The principal of Noordwyk Secondary School, Alex Tau, and Smollan’s client service executive, Rowland Solomons, refer to themselves as twins.
What brought them so close? Their shared mission to transform Noordwyk Secondary.
The school faces enormous challenges – harsh socio-economic conditions, poor academic performance, ill-discipline among learners and low staff morale negatively impact teaching and learning.
To turn this around, Tau and Solomons were partnered on an award-winning leadership development programme for school principals delivered by Citizen Leader Lab.
Their newly acquired skills were then used to address specific challenges at this under-resourced school over 12 months.
Tau said attending Citizen Leader Lab’s workshops, networking, and coaching sessions prompted him to look beyond the confines of the school for ways to improve stakeholder engagement.
‘‘Through a workshop aimed at building and sustaining community, I became aware of community dynamics, and this made me realise that the community is more powerful than an intelligent leader,” said Tau.
“I decentralised power, instead of prescribing what needs to be done. I posed challenges to the school’s stakeholders, and we found ways to move forward. This works because they now volunteer their time willingly.”
After identifying the soft skills gap between staff and learners, the pair set out to develop a discernible school culture, and with the help of the School Governing Body, School Management Team, and the learners, formulated a set of school values.
Team-building sessions for the teachers soon followed to address the underlying reasons for their low morale.
Top-performing learners in their respective sporting codes and academic areas were then identified to receive awards at ceremonies that now take place every term.
With Smollan’s involvement, a two-day career development event made Grade 9 learners more aware of the work options available to them after school.
“It gave them reasons to stay in school. It created a critical link between education and success later in life,’’ Tau added.
Today, Noordwyk thrives academically and in the various codes of sports it offers.
The school’s soccer team has won trophies around Gauteng, even receiving a donation from the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture in recognition of their accomplishments.
In last year’s senior certificate examinations, the school achieved a 94.7% pass rate. Between the 246 matriculants, 150 bachelor’s, 68 diplomas, and 15 higher certificate passes were achieved.
‘’I have learned how to be patient and appreciate the people around me. My staff is more considerate and we have created a lovely environment to learn and teach,” Tau explained.
Meanwhile, Solomons has become more conscious of the state of public schooling in South Africa and the challenges faced by those tasked with leading schools.
‘’This was a real eye-opener to see and experience the challenges our schools are facing. I have developed a newfound appreciation for the work principals do,” said Solomons.
‘’This process has made me more human. I learned to collaborate more and listen to others.”
Details: To find out more about the programme, residents can email savanthika@citizenleaderlab.org or visit www.citizenleaderlab.org
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