A South African delegation led by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) is in China to participate in a seminar on policy and management of the basic education sector.
The group comprises 25 school principals and four officials from the DBE.
The principals represent South Africa’s provinces and were selected from the leadership structures of the South African Principals’ Association.
“The Seminar on Education Policy and Management of Basic Education is being hosted by the International Centre for Teacher Education at the East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai. Seven lectures have been organised to make presentations and lead discussions during the 14 day programme,” the DBE said.
The delegation will also attend the International Confederation of Principals (ICP) Conference.
The visit further emphasises government’s commitment to support professional associations in the field of leadership and management in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), said the DBE
The delegation is led by James Ndlebe who is responsible for education management and governance in schools at the DBE.
“It is important to expose our school principals to opportunities that can help them grow and develop for the benefit of their colleagues and indeed the learners.
“We cannot adequately prepare our learners to participate in the global economy as global citizens unless we ourselves become the compass to show them the direction by being global citizens ourselves,” he said.
Ndlebe said there is a need to take a leaf from the experience of other countries.
“We need to start seeing what other countries are doing so we can learn and improve our situation. We need to expand our knowledge through the professional learning communities that we are establishing through this exercise,” he said.
The Embassy of China in South Africa is sponsoring the delegation’s participation in the seminar.
