Stories

PILO

The stories of change come from the field of practice – from classrooms, schools, and the district offices. They are told from the perspectives of those who are involved in and are experiencing changes in their daily work.

#2
The 3 C’s of Schooling

Ms. Ntshingila was introduced to the Jika iMfundo Campaign during of the onboarding sessions that were held in the district and has become a district champion for the programme.

She shares her story about the relevance of the programme, especially in response to the changes that have taken place in the education system due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She participated in the recent SMT training module titled: “Leading in Uncertain Times” and noted its relevance by stating that: “I basically continued with the Three Cs, that is CARE, CURRICULUM, and COMMUNITY because the country is still faced with the pandemic and the state of uncertainty still exists.”

Ms. Ntshingila noticed a change in professional relationships after this this module was introduced, especially in the way some of her district colleagues interacted with the SMT members: “The level of being considerate by my colleagues towards the teachers during this time of uncertainty has been amazing. The concept of the 3 Cs not only caused colleagues to be considerate and supportive to teachers and SMT members, but such care has been extended to staff in the district.”

The focus on the 3Cs also seemed to have affected curriculum delivery, with Ms. Ntshingila saying that it has, “… produced positive spin-offs in terms of curriculum support, delivery, and the monitoring of curriculum coverage.” She goes on to state that, “Staff morale is improved at our school, thus triggering intrinsic motivation. PILO has played a significant role in helping colleagues to unleash their potential. This has been happening to a minimal extent before PILO’s intervention.”

When asked about what she thought was needed to ensure that the changes “stick” in the system, Ms. Ntshingila identified three important things to consider. Firstly, the change programme (the Jika iMfundo Campaign) is a, “… developmental programme as opposed to a programme that only improves Maths and English.” In other words, the programme focuses on change and improvement across the whole school, not just certain subjects, and it involves learning and reflection by SMT and staff members.

Secondly, Ms. Ntshingila notes that, “It is imperative that impact be measured against expected outcomes.” This is another important point, as it speaks to using data to measure progress in terms of improving curriculum coverage in the school. The last point Ms. Ntshingila makes about sustaining the change is that there should he ongoing leadership development to take forward the work of change. This is aptly summed up in her last statement: “The PILO programme is an excellent programme to assist the district in improving results or learner attainment. However, it must be largely geared towards developing a growth mindset among all staff members, including management.”

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