Introduction
The best education systems are those that focus on high performance for all their students and
aim to reduce the influence of socioeconomic background on performance, combining equity
with quality (Pont, 2017:100). The purpose of this project is to identify and highlight the
challenges and impacts of low-income backgrounds on student achievement. The data used to
conduct this study are students at my school, which is in District 2 and which includes the RoseHill, Beau-Bassin, Quatre-Bornes, Moka, and Flacq districts. Almost all the students in my
school come from remote areas and many of the students are from low economic background.
The Leadership and Management Module opened new areas for me to explore in terms of
thought and interests. I personally use the term "difficult learners" to describe these students, not
because they are difficult to learn, but because they are difficult to learn because of their low
socio-economic background and so they refuse to learn. Vadivel and Alam (2023) stated that
most students with poor health perform poorly. Their research clearly shows that children of
middle-income (SES) parents are better educated at home because these parents have access to
additional learning tools. But there are also students who graduate by overcoming difficulties.
However, in my last case, the analysis focused on struggling students graduating from lower
socio-economic backgrounds compared to good academics. This argument highlights the fact
that the cause of inadequate education is not merely personal; skills, knowledge, skills and values
in the organization; it is the influence of parents or family, society and organization. Therefore,
economic disadvantage is one problem that affects students' academic success. Stakeholders and
authorities need to find solutions to the problems discussed in my video report. As users of the
curriculum, schools must find ways to help students continue to use their thinking and skills to
support the curriculum and ultimately learn.
Proposed school improvement and leadership initiatives and strategies
A reform referring to the education system in the country should lead to improvements in terms
of students and education (Leithwood et al., 2004). There must be a leader who has the skills and
ability to improve student learning. This statement is further supported by Leithwood et al.
(2004) in their book that any reform that improves student learning has no chance of
improvement unless district and school leaders agree on the goals of the reform and understand
what needs to be done to achieve the reform. Only then, the reform can be expected to meet its
objective. Therefore, effective and efficient leadership remains an important aspect of school
reform. There is evidence that leadership has approximately one-third of a school's impact on
student learning (Leithwood, 2004). Leithwood (2004) further added that the impact of effective
leadership is greater in the most difficult schools because there is a shared vision, trust among
personnel and a more positive and inclusive environment. After discussing the issues facing the
entire school community, it is important to understand the value of student participation. A study
in Alberta by Jagersma (2010) clearly stated that the Ministry of Education makes student
participation a benefit to school improvement. Therefore, my assertion that student engagement
is an important factor to consider in school improvement is logical.
Having an effective leadership, combined with successful improvement strategies can help
school leaders to make sure that irrespective of their backgrounds, all students receive high
quality education and consequently, brilliantly succeed. For instance, the curricula should take
into account diverse cultures, perspectives and learning needs of all students. A number of
perspectives should be included in the curriculum so that students learn through a more relevant
and engaging content. For instance, lessons can be connected to students’ lived experiences,
therefore, making contents more meaningful.
The curriculum should also promote critical
thinking as well as broadening students’ understanding. As such, when the curriculum mirrors
the diversity of the student population, the feeling of being represented prevails and in turn, this
strengthens inclusion and motivation among students whilst it reduces marginalization. This
may eventually lead to the success of disadvantaged students in the long-run.
Another initiative that could influence the quality and equality of curricular outcome is the
involvement of all constituencies of the education system that is, parents, teachers and other
stakeholders who are in leadership roles in having a say into school policies and curriculum
development. The input of a plethora of educators and stakeholders in these can contribute to
meaningful and relevant curricular changes. When decision-making is shared, schools can get
better views and ideas on how to address challenges faced by underprivileged students, therefore,
promoting a more equitable curricular outcome. Additionally, if families and communities are
actively involved in the educational process, students can be expected to receive additional
support at home.
For instance, outreach programmes such as ‘After School and Fitness
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Programmes’ under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and the Mauritius Sports Council
contribute to the well-being of children, especially, those who are from disadvantaged regions.
The aim of these programmes is to support the holistic development of learners by laying
emphasis on their creativity and social skills through fun games and activities. As such, these
programmes help in the promotion of inclusivity and equitable access to resources and
opportunities, therefore, reinforcing learning and consequently, an improvement in the overall
curricular outcomes.
OECD (2012) found that “the instructional costs of disadvantaged students may be higher.”
Hence, it is important that school leaders ensure that their institutions receive the necessary
resources in terms of finance, human, instructional materials and technology when it comes to
quality and equity of curricular outcomes. In fact, all these should be based on the needs of
students and they would definitely differ from school to school as some institutions might be
more deserving than others.
