Edna Ngubo, a Grade 8 teacher at Bloekombos Secondary School in Kraaifontein, was a finalist in the Western Cape Teacher’s Day competition that was held on October 5 in Durban.
The annual event, hosted by Woolworths Educational Programmes and MySchool, now in its sixth year, promotes United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s World Teacher’s Day on October 5.
Diane Petersen, Woolworths spokeswoman, said a record number of South African pupils from across the country had entered the competition to nominate an awesome teacher that had made a difference in their lives.
Ms Ngubo was nominated by one of her pupils, Angel Majiba, who credits her Grade 8 teacher as being “a mom away from home” for all the pupils at Bloekombos Seconday School.
Ms Ngubo had also shared her life experiences with her pupils, including the tragic loss of her brother to gangsterism, because she didn’t want them to make the same mistakes.
A panel of independent judges took on the task of evaluating more than 13 000 nominations by high school and primary school pupils from across the country. They selected four finalists in each of the primary and high school categories.
Ms Ngubo has won a laptop, a R5 000 Woolworths gift card and an all-expenses paid weekend away with her partner.
Grade 8 pupil Angel Majiba received a R5 000 Woolworths gift card for her winning motivation and Bloekombos Secondary School has been awarded a R5 000 cash prize.
Makhosini Maci, Bloekombos Secondary School principal, said the award meant a lot for the school.
Ms Ngubo has been able to encourage the pupils and teach them how to overcome situations brought about by social ills.
“Education is supposed to be a beacon of hope and schools are where the lives of children should be turned around, and Ms Ngubo has done just that.
“She touched pupils’ lives including Angel’s.”
At the time of going to print for this edition, Ms Ngubo had not been available for comment.