Citizen Leader Lab (CLL) has launched the 15th cohort of its Leaders for Education programme, welcoming principals from schools in Tulbagh, Paarl, Klapmuts, Kylemore, Khayamandi and Jamestown into its nationally-recognised leadership.
The leadership development and support NPO is committed to creating better leaders in both public and private sectors. Through its programmes and workshops it enables more effectiveness, resilience and change-making capacity in participants’ leadership styles.
With the help of the programme, which brings the education and business sectors together, school leaders will be equipped with the skills and support needed to create change in their schools and communities.
The launch was held last Tuesday (3 June) and coincided with a special milestone, CLL’s 15th anniversary.
Since its introduction in the Cape Winelands in 2012, the Leaders for Education programme has evolved into a robust network of more than 120 school principals who are now business leaders.
The programme runs over the course of a year and connects public-school principals with experienced business leaders who engage in collaboration, peer learning, leadership coaching and practical school-improvement projects.
Through this process participants gain essential skills in leadership, community mobilisation and strategic management.
The programme is built on the belief that effective school leadership is one of the most impactful and cost-effective ways to improve learner outcomes and strengthen communities, particularly in regions facing deep-rooted socio-economic challenges.
In the Cape Winelands region, various communities grapple with high levels of unemployment, poverty and limited access to quality education and basic services.
These conditions can create challenges for school principals, who are often required to go beyond their administrative roles to support learners and families confronting these hardships.
A key contributor to the programme’s continued success in the Cape Winelands has been facilitator Jessica Batts, who has guided multiple cohorts since 2015.
“Facilitating these cohorts has been a rewarding experience. I have witnessed school principals transform from overwhelmed managers into visionary leaders,” Batts relates.
“The partnerships formed between schools and businesses go far beyond the classroom. We are building resilient communities. Reaching 15 years as an organisation, and specifically in the Winelands, is a moment of both celebration and renewed commitment.
“This 15th cohort is a continuation of this legacy of socially conscious leadership.”
The roll out of the local programme has been made possible through the support of sponsors including Mediclinic South Africa, Remgro, the Cape Wine Auction Trust, Perdekraal East Wind Farm and the FEM Education Foundation.
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