#WomensMonth: Your voice matters, loudly, clearly, and without apology - Dumisani Tshabalala, Owlag

Dumisani Tshabalala, head of Academics at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

As the head of Academics at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (Owlag), Tshabalala holds a unique insight into the dynamic young learners at this prestigious school.

Here, Tshabalala pays tribute to women in education and the girls he teaches, and shares how they have shaped his own perceptions...

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you landed up as the head of Academics at Owlag...

I began my career before I even held a formal employment contract, designing and driving programmes that aimed to lift performance in Mathematics and Science. These early years forged my progressive pedagogical instinct: the conviction that teaching must extend far beyond content delivery. My first formal post was at Sandown High, where the classroom became my laboratory for refining both craft and conscience.

In 2010, the year the World Cup came to South Africa, I made a deliberate move to Dainfern College. It was a personal experiment, prompted by a challenge from Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng during our Honours class: to understand what makes independent schools thrive. That year at Dainfern was electric, professionally nourishing and deeply affirming.

While I was working on intervention programmes, I had met John Luis, who would later invite me to join Owlag. At first, I declined, even though the offer was financially more attractive. I believed I was doing important work at Dainfern, impacting girls and boys in meaningful ways. But then John came in person, speaking not only to my mind but to my sense of purpose. He described Owlag’s mission and vision in a way that felt like he was holding up a mirror to my own calling.

That day, I signed on the dotted line without hesitation, knowing Owlag’s mission is by far bigger than me, especially because it is calling for action on girl education.

I joined the Academy as a Mathematics teacher, and through persistence and commitment, was entrusted with the role of head of Department. Continued dedication eventually led me to my current role as head of Academics, a journey marked less by titles and more by an ever deepening sense of responsibility.

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How has working in an all-girls school shaped your perspective on education?

Girls often carry a quiet, profound yearning for healthy and affirming relationships with their peers, with their teachers, and with the world they are still learning to navigate.

This understanding has made me deliberate about cultivating trust, empathy, and respect in every interaction. I have learned that when girls feel safe, heard, and valued, their intellectual courage blooms.

They challenge themselves, they speak with conviction, and they start to imagine futures beyond the boundaries others have set for them.

They also appreciate clarity and order. Even small gestures like saying, “You may find this task challenging,” become subtle invitations to step into the learning space with confidence, knowing that the teacher has mapped the journey ahead.

What is one thing you want the greater education system to acknowledge about girl learners and female teachers?

That both are often carrying invisible weights, whether societal expectations, safety concerns, or the complex balancing of multiple roles. And still, they show up with remarkable resilience.

Excellence is not possible if emotional well-being and professional growth are treated as optional. These must be built into our policies, our training, and our leadership models, not as acts of generosity, but as conditions for success.

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What do you want young men to know about the dynamic students who attend Owlag?

That these young women are not waiting to be “empowered”, they already carry power within them. They are sharp, socially conscious, and unapologetically ambitious.

Engaging with them means respecting their voices, recognising their leadership, and being willing to be challenged by their ideas. They will enter and transform spaces that were once closed to them, including spaces socially reserve for men.

Who are some of the women educators you believe all male teachers should look up to?

I think education is broad, and for my response, we tend to think beyond the classroom.

So...

I think of Ms Oprah Winfrey, not only as a philanthropist, but as someone who has reframed the narrative of education for the underprivileged.

I think of executive director, Gugu Ndebele, who is relentless in unearthing talent amongst young people.

I think of all the women in our Board of Directors, whose leadership has turned Ms Winfrey's dream and vision into this success it has become.

I think of all the moms who simply do not give up, in tough love and in prayer, to raise their children to become the best version of themselves and to be a good example to society.

Their examples remind us that true educational leadership is about heart, vision, and the grit to persist when the easier path would be to step aside.

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What is your message to all female teachers and learners this Women’s Month?

You are heirs to a legacy of strength, creativity, and defiance in the face of limitation. Own your space in the classroom, the boardroom, or the community and never apologise for the scale of your ambition.

Every lesson you teach, every question you dare to ask, every dream you pursue is part of a much larger story. And in that story, your voice matters, loudly, clearly, and without apology.