31 Aug 2015

The Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Moiseraele Goya says it takes visionary leadership for a school to achieve desirable learning outcomes.

Mr Goya was speaking at the first ever public and private primary schools administrators’ (HR Group) convention recently in Palapye.

He said the role of the school leadership in defining the character, vision and destination of a school cannot be over emphasised.

Mr Goya said it was the duty of the school leadership to instill the spirit of teamwork, inspire and motivate teachers, mobilise supporting inputs and ensure order and discipline.

He said the performance of a school reflects the performance of its principal, adding that there is a clear relationship between school governance and learning outcomes.

The minister said the Ontario Leadership Framework, which stipulates that ‘there is a direct and powerful link between effective leadership and improved student achievement and wellbeing’ confirms that position.

Mr Goya further said that research suggests that leadership is second only to teaching in its impact on student outcomes.

He said the convention came at the right time when the performance of the public schools is increasingly attracting public attention. The schools, he added have been characterised by a challenge of under achievement in the last few years. “This situation should be addressed urgently to improve student outcomes,” he said.

He commended the HR Group for recognising the importance of sharpening the competencies of school leadership and expressed hope that their efforts would not be in vain.

The assistant minister congratulated the HR Group for the services it renders to Maun Senior School. The HR Group is working closely with the school under the ‘Adopt-A-school’ initiative.

He said this collaboration is beginning to pay dividends as evidenced by signs of improvement the school is beginning to show. Mr Goya challenged many more companies to consider adopting schools. 

He said the HR Group initiative of strengthening governance at the primary education level resonates well with the ongoing reforms that his ministry is undertaking.

He noted that the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan recognises the need to get foundation right by increasing participation at pre-primary level to accommodate previously un-served learners.

Mr Goya said participation at pre-primary level presently stands at 20 per cent and his ministry has begun reception classes in primary schools with surplus classrooms. Mr Goya said his ministry will have begun reception classes in all the 754 primary schools by 2018.

This intervention, he said, was designed to make prospective primary school entrants ready for school and also intended to facilitate improved learning outcomes at this level and beyond.

He said the spirit of partnership that exists between private and public institutions is encouraging, noting that it was only through concerted efforts that the challenges facing the education system could be overcome. ENDS