“Distinguished Guests, To all our esteemed educators present, and all educators across the length and breadth of South Africa, Good Morning.
It is a great honour for me to be here and to be amongst the finest men and women of the teaching profession in our country. I congratulate the Department of Basic Education for sustaining the National Teaching Awards. The awards are now in their 24th year, nearly as old as our democracy itself. This enduring commitment to honouring our educators speaks to their unique and treasured place in our country. All of us are who we are because of the teachers we once had.
I have the fondest memories of my own teachers at Tshilidzi Primary School in Soweto and Mphaphuli High School in Sibasa, Venda. I remember many of these fine educators not just for the knowledge they imparted, but also for their guidance and encouragement. All these years later, they still hold a special place in my heart.
The teacher is the devoted, tender gardener, nurturing our nation. Just as the diligent gardener knows the special needs of each of the plant species in their garden, teachers tend to their students as unique individuals. The devoted educator gives learners their attention, guidance, encouragement and patience. Just as a garden blooms and flourishes under the gardener’s steady hand, teachers play a formative role in the life of a child.
A good teacher is a role model who encourages a child to achieve their potential. But a teacher who disregards their responsibilities, who rules by fear, can demoralise a child, damage their self-esteem and put them off learning. Even as the teaching environment is often fraught with challenges, we are blessed as a nation to have good, dependable, devoted teachers.
The National Teaching Awards were launched in 2000 by the late Minister of Education, Prof Kader Asmal, to acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate teacher excellence. The following year, Prof Asmal convened what was known as the Saamtrek Conference. It brought together the country’s education experts, legislators and representatives of labour to deliberate on values, education and democracy in the 21st century. The conference devoted considerable time to the role of educators in directing the course of national development. It referred to the nobility of the calling to become a teacher.
The skills that build thriving households and communities, and that promote an active, engaged citizenry and a productive workforce, are all taught in the classroom. Just as any nation evolves and grows, so too has the teaching profession. Our young people’s needs inside the classroom reflect the circumstances and the world outside it.
Teachers aren’t only expected to impart textbook knowledge to their learners. They often have to be counsellors, social workers, disciplinarians and surrogate parents. In a country such as ours, with such high levels of inequality, the teaching environment of one educator may be completely different to that of another. In some schools, resources are plenty, the schoolyard is safe, there are basic amenities, the pupil-teacher ratio is appropriate, and learning takes place in good conditions. But in others, educators struggle to obtain even the most basic resources for teaching, schools lack safe toilets and running water, and crime and violence from outside the school inevitably finds its way in.
We have made much progress as a country in narrowing the gaps between schools. But we have much further to go, and have much more to do. We are working to strengthen the foundations of early learning. This is to ensure successful education outcomes in the future. The education curriculum is being revised, updated and reformed to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.
With the high rate of youth unemployment in our country, educators need to ensure that our schools are producing the skills our economy needs. They need to ensure that every school leaver has the confidence and capabilities that enable them to study further, find employment or be self-employed. We are working to fully implement the three-stream model, which offers academic, vocational and occupational pathways for learners.
Educators play an important role in identifying the best course for a learner. To produce more learners who excel in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, we need to invest more in teacher support, resource provision and teacher skilling. The passage of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act is part of ongoing efforts to build an education system that is more effective and more equitable.
Among other things, the Act provides for early learning foundations to be strengthened, promotes greater accountability of parents for their children’s learning and promotes inclusivity in the classroom. The spirit and purpose of this new legislation is to ensure there is uniformity and fairness in educational standards between schools and across the country. In the interests of inclusivity, we have created space for engagement among some concerned parties on aspects of the legislation. But that process cannot undermine the transformational nature of this law. I call on each of you to support its implementation so that all our children receive a good quality education regardless of their circumstances.
To all the educators who will be acknowledged here today, congratulations. You have done your profession proud. Continue to strive for excellence and be assured of our full support. Thank you to all the stakeholders in the sector, including the teacher unions and school governing bodies, who are working with us to build a resilient education system that meets the challenges of the future.
Today is World Teachers Day. It is a day on which we unite with people across the globe in celebrating those among us who are so important to our shared future. To the teachers of South Africa, we congratulate you. And we thank you for all you have done and continue to do for our nation.
I thank you.”
