African Schools Policy Simulation
Forty to sixty Gauteng learners run a one-day version of the Indaba's method, and their Learner Diagnosis Statement is the first evidence the Indaba hears.
- Who can apply
- Gauteng schools, invited through the Gauteng Department of Education and SACSE Lab pilot sites. Learners in Grades 10 to 12, aged 16 to 18, nominated by their principal. The school mix aims for about 25% former Model C schools, 40% township schools, 20% peri-urban government schools and 15% schools serving mainly rural feeder communities.
- Places
- 40 to 60 learners from at least 8 Gauteng schools. Principals nominate five to eight learners each. Four trained facilitators aged 22 to 28 run the groups.
- When and where
- Friday 19 March 2027, a school day, 08:30 to 14:30, at the Day Zero university venue.
- Languages
- English.
- What it produces
- The Learner Diagnosis Statement, read at the Day One Opening Ceremony at 08:30 on 22 March 2027 and published with the Indaba outputs under CC BY 4.0.
What you do
Learners hear evidence from three of their peers, work in four groups (Energy and Green Industry; Digital and AI; Money and Enterprise; Creative Economy), then draft, amend and sign the Learner Diagnosis Statement together and elect two spokespeople.
What you get
- A place in a real policy exercise, with trained facilitators
- Bus transport and catering on the day
- A certificate
- Your statement read at the Indaba's Day One Opening Ceremony by two chaperoned learner spokespeople, before any institution speaks
The day
How to apply
- Schools are invited from 2 November 2026 through the Gauteng Department of Education and SACSE Lab pilot sites.
- The school completes the school form and the principal nominates five to eight learners in Grades 10 to 12.
- APEA confirms the schools and the mix by 4 December 2026.
- Learner nomination forms and signed parental and photography consent forms are returned by 5 February 2027. A second collection takes place on 26 February 2027.
How people are selected
Principals nominate learners; the Special Programmes Coordinator confirms the final group against the school mix.
A separate facilitator call (ages 22 to 28) opens on 2 November 2026 and closes on 15 January 2027. The Facilitator Guide is ready on 22 January, and facilitator training runs on 6 and 13 March 2027. Facilitators sign the safeguarding code of conduct and supply a police clearance certificate.
From the call to the Indaba and beyond.
- Schools invited; facilitator call opens
- Schools confirmed
- Facilitator call closes
- Facilitator Guide and Statement template ready
- Learner nominations and consent forms returned
- Second consent collection at schools
- Facilitator training
- The Simulation
- Learner Diagnosis Statement read at the Day One Opening Ceremony
- Learner Statement published with the Indaba outputs