[imagesource:x/@Educulture100]

You’re going to want to meet Mncedi Mtengwana, the principal of Solomon Mahlangu High School in KwaNobuhle, Kariega, Eastern Cape.

Despite all the social problems that come with being a student in a poor area, the school’s pass rate has soared from 20% to 87%.

While this is a pleasant and welcomed result, it has not been Mtengwana’s main goal for his school. Rather, he has emphasised creating “human beings” and the Daily Maverick reports that this perspective is paying off.

“I think we will get there in the next two years, but what I want is for this school to produce human beings that can change their community for the better, and for that we need them to study hard,” the principal said.

Located in a neighbourhood plagued by crime, frequent power outages, vandalism, unemployment, and substance abuse, his school faced numerous challenges. Back in 1995, the school’s pass rate hovered around 20%. However, despite all adversities, Mtengwana has steadily propelled the school forward through his leadership over the past 13 years, employing love, discipline, and motivation as guiding principles.

Dr Bruce Damons, a specialist in community schools at Nelson Mandela University, said: “When we look at schools like this, they work and they are shining beacons not because of their results but because they produce great human beings.

“A positive school culture is how we should measure the success of a school. I advocate for focus to be shifted from the outcome to the process.”

The road to success is fraught with challenges, especially in a place like KwaNobuhle, and Mtengwana remains concerned about the learning gaps that need to be filled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Mtengwana has found a way to motivate the students, finding a nice balance between positive encouragement and practical problem-solving:

“I am expecting better results this year, but due to Covid-19 we have about 33 learners who were progressed, not promoted. We staged an intervention to make sure they have the best chance to pass.

“My approach is to set a target for the learners and then make sure that they know how they can reach it. If they don’t agree with our proposal we discuss how we can make it work.”

Mtengwana has set a matric pass rate of 95% for the class of 2025 and 100% for 2026.

“This was not an easy journey,” he said. “Our school is in an area where many people are not literate. Unemployment is rife. Parents rely on the school as well.

“I tell the children all the time: This community must not be the same in a few years because of you. You can make a positive change.”

He mentioned that the parents also take care of their school, emphasising that there are no instances of vandalism, even when the school is closed. The school is integrated into the community, with parents encouraged to get involved with the school nutrition programme. Mtengwana offered school land to parents to create gardens, and the school bought vegetables from parents to ensure food security.

Mtengwana also brought a full-time social worker to be a part of his staff to help pupils struggling with substance abuse and violence at home. In this way, he’s minimising any and all barriers to learning, and allowing the students to just focus:

“I thought, what if the children wanted to do this, not us? What if we just helped them?”

Listening is also a skill Mtengwana has implemented to create excellence at his school:

“I talk to the learners often to hear if they struggle with anything. You cannot have a plan without them. We tell them every day, you take responsibility for your results.

…“I have an open-door policy. We invite parents and teachers to come to share how they think we can improve.”

His revolutionary thinking is paying off, and showing the rest of South Africa what a true leader is made of.

Damons said: “I think we must revisit what we define as an elite school. Success shouldn’t be measured by matric passes. It should be measured in building a strong school culture. Leadership like this is absolutely critical in a school and there are bodies of research to prove this.

He added that it is also essential, especially in our socioeconomically marginalised communities, that a leader has a high degree of empathy with all stakeholders, including teachers, learners, parents and the community.

“The focus must be more on the process than the output,” he said.

The bar has been set.

[source:dailymaverick]