Duke Ngcukana has been a maths and physical science teacher for 30 years.
How did you get into teaching?
I tutored learners who had problems with maths and science while I was still at university.
Any challenges in teaching?
The pressure is on the educators to teach and little pressure is put on the students to learn. Consequently the rate of learning is slow. It is also difficult because we are teaching in an abnormal society. Most learners either come from dysfunctional families or from households headed by youths who are in and out of school.
Have you ever been faced with a crisis?
There was an influx of students into the Western Cape from the Eastern Cape in 1987. This was during the Transkei/Ciskei era, when urban learners were barred from attending schools in these homelands. The enrolment was close to 2 000 in a school that could only accommodate 800 learners. But we managed to get local universities to donate some materials and labour. We even managed to get a 60% pass rate at the end of that year.
Your approach to discipline?
I try to keep the students busy by giving them work and then still more work.
Any thoughts on school management?
One can manage a school if there is no tardiness from the pupils, the parents and the teachers. The problem that management faces is that schools are supposed to be governed by parents who, in most cases, do not have the time to attend to school matters.
What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm?
By planning ahead I am compelled to focus on tasks at hand.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
I like reading and I am a semi-professional musician. I also involve myself in the community choir and around issues concerning the arts and education. I have a passion for the theatre.
How have you coped with changes in our education system?
During the 1970s and 1980s we fought for participatory democratic structures at schools, but nowadays students have little say in their education. School governing bodies are ineffective in ensuring that there is successful teaching and learning. Principals have become little more than the chief accountant – their powers have been reduced. As a school manager I am afraid
coping has been impossible – I am about to give up.
What advice do you have for aspiring or young teachers?
Self-esteem of learners is the most important goal for an educator. If the teacher is involved in extra-curricular programmes he/she will be able to have a greater influence on the learners. No amount of maths or biology or so on will give learners self-worth. Planning for the day, for the week, for the month, for the term, for the semester, for the year, for the following year, for two years hence is the most important task for an educator. Furthermore, the teacher should track the learner long after he/she has left the school.