Harambee is pleased to report that the Self-Leadership Tutorial Program at Protea Glen High School, Soweto, underwritten by Harambee in collaboration with the Komati Foundation, appears to have led to improved student outcomes.
Twenty-two (22) leadership sessions were held with 10th, 11th and 12th grade students throughout the 2017 academic year. The tutors were primarily graduate students from the Wits School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering in Johannesburg.
Through these university mentors, the high schoolers were introduced to role models who are successfully navigating the rigors of higher education. Sessions were also dedicated to improving non-cognitive skills, such as creating mind maps that serve as a basis of mastering new information and acquiring such time management tools as preparing daily activity schedules.
Although there are many factors that can impact scholastic performance, it is reasonable to assume that the Self-Leadership Tutorial Program played a part in these outcomes:
Grade 11 – scholastic average performance was significantly better than that of Grade 11 peers across Soweto high schools
Grade 12 – eight students gained access to university, a number significantly higher than the average for high schools in Soweto.
The participants were grateful that Harambee afforded them the chance to be better students, improve their work ethic and act more responsibly as young adults. One student attested, “Thanks to Harambee, I am a better student because now I get better marks in physical sciences and I am also doing well with my other subjects.”
Going forward, there may be plans to educate the parents of Protea Glen High School students so that they become more involved in the education of their children.