Gauteng MEC for education Matome Chiloane celebrated and paid tribute to passionate teachers when he hosted the 2022 National Teaching Awards (NTA) at the Garden Venue in Randburg on Wednesday.
He thanked all the teachers in Gauteng for the essential work they did daily with dedication and commitment.
“You are a key pillar in building the leaders of today and tomorrow. I encourage all South Africans to take a moment to thank a teacher who has positively shaped their world,” he said.
He said the NTA was a step in the right direction towards the recognition of, as well as restoring the status of, teachers. It honours some of the many teachers who demonstrate leadership and make a difference in the lives of their pupils.
“Through these awards we recognise and honour the crucial role teachers play in building better communities. These awards are given to exceptional primary and secondary school teachers and early childhood educators,” he said.
Chiloane encouraged all people who attended the event to recognise the outstanding teachers who have been nominated because they have made a real difference in their schools community.
“I would also like to acknowledge that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers’ workloads and pressures have drastically increased.
“Over the past two-and-a-half years, teachers, not only in Gauteng but from around the world, have had to adapt their teaching styles, juggle in-person and virtual school, and project their voices louder through masks and shields. We commend our teachers for their efforts to go above and beyond to engage every child in learning,” he said.
Chilaone empathised with the sacrifices teachers make and their dedication to their pupils. He said they have exceptional teachers in Gauteng who prepare young people for future success.
He said they recognised that Gauteng is a stronger and a better place when teachers across schools have the resources to provide a quality education to all children.
He assured teachers that the Gauteng department of education (GDE) would continue to take meaningful action to ensure teachers across all Gauteng schools have the tools they need and are able to work in a safe environment.
“We will work with all education stakeholders to ensure every classroom has a qualified, motivated and well-supported teacher who can unleash children’s learning potential, including in crisis contexts.”
In the information and communications technology (ICT) space, he said the department will continue to implement support strategies including training teachers on various ways to integrate ICT in the classroom.
“Our aspiration is that South Africa must have a dynamic teacher workforce that is at the forefront of their own development, using ICT to transform current teaching and learning practices in every classroom.
“Our initiatives will assist both connected and offline schools to engage and navigate technology for teaching and learning purposes. In that way every child will be enabled to compete with the best in the African continent and the world at large,” he said.
Addressing challenges that teachers face daily, he said the GDE is committed to ensuring that teachers are supported so that they could become learning programme developers, “so that they can customise the existing e-lesson plans to suit their own teaching and learning environment”.
He said they must also become facilitators, mentors , coaches, continue to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, and provide emotional and psychological support to the province’s pupils.
Despite the myriad psycho-social ills and discipline issues among pupils in schools that teachers are confronted with, the MEC said the department and all its units will work towards the creation of a conducive working environment.
Some of the issues he highlighted were the ravaging effects Covid-19, huge learning losses over the past two years, gangsterism, vandalism, racism, bullying, and gender-based violence (GBV).
“All these negative issues must be addressed and eliminated to create a conducive learning environment to ensure that teachers are given the space to do what is their best calling, ‘teaching’ our young people and nurturing young minds for the future,” he said.
kamogelo.moichela@inl.co.za
EDUCATION