Drinking from the Calabash: reflecting on the lived experiences of women’s involvement in a palar project for school improvement in community schools

This study examines the marginalisation of women’s voices in school improvement initiatives within South Africa’s patriarchal educational landscape. Historically, decision-making in schools has been dominated by principals and male-centric structures, leaving limited space for women’s participation. Recent shifts in community schools, however, have introduced more inclusive approaches that invite parents and community members into school improvement processes. In a country where women have long been excluded from formal decision-making, their engagement is both a challenge and a transformative opportunity. Drawing on the African Calabash framework, this study explores women’s lived experiences by foregrounding knowledge, language, situatedness, and culture. Data was generated through focus groups with women actively involved in school-community initiatives and analysed thematically to capture patterns of meaning in their reflections. Findings highlight that the women participants experienced acknowledgement of all knowledges as valid, with their voices respected and included in decision-making within the community of practice. Cultural norms and language shaped collaboration, enabling inclusion while also revealing barriers from academic language and cultural misunderstandings. Their situatedness and gendered experiences including socio-economic challenges, rural realities, and historical marginalisation influenced participation and agency. The African Calabash framework helped interpret these findings, emphasising interconnectedness, nurturing, and shared responsibility, and highlighting women as knowledge holders and agents of change.