The Public School Partnership Pilot Programme
The public school partnership pilot project is designed to test whether high-quality, non-selective education can be provided at scale, in the poorest communities, and at similar cost to other public schools.
In an effort to respond to the structural challenges in South Africa’s education system, a group of local and international funders – led by the DG Murray Trust in partnership with the Western Cape government – began exploring legislative frameworks that would allow non-state providers to support the delivery of education.
As a result of engagements with senior government officials and proposed legislative changes, a management team was established in 2016, known as the Pilot Support Office. This office was charged with driving a five-year pilot programme launched in five urban schools in the Western Cape as part of the Western Cape Education Department’s Collaboration Schools programme.
The Eastern Cape project, known as Partnership Schools, began two years later, in 2018, and operates under its own governance model. All participants of the pilot programme are driven by a deeply-held belief that every child has the right to high-quality education, regardless of their socio-economic status, and that every parent and educator should be empowered to provide it. They are committed to working together in partnership with government and civil society to provide parents with the option of public school partnerships to deliver high-quality education to their children as measured by learner outcomes.
The public school partnerships pilot is the only sustained intervention in schooling that is attempting to change the fundamental causes of national underperformance in the country. All other support initiatives seek to make change within the bounds of existing governance and management paradigms.
Venturing beyond ‘what is’ and charting a different path for the public education system has naturally attracted interest from supporters and opponents. Despite challenges in court and political pressure, partners remain committed to the joint objective of improved educational outcomes through the provision of quality education.
“Access to quality education
has long been a desire, but is now starting to become a reality. We are thankful for this partnership and hope it can continue to enable our children to reach their full potential in life, and to become contributors in our communities. Acorn Education can play a distinctive role in breaking the cycle of poverty and has given hope to our community.”
K. Fredericks, Parent
Apex Primary School, Eerste River, Western Cape
The pilot programme is uniquely positioned to tackle systemic reform through its model of shared governance and accountability. The basic structure is a partnership among parents, a public school, and a School Operating Partner (SOP). Together, their representatives constitute the School Governing Body (SGB). Through the SGB, the SOP works with the school to create a vision and culture focused on achieving and sustaining high-quality education outcomes.
While the provincial education department continues its oversight of the public school and supports the SOP, additional technical capability is provided or sourced by the support partner as needed. The core partnership is complemented by a number of supporting funders, service providers, local community and advocacy organisations. To participate in the programme, non-profit organisations are selected to be Operating Partners with no-fee public schools by the provincial department of education. Partnership schools are also identified by the government and can be existing public schools that are on a journey of ‘transition’ or brand-new schools adding to their body of learners each year. The type of school is important as it has an impact on the way in which the SOP operates.
Click on the following pages to view details related to the pilot programme’s school operating partners, the results that has been achieved so far, and how those involved describe the experience of participating in a public partnership school.
Download a publication documenting the pilot project’s journey from 2016 to 2020 here
