Building Competency for Health Promoting Schools Development in Resource-Limited Settings: Case Studies from South Africa

This chapter outlines the development of two health promoting schools (HPS) programs in resource-limited settings in South Africa, informed by work from two PhD tracks and a round table discussion on core health promotion competencies. The chapter focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a training program for HPS among high school educators in the Limpopo Province guided by an assessment of priority needs; and factors influencing HPS implementation in three secondary schools in Cape Town. The first case study focuses on training program objectives, learning outcomes, and critical cross-field outcomes related to introducing the concept of HPS, empowerment of educators to initiate and evaluate HPS program design, and implementation. The second case study focuses on the role of external actors and stakeholders in designing and implementing HPS in resource-limited settings and the barriers and enablers related to HPS capacity building. The findings are discussed with reference to the national context and international literature and the competencies needed to guarantee successful HPS program implementation.