African Centre for School Leadership

African Centre for School Leadership The African Centre for School Leadership promotes school leadership policy and practice across Africa.

It aims to improve learning outcomes by providing countries with policy options in teaching leadership and teacher professional development. The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) is a coalition of African and African-based organisations and governments, committed to the promotion of effective school leadership in Africa by bringing together partners that offer professional development services, research, and policy advice on effective school leadership. Building supportive school leadership systems leads to improved teaching, and in turn, improved learning outcomes, equity, and wellbeing. For more information about the Centre, please visit www.africancentreforschoolleadership.org.

The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) is heading to Nairobi for the 2nd East African Community Regional Confer...
20/08/2026

The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) is heading to Nairobi for the 2nd East African Community Regional Conference on Education, 25–28 August 2026!

Our team will present two papers on how evidence and data are strengthening school leadership across the region – one focused on and , and one comparing accountability practices across EAC Partner States.

ACSL is working together to make school leadership a stronger driver of quality education across Africa. Come find us at the booth and hear directly from our researchers!



ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | VVOB in Rwanda | FAWE Africa | Wuod Othim | Ministry of Education - Kenya | Ministry of Education, Rwanda

Are you applying for the ACSL Cohort II School Leadership Research Grants? You have an opportunity to learn a lot about ...
19/08/2026

Are you applying for the ACSL Cohort II School Leadership Research Grants?

You have an opportunity to learn a lot about the granting process, especially from Cohort 1 beneficiaries.

Join our free information webinar tomorrow, 20th August, and get the clarity you need before you submit – eligibility, the application process, what makes a strong proposal, and lessons from Cohort I researchers, plus live Q&A.

🕒 Tomorrow, 3:00–4:30 PM EAT | 12:00 – 14:30 PM GMT

🔗 Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_s9qemzc7Rc2M1Zz1hGUq8w #/registration

Applications for Cohort II will close on 30th September 2026. Tag a school leadership and education researcher who should see this!

Transforming Teaching, Education & Learning - Ghana | Ghana Education Service | Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA | VVOB - education for development | ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | ADEA - Association for the Development of Education in Africa | FAWE Africa | Mastercard Foundation | Rwanda Basic Education Board - REB
University of Rwanda

11/08/2026

Applying for an ACSL research grant? Watch this first👇🏽🎥

What does a researcher actually need beyond funding to turn a good research idea into meaningful evidence and impact?

We put that question to Dr Christopher Mensah of Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA, our Blended Education Learning Trajectory (BELT) trainer, who leads the training and capacity-strengthening support provided to ACSL research grantees.

His answer highlights an important part of the programme: supporting researchers to understand where their research fits within existing knowledge, connect their findings to the wider evidence base, and consider how that knowledge can reach the people and institutions that can use it.

It is about strengthening the pathway from research to use and impact.

Applications are now open for the second cohort of the ACSL Research Grants, supporting research on school leadership.

📅 Join our webinar on 20 August to learn more about the programme, the application process and ask your questions directly.

Have a strong research idea on school leadership? This could be your opportunity to turn it into evidence that matters.

Visit the ACSL website to learn more and apply: https://africancentreforschoolleadership.org/call-for-applications-for-acsl-cohort-ii-grants/



Wuod Othim | Kenya Education Management Institute-KEMI | VVOB - education for development | ADEA - Association for the Development of Education in Africa | ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | Rwanda Basic Education Board - REB | Unesco International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa - IICBA | Chinedu Anarado | GEM Report Unesco | Ministry of Education - Kenya | Ministère de l'Education nationale du Sénégal | Mastercard Foundation | Wizara ya Elimu, Sayansi na Teknolojia | Ministry of Education, Rwanda

📄 Just published — and it's a significant one.ACSL has released the Practice Framework for Afrocentric School Leadership...
03/08/2026

📄 Just published — and it's a significant one.

ACSL has released the Practice Framework for Afrocentric School Leadership — a practical guide for building school leadership systems rooted in African values, knowledge, and cultural traditions.

Built on , , , and , the framework gives policymakers and school leaders five clear pathways for more effective, inclusive, and culturally relevant education leadership.

Download it free from the link below and share with anyone working in education leadership across Africa.

🔗 https://africancentreforschoolleadership.org/afrocentric-school-leadership-an-acsl-practice-framework-for-school-leadership-and-professional-development-in-africa/

📢 Opportunity for School Leadership Policy ExpertsACSL is looking for an institution or consortium to help design and de...
03/08/2026

📢 Opportunity for School Leadership Policy Experts

ACSL is looking for an institution or consortium to help design and deliver a groundbreaking blended learning programme for African school leadership policymakers — the BELT on School Leadership.

If you bring deep expertise in African school leadership policy, curriculum design, and Afrocentric approaches to capacity development for policymakers, we want to hear from you.

⏰ Deadline: 20 August 2026, midnight

🔗 Full details: https://africancentreforschoolleadership.org/design-and-pilot-testing-of-a-blended-exchange-learning-trajectory-belt-for-african-education-policymakers-on-school-leadership/



Global School Leaders | FAWE Africa | Wuod Othim | Kenya Education Management Institute-KEMI | VVOB - education for development | ADEA - Association for the Development of Education in Africa | ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | Unesco International Institute for Educational Planning - IIEP | EduTab Africa | Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA | Unesco International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa - IICBA | Mastercard Foundation | Rwanda Basic Education Board - REB

Earlier in May, we announced and showcased the inaugural researchers who benefited from the first cohort of our school l...
31/07/2026

Earlier in May, we announced and showcased the inaugural researchers who benefited from the first cohort of our school leadership research grant. A total grant value of $865,000.00 was disbursed, with research activities now ongoing!

