This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Edinburgh school leads the way in Malawi
08/11/2006
Edinburgh's Stenhouse Primary is spearheading a development project to drive up school leadership in Malawi.
The Stenhouse School Leadership Project will be officially launched tomorrow when education ministers from Scotland and Malawi visit the school.
Building on the school's partnership with Malawi's Embangweni Primary, Stenhouse staff have developed a programme of staff development in management, leadership and organisation. A successful bid for Executive funding will allow the scheme to be rolled out throughout the Mzimba district.
Stenhouse headteacher Marlene Galashan and Fiona Christie, depute head at Corstorphine Primary, will provide training for 40 headteachers and divisional managers in the Mzuzu and Mzimba areas. Subsequently, 12 course participants will visit Edinburgh to shadow their counterparts here.
Education Minister Peter Peacock said:
"Our experiences in Scotland have taught us that good leadership is crucial to the success of our schools. A strong headteacher can inspire both staff and pupils, encouraging them to aim high and achieve even greater results.
"It's great to see that Scottish teachers recognise the benefits of strong leadership and are keen to share this with colleagues in Malawi. By sharing international expertise, we can enrich the educational experience - both in Scotland and Malawi."
Marlene Galashan said:
"The aim of the project is to provide senior managers, who are involved in primary school education in northern Malawi, with strategies to effectively lead and manage schools in the areas of policy and planning, use of staff and learning and teaching.
"It is hoped that by providing this experience-based opportunity, participants will have increased understanding of their pivotal role, and be better equipped to identify and manage development needs in their own schools."
Stenhouse Primary has been involved in a learning partnership with Embangweni Primary in northern Malawi since 2000. The partnership began with children exchanging letters about their hopes for the new millennium. Both headteachers have now visited the partner schools.
The Stenhouse School Leadership Project for Senior School Staff in Malawi was approved for #31,840 of Scottish Executive International Development Funding in October 2006.
HMIE's How Good is our School self evaluation tool has been adapted to suit local context and will provide a framework for supporting staff in school self evaluation.
A further boost for the Malawi education system will be announced when Mr Peacock and Malawi's Education Minister, the Hon Anna Kachikho, visit Stenhouse Primary tomorrow.