For example, schools in more impoverished areas might be
expected to receive more funding or grants but then the school population size should also be
taken into account. Appropriate resources should be distributed to schools in order to ensure that
students receive up-to-date materials on time. An equitable resource allocation contributes to a
fairer way of serving schools in deprived regions and this could bridge the gap in educational
outcomes. This is supported by the OECD (2014) which reports that “more than 12% of total
public spending is invested in education annually, representing an important area of public policy
that is key to support growth and well-being”.
According to Pont (2017:109), high-performing school systems make sure all students finish
their education by using preventive measures to avoid failure and providing practical alternatives
that motivate students to complete their studies. Therefore, another leadership initiative or
strategy to bring about improvement in the school system is by establishing or strengthening
early intervention programmes. The school leader should delegate the task of identifying lowperforming students as well as their areas of weaknesses to the teaching staff as they are the ones
who would be well placed have these details. The early intervention programmes would help to
identify students who are at risk of falling behind academically and the programmes would assist
into tutoring, mentoring and providing any additional support in the basic skills such as writing,
reading and doing simple Mathematics calculations.
For example, the facility of Support
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Teachers which already exists at the primary level education in Mauritius could be extended to
the secondary level as well.
Support Teachers could team up with the teaching staff of
secondary schools by offering them assistance in managing learners who struggle with acquiring
foundational learning skills, thus, ensuring the latter have the chance to catch up with their
academic programmes. Some ‘weak’ students may require special attention and the Support
Teacher may help in identifying their needs, followed by remedial actions. As a result, there is
more equality among learners as the support can help to close achievement gaps before they
widen. An early intervention improves the overall quality of education by ensuring that all
students are on the same wavelength and are able to develop strong foundation skills in order for
them to be successful in later grades. This is further backed up by Pont (2017:109) who states
that “high-performing school systems are designed to prevent inequities and ensure that all
students can attain a high level of education and skills that can lead them to further education, to
employment, and to individual wellbeing.”
Another leadership initiative that could be implemented at school is that extracurricular or
"extra-curricular" activities need to be distributed in organizations by financial institutions such
as research organizations, health organizations, fairs and STEM organizations. Leithwood et al.
(2004) draws attention to the importance of student activities or "extra-curricular activities".
Therefore, participation in extracurricular and “extracurricular” activities is good. A particularly
useful strategy is to involve students in the implementation process. Lack of student participation
has been recognized as a problem in course outcomes. Teacher and administrator, Jagersma
(2010) stated in his research that some early teachers stated that there was a lack of student
voice, but recently it was only children who did not mention the idea of student participation in
the curriculum. It is therefore important to involve students in the preparation and
implementation of the curriculum and, given our local context, this involvement should be
limited to classrooms and schools. Jagersma (2010) examined various methods of student
engagement through collaborative design projects. These activities include all measures of
learner participation in the design process. Students should cooperate in the research and follow
the instructions and advice they receive to enhance their participation. Jagersma’s (2010) review
of research on "encouraging students to participate in knowledge creation and use" concluded
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that when students are engaged in learning, their engagement and education increases. Therefore,
as an administrator, I must clarify the concept of student participation and clarify the goals and
objectives by carefully creating and writing the rules for each organization. All organizations
involved in change must understand the needs of students and teachers.
Additionally, one way to encourage students to learn is to use competition in learning. In an age
where every young person has skills, it is important to use 21st century literacy in the curriculum
to bring about changes and innovations. The U.S. Department of Education handbook (2017)
says, “to remain globally competitive and foster civic engagement, our schools must have
wisdom and knowledge across the course.” Education will become an important factor in
influencing students' interest and attitudes towards learning. The impact of games in education
has resulted in benefits such as integration, user retention, knowledge and collaboration. Finally,
Azgen added that students have a positive attitude towards games, because these activities can
increase students' motivation and often help students receive positive feedback during teaching
(K & C, 2020). Therefore, competition in education helps motivate students as it enhances
learning. Azgen's study (K & C, 2020) concluded that gaming has a positive impact on students'
learning. However, it would have been difficult for me to complete this task alone, and I was
able to leverage partners from STEM organizations to help redesign the classroom for teachers
and students to participate in the competition. I need to be able to inspire positive change in my
employees so that my expectations, thoughts, and motivations to work towards a common goal
can be met. Okinyi (2015) defines this type of leadership as transformational leadership. STEM
organizations should develop gamified learning as part of school STEM club programs
(Australian Government, 2013). My passion, dedication and energy to do anything to inspire
others to be better. Transformational leaders motivate their followers, care for them, and
participate in the team for better performance (Okinyi, 2015). I was supposed to be in the middle
of the whole process. As a school leader, I need to make sure games are a “learning process”
Gamified Learning and not fun or distracting. The Australian Department of Education
(Australian Government, 2013) provides two basic guidelines for implementation:

Ensure the teacher or supervisor is familiar with the gamified software, and trained and
supported as necessary.
