Johannesburg- In the run-up to the National Teacher Awards finals to be held virtually on Wednesday, the Free State celebrated their crop of heroes on Friday at the Imvelo Safari Lodge in Bloemfontein.
Dr Boitumelo Moreeng – a former teacher and principal who is now a senior lecturer at the University of the Free State – said the awards were special because teachers were truly the backbone of society whose heroic stories and struggles were rarely told.
He said while it was important to expose the corrupt, the rapist, the child molesters and the non-committed teachers through the media, it was also important to acknowledge excellence. Moreeng said education was a noble profession and should not be seen as an individual achievement but a celebration of the sector.
He said teachers should be appreciated for more than just teaching – but also for their dedication of leaving their families to help prepare students for finals, and the sport coaches who help prepare and mould sports future stars who will go on to represent the country in different sporting codes.
“Events like this afford the community an opportunity to have an understanding that there is good within our sector and they need to celebrate. We gave a small group of students a project on how student teachers shape their identity.
“We tracked newspaper articles for the past six months. Students were surprised that there is more negative news about our sector. But that is because we are not narrating our stories. What we go through to get the results we are getting. I am requesting that excellence should be celebrated throughout the year,” said Moreeng.
He said all the winners were also being recognized in rapidly changing times, such as the impact of Covid-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which had forced the sector to adopt new ways of teaching in the classroom under the “new normal”. Previous winners shared their stories of how these accolades changed their lives.
Nthokgoane Mofokeng won the national primary school leadership award in 2012. Today Mofokent is a chief education specialist in the Lejweleputswa district.
She said winning had helped her become a critical thinker and to knock on closed doors that she didn’t have the confidence to face before.
“I worked in an area with undocumented learners. After winning, I was able to knock on doors of Home Affairs to solve the problem of undocumented learners and apply for social grants for them.
“Home Affairs came to the communities. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing children progressing into functional adults,” said Mofokeng.
Free State education MEC, Dr Pule Makgoe, entered the stage with Tina Turner’s Simply the Best playing in the background – acknowledging efforts in making the province stand out in education.
“We want number one this year. Not number two,” he said proudly, congratulating all the winners who will now represent the province in the finals on Wednesday.
Some of the winners include:
- Excellence in Grade R teaching: Nnheng Thamae from Meqheleng Primary School
- Excellence in Primary School teaching: Raven Luandre’ Nel from Roseview Primary School
- Excellence in Secondary School teaching: Izak Alexander Marais from Boshof
- Excellence in Primary School Leadership: Nkadimeng Masemelo from Monyatsi Primary School
- Excellence in Secondary School Leadership: Jerry Bongani Mokoena from Kholathuto Secondary School
- Excellence in Special Needs Teaching: Marlene Heyns from Johan Slabert Special School
- Excellence in teaching Mathematics (FET): Motlagomang Lebusho from Popano Secondary School
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Pule Eric Sedi from Iketsetseng Comprehensive School
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