JUNITA Roberts from Patensie has successfully progressed from being a reading assistant to graduating with a post graduate certificate in education from Unisa, and is proudly living out her dream career as a teacher at Hankey Primary School.
Driven to inspire children to learn and be a positive role model, Roberts said she had achieved her aspiration to work with little minds.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work with children, as it is my dream to be a positive role model and inspire children to reach their full potential,” said Roberts.
While working as a reading assistant for six years, she gained extensive experience and knowledge about working with children, which led to the opportunity to take up a bursary and follow her dream to be a teacher.
According to Hlengiwe Radebe, economic development director for Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm, Roberts was one of 17 local reading assistants funded by the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm Literacy and Numeracy programme who took up the opportunity to study teaching, with the assistance of the wind farm’s education bursary programme.
Radebe said the programme was put in place specifically for local reading assistants and the bursaries were education-focused, designed to foster an interest in the teaching occupation, while helping to address the national shortage of quality educational practitioners.
“To date the programme has drawn in 20 young people from the wind farm’s surrounding communities, to train as reading and literacy assistants,” said Radebe.
“Many students have had the opportunity to give back to their own communities, as they are able to work in local schools.”
Radebe said it was very motivating and empowering to see the positive difference that they made in the children’s lives which they witnessed every day.
“This approach extends beyond the classroom to other areas of child development, sometimes into the area of sport,” said Radebe.
“This forms part of Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm’s foundation phase education programme, which commenced in 2016.”
Radebe said the programme was active across 14 primary schools, within the communities of Hankey, Patensie, Ocean View, Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp.
The programme incorporated several elements, namely employment opportunities, training, and resources.
In addition, schools also received books for reading and maths book clubs.
