Boksburg – The efforts of the country’s finest educators were recognised in a glittering awards ceremony last night, held in Boksburg, on the East Rand.
The National Teaching Awards paid due tribute to the men and women who dedicate their lives to moulding and inspiring the nation’s young minds and future leaders.
Rametsi Senoamadi is one such example of what one can achieve with dedication and sheer hard work. He was crowned the overall winner in the category of Technology-Enhanced Teaching.
Senoamadi has been in the profession for 12 years, and is now an educator at Randfontein High School, where he has been teaching Natural Science to Grade 9 learners for the past three years. He entered the profession to make a difference in his community, and when he speaks about what he does, his passion is unmistakeable.
“I love teaching,” he said after receiving his award.
Senoamadi lets his learners use their cell phones in class to connect to the worldwide information highway. That way, they have access to an infinite amount of knowledge right at their fingertips, opening up endless doors for learning. Given the right tools, he believes his learners will go far.
“Technology really is the future,” said Senoamadi.
The country’s number one citizen was there to congratulate the winners. President Jacob Zuma used the occasion to call on the private sector to continue building stronger partnerships with government to improve education.
“Education is a societal issue and requires communities to work together,” he said.
He described education as a ladder children can use to pull themselves out of poverty. For that reason, he said no child should be denied access to education because of their circumstances at home.
The President said government would continue to invest heavily in education.
“No nation can succeed without education. Those who invest in education are making a good investment,” he said.
President Zuma thanked private sector companies that are involved in the building of schools, and replacing mud and inappropriate structures with state-of-the-art schools.
To date, more than 370 schools have been built through the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative programme.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga hailed the strides made in education over the past 20 years. She saluted the educators who have shown unwavering commitment to their work.
“These are men and women of our beloved republic, who have distinguished themselves by finishing the race ahead of their peers.
“We are here to recognise and honour our dedicated and caring teachers for their efforts in turning each learner into a leader of the future, into a true role-player in the local and global economy and into an assertive nation-builder, with the capacity to create jobs for others and develop other young people,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
