Top CEOs to school the teachers

Prakash Desai, group CEO Avusa

In each episode, the Top Class team and a different celebrity CEO visit one of these schools to meet with its learners and educators, grapple with the issues they are experiencing and work with the principal and the chairperson of the governing body to come up with a simple plan aimed at creating effective short-term and long-term solutions to improve the school's running.

Like big corporations

Schools are much like big corporations. They deal with many of the same challenges, but they do not have the means, the management skills and the professionals to make them work as effectively. Principals and heads of departments are drawn from the ranks of teachers and do not have the benefit of accountants, MBAs, human resource managers and other specialists to turn to. As a rule they don't have access to the latest management methods and specialist courses. With upward of maybe a thousand pupils and teachers to manage and meagre budgets, they must nevertheless do much the same job as our leaders of industry.

Ten top CEOs were enlisted and each was paired with 10 poorly performing schools across South Africa, identified by the Department of Education. Some of the challenges facing schools were safety and security, motivation of teachers and learners, absenteeism, raising finance, teenage pregnancy and discipline.

The 10 are Prakash Desai, group CEO Avusa; Zeona Motshabi, chief corporate officer Cell C; Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, transformation director Pick n Pay; Daniel Jordaan, CEO 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee South Africa; Yvonne Johnston, CE International Marketing Council of SA; Tina Eboka, director: corporate affairs Standard Bank; Zola Yeye, regional GM: EC; Audrey Mothupi from Liberty Life; Martin Feinstein from Enablis; and GG Alcock, MD of Minanawe Marketing.

“Incubators of future leaders”

“Schools are not only places of learning but they are also incubators of future leaders of our country and industry. Our participation in Top Class can only enhance the skills necessary in the creation of an environment that is conducive to world-class quality of learning; and as Avusa we view our support of education as an integral part of being responsible corporate citizens – it is our duty,” says Desai.

The crew revisits each school five weeks later to assess the progress that has been made. A second visit one year later will gauge how successful it has been at implementing the agreed long-term improvements.

To broaden the access to problem-solving strategies for other schools facing similar challenges, a 10-week Internet course at www.learn.co.za consists of weekly worksheets which address each issue broadcast in the programme. If educators complete seven of the 10 satisfactorily and fax them to The Learning Channel, they will receive a certificate of completion.

The series is endorsed by the national Department of Education and will broadcast on SABC Education's Learning Channel every Wednesday at 11am from 13 February 2008 on SABC1.