Theme: Our Teachers: Our Olympians
‘I cannot believe that another year has flown by and we are once again meeting at this wonderful ceremony to acknowledge our excellent teachers at this, the 17th Annual Provincial Teaching Awards Ceremony.
This year’s theme, ‘Our teachers, our Olympians’ is a fitting tribute to our excellent teachers who are indeed our country’s champions. And I think it is equally fitting that we celebrate this every year, and not every four years.
The difference is that our Olympians don’t get four years to train for the main race! You are running the race every day, often against extreme odds.
And on that note I would like to draw attention to a quote by an international education speaker Barbara Colorose - “If kids come to us from strong, healthy, functioning homes it makes our job easier. If they do not come from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important.”
I think our good teachers should be regarded as our marathon champions, because in this business you sure need staying power. Perhaps mixed with the steeplechase, because while you are running you have to overcome numerous obstacles along the way.
But I know that those who are being honoured here tonight do all of this because they know that every child in our beautiful country deserves a champion.
- A champion who will never give up on them.
- A champion who sees their potential, who believes in them and encourages them never to give up.
- A champion who encourages them to be the very best that they can be.
You are those champions.
Tonight we celebrate excellence in teaching and we honour some of the outstanding educators who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that they are the champions we need in our schools. They are those who inspire and motivate our children every day.
There is a saying that says that a person who is appreciated will always do more than is expected. Tonight we are here to appreciate you, because you have done more than expected.
There are many champions and great leaders amongst us tonight, not only because you have done great things but because you have ensured that the learners in your care have gone on to do great things.
The role of a teacher in a child’s life cannot be overemphasised. Each child is a blank canvas and the teachers who have learners in their care for hours every day make a mark on that canvas that can never be erased.
Now this is a responsibility that most would shy away from, but not those who are here tonight.
When I read through the nominee profiles for the awards, it was encouraging that there are so many teachers in our province who go above and beyond the call of duty every day. This is also consistent with what I have seen when I have conducted visits to various parts of the province. We have many truly dedicated, excellent teachers, so those who are here tonight must be truly outstanding.
Teachers who work evenings and weekends, not only to better the lives of the learners in their care but for the learners’ families and the broader school community too.
Teachers who believe in a holistic approach to education, who work with parents and outside stakeholders to ensure that the learners in their care have access to the best resources possible. This whole of society approach is what is required to take us forward and make a real difference in our province and society.
There are teachers who have used their own initiative and have taken it upon themselves to develop programmes and projects, some who support and mentor other teachers and others that support and develop learning in various subjects. In an ever changing and diverse education system, it is important that you are able to think for yourselves and find different ways of working and thinking more creatively. It is also important, of course, to ensure that our learners are taught these skills.
In each candidate’s motivation, there were many examples of outstanding leadership and contributions from educators across the province.
It excites me to see how many of you have run new and innovative programmes in your schools.
One of the most remarkable qualities of a good leader is that they develop new leaders. Many of you have done this by ensuring your staff and colleagues attend courses and further training on management and leadership development.
And so it is important to acknowledge quality, excellence and professionalism in the education sector. That is why we attach such great importance to these awards.
This year, we have also introduced a new award for the Provincial category only – the “After School Leadership Excellence Award”.
Tonight, this prestigious award will be presented to an individual who demonstrates passion and innovation in motivating their school team to provide creative, dynamic and interesting After School Programming to their learners.
In the Western Cape, one of our priorities is to expand access to quality after-school programmes across the province.
The After School Game Changer is a critical intervention – not only to keep our children safe and occupied in constructive activities after school, but also to engage with them in extra-mural mathematics and language programmes, tutoring, sporting activities and cultural and behavioural programmes.
Recent research from CHEC suggests that involvement in extramural activities is one of the biggest influences on a learner’s employment prospects when they leave school because of the different kinds of “soft skills” they learn by participating in these activities.
The Western Cape Government has set itself the goal of more than doubling the participation of learners from disadvantaged schools in after school activities, and ensuring regular attendance. We aim to achieve this by significantly improving the attractiveness and quality of such programmes for learners by 2019.
This Game Changer will however, not be possible without strong leaders that motivate and encourage not only their school staff, but also other government departments, NGOs and religious organisations to contribute to their school’s after-school activities.
Strong committed leadership lies at the heart of this Game Changer’s success. I look forward to the announcement of tonight’s winner and I sincerely hope that this will encourage more principals to replicate this excellence.
As I have said, we are very fortunate in the Western Cape to have many educators who continue to go selflessly beyond the call of duty to ensure that their learners receive the best quality education. We will unfortunately not be able to recognise all of them tonight, but I want them to know that their efforts are sincerely appreciated.
Each of the 41 educators who are here tonight has demonstrated commitment and dedication to the teaching profession. I congratulate each of you on being finalists in this competition.
It would not be fair also to acknowledge the role of all our officials in the Department, who also work tirelessly day and night to try to make the lives of teachers easier. We have a great team, and I want to pay tribute to all of you, and especially our acting HOD Brian Schreuder, who has shown nothing but commitment to the education department over many years, and who has so willingly and so professionally stepped into the role of Acting HOD.
Tonight’s celebration is of course not the end of this process. I should sincerely like to wish all our winners the best of luck in the National round of the teaching awards. It would be fantastic to see some Western Cape winners! Regardless, you are all winners in our eyes already.
I would like to thank you all once again, for your contribution towards excellence in our schools. Education is fundamental in any society, and whether our learners receive a good education or a bad education can determine the rest of their lives. And it is very largely in your hands as to whether that happens or not.
Your resilience, unreserved passion and undeniable commitment to education will leave an indelible mark on the lives of our learners and together we can make a huge impact on our province and our country.
So, to our teachers, our steeplechase marathon champions, Thank you and Good Luck.’
Enquiries:
Jessica Shelver
Spokesperson for MEC Debbie Schafer
Tel: 021 467 2376
Cell: 076 175 0663
Fax: 021 425 3616
E-mail: Jessica.Shelver@westerncape.gov.za
