This study examined the effectiveness of professional development (PD) strategies employed by the University of South Africa (UNISA) to empower teachers (as adult learners) to enhance learner performance in the life sciences (LS). The context of this study is the partnership between the Department of Education and institutions of higher learning. Based on the idea that well-planned PD fosters teacher participation, this study explored the factors that encourage (or discourage) teacher compliance with new initiatives. A qualitative research design with 10 purposefully selected sample was used. Data were collected through 10 individual interviews and a single focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using Creswell's method of coding. The findings indicate that the UNISA project emphasizes "care" and "learner-centeredness" and has a "bottom-up" approach, which strategically led to a conducive environment for teachers' PD. It is recommended to normalize the retraining of teachers through partnerships using this strategy.