Three teachers out of 15 from the Free State who were finalists for this year’s National Teaching Awards (NTAs), raised the province’s flag high as they scooped coveted accolades at a ceremony held in the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Gauteng. Held on Saturday, 5 October, the event tied with the recognition of World Teachers Day, observed to honour teachers’ contribution in upholding this noble profession.
This year’s theme for the national teachers awards is: “Empowering Educators, Strengthening Resilience, Building Sustainability.” The three winners were part of the provincial winners who qualified for the NTA’s 24th edition.
Tiisetso Chaka of the Thiboloha Special School in Qwaqwa was the shinning star, attaining first position in the Excellence in Special Needs Teaching category; demonstrating his teaching ability towards learners with disabilities such as deafness and blindness.
The other pair, Majobo Dikgang and Bongiwe Cele, received second place in the Excellence in Grade R Teaching and third place in Excellence in Secondary School Teaching categories, respectively. Dikgang works at the Phomolong Public School in Kroonstad while Cele works at the Tiisetsang Secondary School in Bethlehem. Chaka received a gold certificate while Dikgang and Cele got silver and bronze, respectively.
Last year the province had four winners, nationally. The recipients of the first place prizes were Chezel Classens, overall winner in the Grade R Teaching category, and Johanne Petro Marais, winner of the Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (GET) category. The third position prize winners were Matlakala Chaka for Excellence in Primary School Leadership, and Fezeka Dube for Excellence in Special Needs Teaching.
