workshop with partners to review key concepts of the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) and shape the future of the Centre.
The African Centre for School Leadership is an initiative by and for African and African-based partners and other partners that share the goal of advancing quality education in Africa.
The Centre works with African governments and other educational stakeholders in four focus areas to build quality school leadership systems.
- The development or re-development of school leadership policies and guidelines and effective and scalable professional development programmes for school leaders.
- The delivery of professional development programmes for school leaders through capacity development of professional development providers.
- Monitoring, evaluation and research on the effectiveness and impact of school leadership and school leadership development.
- Knowledge mobilisation, advocacy and sector coordination through multi-stakeholder partnerships and dialogue.
“We believe that effective school leaders create conditions necessary for effective teaching and ultimately improve learning outcomes. This is why African governments need to collaboratively invest in school leadership support as part of their education policy agenda and we see the African Centre for School Leadership as an opportunity to achieve this agenda,” said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, Rwanda.
The ACSL is being developed in four phases namely: the inception phase, the foundation phase, the implementation phase, and the expansion phase. During the first two phases, the Centre has been engaging key partners on the continent, developing strategic plans, reviewing evidence on school leadership in Africa and developing a research agenda. In the first implementation phase planned between 2023 and 2024, the Centre will work in three countries namely, Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana, with plans to expand to additional African countries from 2026.
Currently, the Centre works in partnership with the Rwanda Ministry of Education, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA – Ghana), the Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI), the Rwanda Basic Education Board, and the University of Rwanda College of Education (UR-CE). In addition, the Centre is collaborating with the Mastercard Foundation as a financial partner for the Foundation Phase project.
Starting from 2024 the Centre plans to expand to more African countries from the current three, reaching at least 12 countries by 2030.
“There are a couple of things that are going to help us expand the scope of the Centre - bringing on board more African countries. To start with, we need to share learnings from Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana, such as innovative approaches and best practices. In addition, we can identify champions in school leadership from other countries and initiate discussions to share what is going on in their countries,” said Albert Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary of ADEA.
During the co-creation workshop, partners participated in the planning, review and validation of short-term activities/projects of the Centre and reflected on the medium and long-term vision of the Centre. Some of the planned activities/projects include:
- Development of the identity of the Centre
- Development of a framework for effective school leadership in Africa
- Strengthening the capacity of providers of school leaders’ continuous professional development (CPD) in developing and delivering CPD contents
- Mapping of school leadership policies and professional development, starting with Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana
- Research on various themes such as Ubuntu and School Leadership
- Establishing Early Childhood Education (ECE) Leadership Communities of Practice to support play-based teaching and learning in Ghana
"I am truly honoured to witness the start of the implementation phase of the African Centre for School Leadership. This initiative represents a significant step forward in shaping the future of school leadership in Africa. By collaboratively investing in school leadership, we have a remarkable opportunity to create the conditions necessary for effective teaching and ultimately improve learning outcomes across the continent, said Dr Fay Hodza, Regional Coordinator, African Centre for School Leadership
“I am excited to be part of this transformative journey and believe that the Centre will play a pivotal role in advancing quality education in Africa. Together, we can make a profound impact on the lives of students across the continent," he added.
The Centre is hosted in Rwanda and aims to become the 'go-to' place for research and information on school leadership in Africa and build a strong network that brings together scholars, policy makers and practitioners interested in school leadership and leadership continuous professional development on the African continent.
About VVOB
VVOB – education for development is an international non-profit organisation with over 40 years of experience in quality education. Through capacity development, VVOB provides support to ministries of education in Africa, Asia and South America to improve (initial) professional development of teachers and school leaders in early childhood, primary, general secondary, and technical and vocational education. For more information on VVOB, please visit: www.vvob.org
About the Rwanda Ministry of Education
The vision of the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) is to provide the citizens of Rwanda with equal opportunities for high-quality education through world-class learning facilities and renowned learning institutions. For more information on MINEDUC, please visit: www.mineduc.gov.rw
