It’s hard work, not magic, says principal
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Bonisanani Senior Primary School principal Nkosinathi Ngubane and Taegan Devar, director of Durban-based consulting firm PeopleSmart, united to address social ills among pupils. Picture supplied
Durban - A local headmaster is realising his dream of turning an Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, school into a “model-C school for township pupils”.
Bonisanani Senior Primary School principal Nkosinathi Ngubane said these successful schools were built on much more than money.
“These schools have dedicated stakeholders and parents available for their children. It’s not magic. Township schools can also achieve this through the right partnerships,’’ he said.
At his side on his mission is the Partners for Possibility programme, developed by Citizen Leader Lab, which pairs school principals with business leaders in a 12-month leadership development programme.
Taegan Devar is an industrial and organisational psychologist and the managing director of the Durban-based consulting firm PeopleSmart. Devar partnered with Ngubane on the programme.
During their year together, Ngubane and Devar first devised and articulated Bonisanani’s vision of improving the school and then focused on capacitating and strengthening Ngubane’s leadership. In pursuit of creating a ‘’Model-C school in the township’’, Ngubane observed that these schools are often successful due to factors beyond funding.
“Most of the staff at Bonisanani have taken on many roles beyond just that of a teacher to support their pupils, giving them a safe space to learn and grow,“ said Devar. ”They are parents, mentors and confidants and go the extra mile for their pupils, who often come from single/child-headed or grandparent-headed homes.
“Anyone’s environment has an influence on one’s upbringing, but I found that when a school community works together to help create meaning and purpose for young people, it makes a huge positive difference in their lives.
“For example, in terms of what Mr Ngubane is doing, Bonisanani pupils are proud of their school and they look after it, the staff team ensures that pupils are exposed to all the opportunities all pupils should be exposed to (sport, music, computers, agriculture, literature etc), it creates such a positive impact,” she said.
She said parents were key stakeholders and schools should be partnering with them to support pupils.
“In the case of Bonisanani, once the staff collectively developed their vision (which was also informed by pupils), Mr Ngubane went to all key stakeholders including parents and the pupils, and presented it to get buy-in.
“The vision is: We strive for excellence by empowering all our stakeholders in creating equal opportunities, a safe and child-friendly environment, conducive to teaching, learning, promoting diversity and developing responsible citizens.
“I don’t think there is a parent who wouldn’t want this for their child. Imagine if all schools wanted to do the same,” she said.
The principal credits the Partners for Possibility programme for instilling in him the importance of competent management, mentioning that it is not feasible for public schools to rely solely on the Department of Education for funding.
Adopting a ‘’business mindset’’, he said, ensured that schools could overcome funding obstacles and operate more efficiently.
“Yes, we are a no-fee paying school, but we now run Bonisanani like a business. We are starting to attract resources that other township schools don’t have. This is because we have established networks with more resourced schools nearby, and Taegan really helped,” said Ngubane.
“I think the biggest impact has been the leadership of the principal and staff. When you have a strong team with a strong vision, pupils want to be a part of this and are proud of this.”
Among the practical outcomes, the library has been furnished and painted thanks to a a partnership between Ngubane and the local hardware store and alumni have started an agricultural project on a part of the school land.
While Bonisanani has made great strides in just one year, Ngubane is eager to take the school ‘’to the next level’’. Emphasising that sustainable change is a long-term commitment, he is confident that it can be achieved.
To join the Partners for Possibility programme, contact [email protected].
The Independent on Saturday