Educators and learners from the West Coast were among the big winners at this year’s provincial National Teachers Awards.
The awards, held the past weekend at the Old Mutual Park in Pinelands, honoured the best and brightest in the education sector with five people from the district being honoured.
Louwville High School boasts with two recipients – Saldanha Bay Junior Mayor Thabo Rhongo and teacher Pumla Pama.
Rhongo, a Grade 11 learner, was honoured with the Ministerial Award for his community work.
“The main focus at the moment is to encourage young people to see the importance of voting.
“Currently very few young people in the area are registered to vote meaning they don’t realise that their votes can change their communities,” he explained. Despite his busy schedule Rhongo says he keeps on top of his academics.
Grade 8 teacher Mrs Pama was the runner-up in the Excellence for Secondary School Teaching category. She says she has a passion for teaching her young learners.
“They come from primary school and think they are grown-up and then when they start high school they are back to being the youngest.
“It can be challenging for learners to get used to this,” she explains.
School principal Emile Petrus says the school’s top achievers are truly a feather in the cap for the West Coast education community.
“We are extremely proud of their achievement. This is testimony that if you are willing to work hard anything you dream, you can achieve,” he says.
Physics educator Seane Kotze was also a runner-up in the same category as Pama and says the award helped to lift his morale.
“It is a misconception that physical science is a difficult subject to conquer. Students must simply be willing to study and put in the work.
We also do a lot to provide learners with opportunities such as expos, field trips and competitions,” the Steynville Secondary teacher told Weslander.
Kotze says his love for science was natured by his mother who always wanted to understand how things work, something she instilled in her son.
Winners in the greater West Coast Education district that took top honours include Wayne de Jager from Citrusdal Primary School who received the award for Excellence in Primary School Teaching.
De Jager, who has been teaching for 13 years, was praised for his use of technology to help learners develop their knowledge and skills.
Riebeeck Valley Special School principal Jeffrey Petersen took first place for Excellence in Secondary School Leadership.
Aside from the seasoned teacher’s teaching skills, his track record for managing and developing special-need school facilities was recognised.
