Education awards best educators in prestigious national teaching awards

EAST LONDON – The Eastern Cape Department of Education hosted the 23rd Edition of the National Teaching Awards(NTA) ceremony at the East London International Convention Centre (EL ICC) in the Buffalo City District. Teachers from all twelve provincial districts competed for a top spot in nine categories of the NTA the event aimed to celebrate and recognize teacher innovation and excellence in advancing teaching in the classroom. The NTA ceremony was a platform for the Eastern Cape Department of Education to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts made by teachers often in very difficult conditions. It served as a way to honor and appreciate the dedication and hard work of teachers who go above and beyond to make a positive impact on their learners’ lives. Deputy Director General(DDG) in Curriculum management at Eastern Cape Department of education Raymond Tywakadi said,” if you look at the international competition Woot Court for 2 years in succession the Eastern Cape came first place . Woot court is not done here in South Africa it is fine in Geneva and those kids went to Barcelona last year in Spain and they came back with these awards and this actually says a lot about the quality of children we produce in the Eastern Cape and we need to recognize our teachers for their hard work”. These teachers go above and beyond their role as educators investing their time and effort into creating a supportive and inclusive classroom environment. “Today we are honoring our principals and teachers who are doing good work in their schools under difficult circumstances nominations were done at the beginning of the year at school level, educators had to nominate best teachers then those teachers competed at a district level ,moved to cluster level where they competed in 4 various provincial teacher development institutions now that culminated into the provincial adjudication which took place at the beginning of this month and today we are to celebrate the winners,” said Director Pula Tabata The award ceremony was filled with excitement and anticipation as teachers eagerly awaited the announcement of the winners in each category, the atmosphere was electric, with teachers, education officials, and guests coming together to celebrate the achievements of these exceptional educators. Winner for the best teacher award Peggy Jona of Bakuba primary school recited on how she got this award, “Last year I won the category for the best mathematics teacher in 2022 and what stands out is that I use ITC for my learners I entered for this year’s best teacher category because I felt like I am the best candidate for it. I introduced my students to coding and robotics which makes teaching and learning easy in class. I qualified for the best teacher category and I won it and brought it home to the Eastern Cape,”proudly said Jona. Throughout the ceremony heartfelt speeches were delivered, highlighting the significant role that teachers play in shaping the future of the Eastern Cape and the nation as a whole. The event also provided an opportunity for teachers to network and share best practices, fostering a sense of camaraderie and collaboration among educators. The National Teaching Awards ceremony was a resounding success, showcasing the dedication, passion, and commitment of teachers in the Eastern Cape. It served as a reminder of the critical role that teachers play in society and the importance of recognizing their contributions.