OPINION: As South Africa commemorates Women’s Day, Tambudzai Muzenda decided to scope for interests in her back yard - the importance of leadership development among women principals.
In contrast, six rigorous studies commissioned by the Wallace Foundation in the global north highlight how principals matter in running a functional, effective school, and how this positively affects the learner experience. In other words, teachers with strong teaching capabilities, if enabled through a functional and effective principal, create better learner outcomes.
The gender complexities of race and identity hold black women back, as this study based on six South African principals by Nuraan Davids suggests. She states that women face challenges in ‘breaking the glass ceiling’, with at least a twenty-year delay in claiming their seats at the decision making table.
Strikingly, Davids highlights that women leaders need both personal and professional support because some felt they did not give enough time to their families. The women principals expressed the need for support to improve their leadership. The home-grown Partners for Possibility leadership development and principal support programme is leading the way on this front. For the last 10 years since its inception, participating principals have gained significantly in terms of their confidence and competence, and this has contributed to the cohesiveness and effectiveness of school management teams, and improved teacher morale.
Baker adds that, “Partners for Possibility has been the reason for my success. The support I have had - even during the pandemic - for school projects are all the benefits and opportunities of being part of the PfP community.”
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