The University of Pretoria was represented by the staff from the Department of Education Management and Policy Studies, some of its Masters and PhD students, and the Departments of Education Psychology and mathematics, Science and Technology Education. All the presenters from the Department of Education Management and Policy Studies presented papers and chaired some of the sessions. Delegates dealt with a variety of
research areas, including issues around the Provincial Government and the Department of Education; the Powers of Education Districts; Leadership and Change; School Governance and School Superintendents; Teacher Development; the Provision of Education; the Challenges of Teaching and Learning; and Research Methods.

The delegates provided insights around similarities and differences. The debate arose from intellectual work and scholarship and continuous and detailed exploration of various areas of knowledge. Most of the presenters addressed education challenges in the education system outside the school environment and some  touched on issues on the ground like vulnerable children and the impact of HIV/AIDS in schools. There was a big debate and questions about the role and function of district managers. The role of district managers was not clear and seemed not to have an impact on the support needed in the day to day running of the school. Recommendations were that the district managers be placed in schools rather than districts offices where their roles seem to have little effect on school improvement.

Presenters from Finland indicated the success of their education system and revealed that there were few problems around teaching and learning as compared to all the other countries.

The highlights of the conference were teleconferencing by a USA presenter, the Gala dinner, entertainment from the Faculty of Education’s choir, EduCantare. On the last day of the conference oversees visitors were taken around visiting schools in the Boksburg area.

The second leg of the 6th International Symposium on Educational Reform  was held in Mpumalanga Province in the tranquil resort so true to its name; Greenway Woods near the town of White River.

The ISER that was hosted by staff of the University of Pretoria under the leadership of Prof. J Beckmann and Dr K Bipath will live in the minds of those who had the privilege to attend, for many days to come. Listening to the papers that were read by our partners from overseas namely the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Kentucky it again became eminent how small the world really is. In many instances these countries struggle with the same challenges that we have in South Africa, but we also realised that there are many ways to kill a cat. The exchange of knowledge and skills as well as the findings of new, relevant studies, opened new avenues to tackle weaknesses and ‘negative’ trends in our countries and schools.

The paper on School leadership in Finland and the training of superintendents / district directors by Prof. J. Alava brought much food for thought. The Department of Education in Mpumalanga, that was exceptionally well represented, and the UP agreed that the partnership of service and trust must now be extended. This will allow not only schools (principals) to function better but also districts to become highly professional institutions that can lead with success and confidence.

The Gala evening had a tremendous impact on the UP’s students who received awards for performing exceptionally well in bringing about change and development in their schools. Students who attended the symposium were indeed empowered, but the mere fact that some of them had to report back on the rewards of the School Leadership programme, also gave them exposure to something that, in many ways, they had no previous experience of.

The 55 delegates left this highly successful symposium enriched (the what), capacitated (the how) and with a broadened vision (the what now). May the blessing of attendance of the next ISER conference be bestowed upon us!