In 2022, DBE-E³ joined forces with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and Rotary International in the Western Cape. Members from the Newlands Rotary Club became mentors for DBE-E³ teachers, with a special focus on the grade 7 market day projects.

Rotary International is an international service organisation that brings together business, professional, and community leaders to provide services to others, promote integrity, and advance goodwill, peace, and understanding worldwide. It’s a non-political and non-religious organisation.

Our collaboration had two main goals. First, we aimed to support principals and champion teachers in ten schools to deliver the DBE-E³ programme effectively. Second, we set out to develop a mentoring model that could be used in schools throughout South Africa. 

Global research has shown the value of this approach in improving teaching and learning. Hargreaves and Fullan emphasise that teachers striving to create innovative learning environments should “build and maintain the capital they need as organisations—social capital, intellectual capital, and professional capital—through forging alliances, partnerships, and networks.”