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
Approach gamified learning as a valuable complement to other forms of learning, rather
than a break, distraction, or a replacement.
So, gaming is not just a learning method, it is also a learning tool that encourages people to work
harder. I also had to decide how, what, and when to incorporate gamification software into
student learning. There is evidence that learning to play well improves initial motivation and
overall performance, but can undermine performance in exams (Domínguez, 2013). There are
some limitations, such as not all learning is effective and games can be distracting when not
linked to learning objectives (Australian Government, 2013). Therefore, it is necessary to create
a plan to succeed in school. Due to the limitations of this study, I will not be able to explain the
gamification software that can be used. However, I can list some examples for readers:
a) Minecraft Education Edition,
b) Google’s Read Along,
c) Kahoot,
d) Archy Learning and
e) Elucidat,
All software mentioned above are free software and easily accessible. (Education T. i., 2014).
Quality Education
As reported by the United Nations (UN, 2017), the interpretation of Goal 4-Quality Education as
one of the Sustainable Development Goals is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” I thus argue that curriculum lies
at the crossroads of the four key aspects of SDG 4: that education should be
(1) Inclusive and equitable
(2) Characterized by quality learning
(3) Promoting lifelong learning
(4) Relevant to holistic development
By ensuring that each student takes part in these activities or 'extra activities', I ensure that each
student learns literacy and numeracy skills. Count all students from different institutions and give
equal samples to all participants. Students can learn, grow and be productive through effective
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participation, providing a positive learning experience. Research results show that providing
positive and appropriate design and development feedback and presenting roles can have a
positive impact on students' self-confidence and self-esteem (Munna and Kalam, 2021). These
partnerships will provide students with the opportunity to learn how to create a sustainable
lifestyle that helps the world and develop the skills and jobs necessary for future careers. By
incorporating gamification software into the learning process, all students will be involved in the
process. However, I need to ensure that all students are provided with the necessary resources
and information to use this gamification software. It is worth noting that grant-receiving schools
purchased technology to support student and teacher learning. In 2018, UNESCO called for
greater cooperation and engagement with international development partners to support the
development of education and support new education and training around the main countries in
Africa with low, poor and inconsistent income (UNESCO Organization., 2018). In order to
ensure equal education where no child is left behind, funding can also be provided with the
support of various organizations in accordance with the 2018 United Nations Convention) also
aims to improve infrastructure and support technology innovation. If disadvantaged students
from low-income families are provided with appropriate opportunities, they will not feel
disadvantaged or excluded (UNESCO, 2018). Finally, by teaching gamified software at the
introductory level, students will be able to communicate globally and effectively, thus promoting
lifelong learning and the overall development of the whole student, freedom and justice for all
students and their families (Skrla, 2001). As a school leader, I must demonstrate my desire to
educate students through integrity, freedom, and social justice.
Impact on students, teams, and organization at large
I understand that my leadership must inspire, motivate and inspire others. I also must think about
everyone when teaching in schools to improve the quality and equity of the curriculum. In the
1990s, Bass suggested that four different aspects of transformational leadership are cognitive
thinking, personal thinking, motivational motivation and positive thinking (Deinert, 2015).
Therefore, as a change leader, I need to be able to support my students, teachers, and staff to
adapt and adapt to the current reality so that they can achieve success together. I also believe that
growth and development are important aspects of education. Vygotsky said that it is important to
ensure that learning tasks are challenging but within the scope of the student's recent
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development (Cai, 2017). Therefore, one of the ways to determine whether a training program is
effective is to measure the extent to which it contributes to the development of the student. The
use of extracurricular or “extracurricular” activities and play-based learning can face challenges
such as lack of resources, poor communication, and interpersonal concerns. True leaders must
overcome these challenges. True leadership through sharing and leadership will lead to social
and educational change (Okinyi, 2015). Therefore, I will use this model to transform my
teachers, staff and students to get a good education. Okinyi (2015) describes good education as
moral because it enables students to deeply understand the nature and purpose of their lives and
decide how they can contribute to the well-being of their communities and societies. Okinyi
(2015) also gave four tips to make the training successful: (Nyaruri Paul Okinyi, 2015)
1) It is an intellectual challenge which opens for a critical and a creative thinking sustaining
students’ engagement in learning
2) It is inclusive and opened to diverse learning needs
3) It connects learners and develops social competencies and emotional literacy
4) It enhances students’ resilience
I also identified that specific leadership behaviors are needed to make academic progressions for
the low socioeconomic status students. Okinyi (2015) classified these leadership behaviours into
three forms of interactions: between the principal and teachers; between the principal and the
community, students, and parents; and between the principal and the central office (Nyaruri Paul
Okinyi, 2015). I should demonstrate good instructional leadership practices and interactions
between teams to meet the needs of both students and teachers. Okinyi (2015) also stated that
school improvement programs should cater for students’ basic academic and affective needs
(Nyaruri Paul Okinyi, 2015).
