The Free State Department of Education hosted the National Teaching Awards (NTA) on Friday (16/8) at the Bon Hotel in Bloemfontein. Teachers were recognised for their dedication and commitment to the profession.
The theme of the 24th edition of the National Teaching Awards was: Empowering Educators, Strengthening Resilience, Building Sustainability.
About 250 people, including teachers, SGB members, senior government officials, teachers’ unions and private sector partners, gathered at the Bon Hotel to honor their colleagues.
Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, was the guest speaker for the evening. Free State Education MEC, Dr Julia Maboya, gave a congratulatory message to the award winners.
The categories were:
- Excellence in primary education
- Excellence in Teaching in Secondary School
- Excellence in Leadership in Primary Education
- Excellence in Leadership in Secondary Schools
- Excellence in the Education of Students with Special Needs
- Excellence in Leadership for People with Special Needs
- Excellence in teaching in group R
- Excellence in Teaching Physics
- Excellence in Teaching Science (GET)
- Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (GET)
- Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (FET)
- Excellence in technology-enhanced teaching and learning
- Best Teacher Award
- Kader Asmal Lifetime Achievement Award
- Excellence in teaching accounting
- Excellence in teaching agricultural subjects
“Today was an important day for us as we recognised the good work of our teachers in the province,” said Dr Julia Maboya, MEC for Education in the Free State.
She says the event shows that teachers are cared for and there is room for development. “We invest in our teachers and motivate them to work harder.”
According to her, the awards are about more than just receiving an award. It is about inspiring teachers and taking the teachers and the department to the next level.
“It is great to see so many excellent teachers in the system. We could change the slogan to ‘simply excellent’ because they are more than ‘simply the best’,” Maboya said.
Bloemfontein Courant
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