Strengthening Gender-Responsive Instructional Leadership through Structured Peer-Mentorship
Bahir Dar University has gathered partners and stakeholders to mark the official launch of the Horizon4School project. This vital initiative is supported by the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) with the fund from Mastercard Foundation. The kickoff meeting brought together educational leaders, officials, and practitioners who share a common goal of improving education.


The Project Principal Investigator, Dr. Mulugeta Awayehu, opened the session by outlining the core objective of the project: shifting the focus of school leadership from routine administrative tasks toward active, hands-on instructional coaching. Following this, Dr. Eyerusalem, the Vice Executive Director of the College of Education, welcomed participants and highlighted how securing this competitive grant not only advances the College of Education but also serves as a beacon for the broader research and collaborative mission of Bahir Dar University. 


The event was honored by an inspiring opening speech from Professor Enyew Adgo, the Vice President of Research and Community Service, who emphasized that this project represents a new standard of academic and community excellence. He shared valuable insights on the importance of maximizing the impact of the funding for future opportunities and reaffirmed the full support of the university. He noted that Bahir Dar University is actively working to empower staff members to secure and lead such impactful research initiatives. He encouraged the team to aim for results that exceed all initial expectations, thereby creating better grant opportunities for the future. 

The way forward was further clarified by the Project Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Temesgen Melaku, who presented the project framework and the essential roles that stakeholders will play in the coming months. He noted that Horizon4School was competitively selected as one of only 39 projects out of 585 submissions, which serves as a testament to the urgency and local relevance of this work in Ethiopia.


The project team recognizes that school leadership is the primary catalyst for meaningful and lasting change. Horizon4School is specifically designed to address this challenge by helping supervisors, principals, and department heads transition away from the administrative trap and toward becoming effective and supportive instructional coaches for their teachers. The project is also uniquely integrating the local principle of Debo, which is a traditional form of communal labor-sharing, into the peer-mentorship model. By rooting leadership development in local culture, the project ensures that the approach is not merely imported from elsewhere, but is instead deeply connected to the values of the community. This transforms the mentorship process from a top-down mandate into a shared and collective responsibility for student success.