Schools urged to embrace values-based leadership

The Public Management and Leadership Programme has been identified as a key initiative for equipping learners with skills in selfless leadership, enabling them to become effective leaders.

These remarks were made during an engagement with head teachers, students, and stakeholders as the Franklyn Institute embarked on an initiative to foster leadership skills among Ugandan high school students.

Through the iLead Pilot Programme, in collaboration with the John Maxwell Foundation, the Institute aims to develop a generation of leaders who are both competent and committed to serving their communities by enhancing values-based leadership.

The founding partner of the Franklyn Institute emphasized the importance of value-based leadership programs in Ugandan schools.

"We are dedicated to nurturing competent and selfless leaders. We believe that to do a good job, you need to have the skills and competence, but we have also realized that naturally, human beings are self-centered, which often leads to issues like corruption. We want to promote selflessness and value-based leadership," she said, the founding partner for Franklyn Institute , Shallon Atuhaire Mugabe .

She further explained the Institute's commitment to cultivating leaders who treat others as they wish to be treated and who are dedicated to national growth.

"When we started with the iLead program, we knew we had a valuable resource and wanted to begin with what we had. We didn't wait for someone else because we are here and have access to the iLead program," she added.

John Griffin, Vice President for Global Programs at Equip and the Maxwell Leadership Foundation, underscored the critical need for character development in students preparing to enter the workforce.

He noted that while the marketplace values competence, many graduates are unprepared due to a lack of character.

"The marketplace does care about competence and the skills students develop in school. But so many students are going into the marketplace unprepared because what they're lacking is character," Griffin stated.

Griffin explained that although competence can secure job opportunities, character deficiencies often lead to job termination.

"They interview for competence, and that's what gets them in the door. But what people get fired for is the lack of character, where they don't own their choices and try to do the minimum," he remarked.

He highlighted the positive outcomes of comprehensive character development programs, noting that students who undergo such training emerge as leaders with solid values, enhancing productivity and engagement in the workplace.

"Students who go through this not only show up with great skills and competence but also become leaders with great values, leading to greater productivity and engagement," Griffin said.

Griffin stressed that character development benefits extend beyond individual success to positively impact the community, the country, and the organizations that employ these well-rounded individuals.

"At the end of the day, that's going to add to the bottom line, both for the community and the country, as well as for the organizations that employ them," he stated .

Hassan Kibirango, manager of the iLead Programme in Rwanda, explained that the goal is to nurture selfless leadership through values and peer-led initiatives.

"The program is student-led, where students discuss how to be great leaders of themselves using the values proposed in the curriculum, and then they lead each other," he said.

He noted that the long-term goal is to raise leaders with great values.

The iLead program is broken into three levels: "I Choose," focusing on values-based choices; "I Do," which proposes actions based on values connected to leadership; and "iLead," a two-year curriculum designed to develop the kind of leaders required for the future.

"The reason we're focusing on students is to reach them while they're young. We're reinforcing their values in a structured way using peer support or positive peer pressure," Kibirango explained.

Mr. Griffin, alongside Mugabe, a certified Maxwell Leadership Coach and Trainer spearheading the iLead Programme in Uganda, and Mr. Kibirango, visited St. Maria Goretti Senior Secondary School, Katende, on Monday, June 24, 2024.

This school was the first in Uganda to implement the iLead Programme, which is designed to nurture high school students into competent and selfless leaders over a three-year period.

Launched in November 2023, the iLead Programme has engaged representatives from 13 secondary schools in Uganda, with seven schools currently participating actively.

These schools include Kololo SS in Kampala, St. Mbuuga Vocational School in Makindye, St. Paul SS Mbulamuti in Kamuli, Tropical High School in Bugweeri, Kakira SS in Jinja, and London College in Nansana, Wakiso District. Nakasongola Army Secondary School is set to join the programme this month.

The Franklyn Institute's initiative is part of its broader mission to instill leadership qualities through both the Students iLead Programme and the Public Management and Leadership Programme. The latter aims to equip public managers with skills to enhance values-based leadership in their respective fields.

Currently, the Franklyn Institute's iLead Programme engages more than 2,500 students across Uganda, emphasizing the Institute's commitment to building leadership from a young age. The ongoing collaboration with the Maxwell Foundation and the inclusion of more schools highlight the programme's expanding impact and potential for significant positive change in Uganda's leadership landscape.