To cater for these needs, through appropriate instructional
leadership, I should consider the needs of my teachers by providing basic adequate and proper
teaching materials, professional development for academic needs and building a sense of
community by including all members through shared vision, mission, and goals of our school.
Research studies at school improvement and instructional leader effectiveness, high expectations
of students and teachers, an emphasis on instruction, provision of professional development, and
use of data to evaluate students’ progress (Nyaruri Paul Okinyi, 2015). Leaders become servants
to bring the vision to reality by gathering resources, both human and material. I want my
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students to succeed and I need to share this engagement towards my teachers, parents, students,
and employees in order to create this vision.
As a school leader, I must influence all
organizational members by developing my people including intellectual stimulation and
providing individualized support. Evidence suggests that instructional leaders have the ability to
display emotional intelligence through a leader’s personal attention to an employee and through
the utilization of employee’s capacities (Kenneth Leithwood, 2004). This increases the
employee’s enthusiasm and optimism, reduces frustration, transmits a sense of mission, and
indirectly increase performance (Kenneth Leithwood, 2004).
To be a great educational leader, I must make the school a productive institution that
upholds and supports the work of its faculty, staff, and students. Evidence from effective
educational leadership practices suggests that organizational cultures and structures exist to
support members of the organisation in their work, and that structures should be flexible enough
to adapt to the evolving needs of school agenda (Leithwood, 2004).
Leadership initiatives and strategies in schools can have a deep impact on students, teaching staff
and the organisation as a whole. According to Pont (2017:120), “school leaders can reinforce
positive school climates of high expectations for all students in disadvantaged schools and the
classrooms.” This means that school leaders can bring about changes in the institution that
create a positive school culture, for instance, by acknowledging student achievement and
fostering their participation in decision-making processes. These would definitely boost learner
engagement and motivation. Additionally, the proposed changes can help to improve learning
outcomes as the leadership initiatives would focus on curriculum development, student support
and instructional quality, hence, better academic achievement, especially when the diverse needs
of students are being addressed. The leadership strategies would also lay emphasis on diversity,
inclusiveness and equality among learners through extra-curricular activities such as outreach
programmes, therefore, contributing to the student being an all-rounder. But then, this objective
can only be achieved if there is the involvement of learners in these special programmes.
When addressing the issues of quality and equality of curricular outcomes, teaching staff are
expected to refine their skills by adopting new teaching methods in order to stay with new trends
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in education. School leaders are therefore expected to prioritize staff’s ongoing professional
development by giving them the opportunity to attend workshops and meet colleagues from
other institutions in order to share and adopt best practices within their subject areas. All these
promote job satisfaction and effectiveness at the workplace. However, it is also important for
school leaders to acknowledge teachers’ contribution as well as give them the chance to
participate in decision-making, especially when it comes to curriculum planning.
Thus, a
collaborative leadership model should be adopted. When teachers are involved in curriculum
development, there is more commitment on their side, hence, a more successful implementation.
However, there are some challenges when planning for curriculum improvement initiatives as
discussed below:

Sometimes, some teaching staff may be resistant to changes in the curriculum, especially
if they are used to adopting traditional methods. As such the transition from old ones to
new practices such as innovative technologies may act as barriers to the expected
outcomes.

Schools with limited budgets may face constraints such as access to technology or
staffing requirements which can hinder changes in the curriculum. When resources are
limited, there is a need to put a halt to the purchase of new materials or to the
professional development of teachers.
All these can impact negatively on school
improvement.

Improvements in the curriculum need to be sustainable over a long period of time
otherwise they may not have a lasting impact on student learning and performance. For
this to happen, ongoing support and commitment are required but then a change in the
school leadership or less funding may be hurdles to the proposed improvements.
School improvement and leadership initiatives are essential in promoting high-quality education
and equitable curriculum outcomes. Strong leadership ensures that all students' needs are
addressed by advancing professional development, fostering inclusivity and ensuring fairness in
the distribution of resources. These efforts ultimately cultivate an educational environment where
every student has the chance to succeed academically and develop personally.
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