New UNICEF/BCF programme enables under-performing Lesotho schools to increase primary level results by 61%

UNICEF funded the training by BCF of Lesotho school inspectors to empower primary school principals to reinvent their schools to become centres of excellence.

Results achieved by under-performing schools which achieved less than an 80% pass in 2015

While these under-performing schools increased the percentage of learners passing Primary Level by 54%, the average percentage of learners passing in the control group of schools declined from 82.3% to 75.3%, a decline of 7%.  Participating schools therefore enjoyed a real increase of 61% (7% +54%).

Training school inspectors to train principals has many advantages

Inspectors having been trained by BCF to facilitate its highly successful Outstanding Public Schools Programme have mastered the strategies, leadership skills and management systems necessary to reinvent schools to become centres of excellence.

High levels of understanding of what it takes to reinvent a school makes Inspectors ideal change catalysts and coaches who have a key stake in the future success of each school.

Inspectors engage directly with each principal on implementing the strategies, leadership skills and management systems to reinvent his/her school to become a centre of excellence.

When the principal provides an environment conducive to the creation of a culture of effective teaching and effective learning in which every teacher receives the emotional and resourcing support he/she needs, a high-performance culture in the school and every classroom flourishes.

Inspectors do not train principals to get great results. They empower principals, deputies and HODs to sustainably change the culture of their schools to become centres of excellence. The excellent results follow.

Inspectors are able to access resources from District Offices which principals may not have been aware of or which they have not in the past been able to access.

All teachers become aware that each Inspector is a team member who has the same shared goals of assisting them to improve academic outcomes rather than being an unhelpful critic.

BCF congratulates UNICEF and the Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training for contributing to this leap in global knowledge and good practice and the fine-tuning of this programme capable of replication worldwide.