Gloomy and rainy weather conditions could not stop some proud Free State residents from gathering in song and dance at the Braam Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein for the welcoming of the 2022 National Teaching Awards finalists. The finalists, who represented the province at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Gauteng, brought home several honours, having scooped a total of six 1st and 2nd place awards.
The awards ceremony, held on 20 October 2022, was attended by the Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Dr Reginah Mhaule, MECs for Education from different provinces, senior departmental officials, union leaders, members of school governing bodies and partners. Successful contestants won cash prizes, mobile libraries and other resources for their schools, clothing vouchers, year-long data bundles and a fully paid stay in the US to attend a teaching conference.
Gugulethu Sidudukile Mudavhanu, a maths teacher at Setjhaba Se Maketse in the Motheo District, took second place in the category of maths education (FET Phase). Mudavhanu attributed her great showing to the personal touch she puts to her lessons, saying, “The way I teach maths I think is a bit unique. I incorporate the pedagogy of care with technology and maths. And I make sure, because it’s based on caring, that I understand my learners before I can infuse all the skills and the knowledge that I have when it comes to maths as well.”
Mudavhanu added that teaching maths for more than 10 years, a subject that is often considered difficult, she has learnt to explore relatable ways in which to transfer knowledge to her learners. She challenged other teachers to look for relevant instruments in their learners’ environments, such as indigenous knowledge systems, to use in breaking down complex mathematical concepts. “If you are in rural areas, you can now infuse indigenous knowledge with maths, because our indigenous knowledge comes with maths. That way, you show learners that this is from our roots,” she explained.
For Thabiso Tsotetsi, an aspiring leader in educational technology from the Fezile Dabi District, reaching the finals was all about inspiring the youth of his community who may be trapped in hopelessness to dream bigger. Tsotetsi came out third in technology-enhanced teaching and learning for his efforts to bridge the gap between traditional and digital teaching philosophies. For this young teacher working at Ipatleleng Primary School, a school with multiple deprivations, claiming a spot in the top three is no small feat.
If there’s any school leader who knows best what lack of resources can do to a school, it’s Thiboloha Special School principal, Lerata Khooa, a second place holder in excellent special school leadership. Khooa called for help in covering the school fees and residence costs of most Thiboloha learners, adding that some of them have been abandoned even by their parents. For the deaf-blind, he appealed for support in providing assistive devices.
Khooa also said teaching in a special school is for teachers who have the best interests of the children at heart, something Shubi Mabina from Thokoana Makaota Secondary School, alluded to. Both schools are situated in Qwa-Qwa in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District, which makes them share similar socio-economic and psycho-social risks. Mabina cited the high rate of teenage and gangsterism among the pressing issues facing his school and commu-
nity. This, he holds, calls for the calibre of teacher who is passionate about making a difference in the lives of learners, no matter how troubled they may be. “If you don’t have passion, you’ll give up on the learners in the face of those challenges,” he said.
Mabina secured third place for his innovativeness in teaching physical sciences.
Other shining stars who each brought an award home are Thatokeyone Nicola, who is a teacher at Tswellang Special School who bagged second place in excellence in special school teaching, and Thabo Mautsoa, a principal at Pontsheng Primary School awarded third place in the category of excellence in primary leadership.
In his keynote speech,minister Gungubele told finalists that the nation owed them immense gratitude for their self-lessness.
“This select group of higher achievers, the brightest stars, succeed because they derive joy from the success of their own learners and not themselves,” he remarked. Minister Gungubele, who was representing President Cyril Ramaphosa, hailed teachers for adjusting quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on teaching and learning. “By its very nature teaching is dynamic, hence our teachers are lifelong learners in an evolving and ever-changing world,” he said.
Closing the awards ceremony,Minister Motshekga, proclaimed that the awards were the most important programme on the basic education department’s calendar, and that they were “a push-back against the devaluing of teachers” that allowed government to “take stock of our progress as a country in honouring these gallant agents of change”.
