Teaching is the nobelest of professions, said Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena, while paying tribute to a great educator
Speaking at Siyahlomula Secondary School in Pietermaritzburg last month, Mangena said teachers did not only impart knowledge to learners but helped navigate intellectual waters and mould the young morally and physically.
“My teachers gave me values, discipline, respect, a love for books and reading. Whenever I think of Mothiba in Pietersburg, Mashiane, Masupye, Ramokgopa, Ngo-asheng and others in Wallmannstal, I cannot but bow my head in reverence to those teachers,” he said.
“This goes to show that as teachers you have enormous power and influence. You can make or destroy the lives of young people. You are a crucial element in the future of the youth and of this country. A lot hinges on you and your actions. If you decide that there shall be discipline, punctuality, respect, learning and teaching, indeed it will happen,” he said.
Mangena made the comments at the presentation to Siyahlomula Secondary School of a Sowetan/Telkom/Protec award.
He praised role-model principal Lesley Nyide, the recipient of the award. “It is refreshing that at a time when the teaching profession is at its lowest ebb, when low morale, dysfunctionality, drug and substance abuse are commonplace, Mr Nyide stands out as a shining example to remind us that there are still committed and dedicated practitioners, the unsung heroes of education. All we need to do is to search for these and to lift them up as beacons of hope,” he said.
“Though retired, your expertise and experience are needed more that ever. I know you will always be available when we call upon you for assistance. We wish you the best as you prepare to embrace and explore cyberspace and all its limitless potential.
“You started as a teacher 43 years ago and are still going on. You were promoted to become a principal, you taught, you became an inspector, you continued to teach, you retired from active service and still you are teaching mathematics. For you there is no rest as long as there is work to be done and there will always be some unfinished business to be taken care of. You are an example to be emulated by all; you are an encouragement, an inspiration for our children. You are a hero; you are a nation builder.”
Mangena praised the contribution of the Sowetan/Telkom/Protec partnership to the Mathematics and Science Teacher of the Year Award Project over the past four years.
“I understand that initially only five provinces were involved but this initiative has progressively expanded to all the nine provinces.” He said the contribution could not have come at a more opportune time for the school and for the country. “The development of our country’s human resources is essential and central to the growth and reconstruction of our society.”
In pursuit of this objective, Mangena said the government had adopted a human resource development strategy for the country that is aimed at improving the foundation for human development and the improvement of the supply of high-quality skills, especially the scarce skills, which are more responsive to social and economic needs.
The strategy further argues that improvement in the foundation for human development will require, among others, improvement of results in matric of mathematics and science. Central to the strategy was the unveiling, in June, of the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education by the Department of Education.
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, September 2001.