Partners for Possibility: How business leaders and principals are igniting radical change in South African schools

Partners for possibility is the compelling story of what can happen when you think in terms of possibility instead of deficiency. It’s the story of what happens when people say ‘yes’.

This is the story of Partners for Possibility, an organization that has brokered groundbreaking partnerships between business leaders and school principals, partnerships that continue to reap astonishing results in the schools they are working in. It’s the story of an organization dedicated to changing South Africa’s ailing education system one school at a time.

Partners for Possibility is like no other educational intervention in South Africa, because it is simultaneously a movement of conscious citizenship, a community-building process, a leadership programme, a corporate social initiative and a system that has the power to change the very fabric of South African society.

WHAT SOME OF SOUTH AFRICA’S LEADERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARTNERS FOR POSSIBILITY…

TREVOR MANUEL
Former Minister of Planning South Africa

“The Partners for Possibility Programme is exactly what is needed to make the NDP real and take our education forward. I commend the initiative for what it does for education. But I also commend the initiative for how it develops business people and gets them into communities those business people would not necessarily get involved with.”

DR REUEL J KHOZA
Chairman, Nedbank Group Limited

“There can be no partnership more commendable than those who partner for possibility. Our political economy is bristling with potential for all manner of possibilities. It is catalytic agents such as Partners for Possibility who make this real. This initiative has my whole-hearted support. ”

PROFESSOR NICK BINEDELL
Dean, Gordon Institute of Business

“Partners for Possibility, led by Louise van Rhyn and her team, is a fantastic example of how individuals can make a difference in a critically important area. The creative idea of linking business leaders to principals in a mutually valuable way has had a remarkable impact. GIBS fully supports this endeavour, contributing wherever we can and we hope that this project will continue to flourish and add to the many initiatives that will change the face of public education in South Africa for the sake of our country’s stability, prosperity and long-term sustainability.”

CLEM SUNTER
Respected author and public speaker

“This project goes to the heart of what is needed to improve the performance of schools in South Africa. In my experience of 12 years at the helm of Anglo’s Chairman’s Fund, the principal variable in a school’s future is the quality of the principal. I have no hesitation in giving my whole-hearted support to this initiative.”

PROFESSOR JONATHAN JANSEN
Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State, South Africa

“This inspiring new book about Partners for Possibility captures a compelling vision for educational change in a series of unforgettable stories. This deceptively simple idea that a principal of an under-resourced school partners with a business leader to design change solutions has proven to deliver tangible results in the lives of children and communities.”

JAY NAIDOO
“The Partners for Possibility story is an astounding one of hope and courage. It shows us that if we are willing to be active citizens we will be able to make positive changes in our lives and our communities.”

DESMOND TUTU
Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town

“When God sees what Symphonia does through the Partners for Possibility programme, he smiles.”