We are excited to announce that the call for applications for the second cohort is now open!

If you're passionate about generating evidence to strengthen school leadership and improve learning outcomes across Africa, this is an opportunity for you.

The second cohort of the ACSL School Leadership Research Grants programme will support action-oriented research projects that generate context-specific, policy-relevant evidence to strengthen school leadership across the continent.

There are two categories of research grants:

- Descriptive Action Research Grants of up to $15,000 each: 8 for Tanzanians or -based researchers and 8 for researchers or research focused on other African countries

- Comparative Action Research Grants of up to $35,000 each: 4 for Tanzanians or Tanzania-based researchers and 3 for researchers from other African countries

Beyond funding, grantees will join the ACSL Research Community and participate in the Blended Exchange and Learning Trajectory (BELT) through peer learning, knowledge exchange, policy engagement, and dissemination to maximise the impact of their research.

📅 Application deadline: 30th September 2026

Register to join the information webinar to learn more about this opportunity, including application modalities, approaches, and expectations.

💻 Information webinar: 20th August 2026

Please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_s9qemzc7Rc2M1Zz1hGUq8w #/registration

For further information about the call, please visit the ACSL website using this link: https://africancentreforschoolleadership.org/call-for-applications-for-acsl-cohort-ii-grants/



Mastercard Foundation | Kenya Education Management Institute-KEMI | VVOB - education for development | ADEA - Association for the Development of Education in Africa | Wuod Othim | FAWE Africa | ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | Wizara ya Elimu, Sayansi na Teknolojia | Unesco International Institute for Educational Planning - IIEP | Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA | Ministry of Education - Kenya

One week on, the conversation continues.Last week, the Tanzania School Leadership Engagement Week brought together gover...
23/07/2026

One week on, the conversation continues.

Last week, the Tanzania School Leadership Engagement Week brought together government, researchers, universities and development partners to reflect on the future of school leadership in Tanzania.

While the event has concluded, the dialogue continues through the shared commitments, ideas and vision that emerged over three days of engagement.

Swipe through to revisit some of the defining messages that reaffirm why school leadership remains central to stronger teaching, stronger schools and improved learning outcomes.



Kenya Education Management Institute-KEMI | Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA | Unesco International Institute for Educational Planning - IIEP | Wuod Othim | VVOB - education for development | ADEA - Association for the Development of Education in Africa | ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | Wizara ya Elimu, Sayansi na Teknolojia | FAWE Africa |

It has been an intense week for us at the African Centre for School Leadership.While contributing to FLEX2026, we have s...
17/07/2026

It has been an intense week for us at the African Centre for School Leadership.

While contributing to FLEX2026, we have simultaneously been driving the Tanzania School Leadership Engagement Week in Dar es Salaam — and the sessions this week delivered exactly the kind of conversation this work demands.

One question: what do Tanzania's school leadership findings mean, and what must change?

Representatives from Wizara ya Elimu, Sayansi na Teknolojia,
PMO-RALG, MoEVT Zanzibar, FCDO, and the Open University of Tanzania reviewed the findings of the National School Leadership Mapping Report and examined what they require in practice. The calls were direct:

→ Gender-responsive policy reform

→ Evidence-informed continuous professional development

→ Clearer guidance for school heads navigating competing administrative directives

→ Development partner support that strengthens government systems — not substitutes for them

One thread ran through the week's discussions: school leadership is not a title. It is a shared responsibility.

During the week, Tanzania launched the National School Leadership Research Agenda and a grantee showcase, bringing together all 14 Tanzanian researchers supported through the ACSL Grants Programme. Each presented their research proposal directly to government officials, practitioners, and academic reviewers for structured feedback before implementation begins.

Policy. Research. Practice. In the same room, working toward the same goal.





Wuod Othim | VVOB - education for development | ADEA - Association for the Development of Education in Africa | Kenya Education Management Institute-KEMI | ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | FAWE Africa | Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA | GEM Report Unesco | Transforming Teaching, Education & Learning - Ghana | Ministère de l'Education nationale du Sénégal | Mastercard Foundation | Unesco International Institute for Educational Planning - IIEP | Maxwell Fundi | Yidan Prize

03/07/2026

Dakar delivered.

Working Group 4 on School Leadership and Teacher Professional Development — co-hosted by ACSL, Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA, The Learning Generation Initiative of edc.org and Unesco International Institute for Educational Planning - IIEP — was one of the most substantive conversations we have had at a continental convening on these two themes.

Practitioners, researchers, and policymakers in the same room, working through the same hard questions: what does it actually take to build school leadership systems — not programmes — that endure? What does teacher professional development look like when it is designed around classroom reality rather than donor cycles?

The answers this week were clear enough to act on. The work to do that acting is what ACSL exists for.

We warmly congratulate Mamadou Amadou Ly and Associates in Research and Education for Development (ARED) on the 2025 Yidan Prize for Education Development — a deserved recognition of what multilingual foundational learning, done right and at scale, can achieve. Their work is the kind of proof point that the school leadership and teacher development agenda needs more of: innovation embedded in government systems, not running alongside them.

For ACSL, this week was a bridge. The commitments made at the 2025 ADEA Triennale are being tested. The conversations in Dakar have sharpened what we are accountable for. Lilongwe is next — and that is where we bring the scorecard.



Mastercard Foundation | VVOB - education for development | ADEA - Association for the Development of Education in Africa | ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa | FAWE Africa | Yidan Prize | Wuod Othim | Institute for Educational Planning & Administration - IEPA | Unesco International Institute for Educational Planning - IIEP |

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