The Executive Director of The Josephine Worlali Adatsi Initiative, Ms. Josephine Worlali Adatsi, has called for the inclusion of students and young people in school leadership policy discussions across Africa, stating that meaningful education reform must reflect the lived realities of learners.
She emphasized that young people are the direct beneficiaries of school leadership decisions and must therefore be recognised as key stakeholders in shaping standards, accountability systems, and reform processes on the continent.
The call followed her participation in the Continental School Leadership Validation Workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya, from February 10 to 12, 2026. The three-day workshop brought together policymakers, researchers, school leaders, and development partners from across Africa to validate the first continent-wide mapping of school leadership systems and to develop a roadmap to strengthen and professionalise leadership in schools.
The workshop was convened by the African Centre for School Leadership in partnership with the Kenya Education Management Institute to review research findings, identify gaps, and agree on priority actions at national, regional, and continental levels.
In an interview with The Ghanaian Times in Accra on Friday, after her return from the event, Ms. Adatsi explained that discussions were practical and forward-looking, focusing on how Africa could move from research and policy to effective implementation in schools.
As the youngest participant and youth representative from Ghana, she said she advocated stronger youth engagement in education leadership conversations and proposed leveraging artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to make school leadership research more accessible through youth-led communication.
According to her, the continental mapping revealed that many African countries lacked structured leadership systems, including formal training, certification, mentoring, and clear career pathways for school leaders. She referenced the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, which identified school leadership as the second most important school-level factor influencing student learning after teachers.
Ms. Adatsi noted that the workshop emphasized the need to professionalise school leadership through clear standards, institutionalized training, continuous professional development, and stronger accountability systems, while also promoting gender-responsive leadership pathways.
She said her participation would enable her to contribute to education reform efforts in Ghana by promoting youth inclusion, sharing continental best practices, and supporting more structured, equitable, and accountable leadership systems.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
Follow the latest videos and updates on the official YouTube channel of Ghanaian Times.