National teaching awards honour teachers in forgotten communities

Special needs school principal Marthie Combrinck, who has dedicated her life to teaching some of South Africa’s most overlooked children, says an honour bestowed on her on Friday is not only about her.

As principal of Thuthukani Special School, a rural special-needs school in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, Combrinck works with 450 special needs pupils living with severe and profound intellectual disabilities.

Combrinck was awarded for excellence in special needs leadership during the FirstRand Foundation National Teaching Awards held in Sandton.

She told TimesLIVE that the honour was not only about her, but about pupils she described as “the forgotten generation”.

Combrinck said the award had given visibility to pupils, teachers and schools that were often overlooked.

She said often, pupils with special needs were left behind.

“They don’t get to matric and they don’t get to be the doctors, but they’re such an integral part of our society and they’ve got such strength and so much that we can learn from them in terms of perseverance and just joy in everyday life.”

After 21 years as principal at the school, Combrinck said for the first time her staff and pupils were seen.

“The recognition has already started changing perceptions, with more people approaching me for advice on how to support pupils with autism, behavioural challenges and learning difficulties.

“I am very chuffed with knowing that people now embrace and understand us more. There is a sense of inclusion,” she said.

Combrinck believes South Africa often speaks about inclusion and ubuntu without fully embracing children with disabilities.

“We forget that they also have the capability of contributing to our society in so many ways. They are also part of this wonderful puzzle of diversity with unity in our country,” she said.

In Limpopo, Sibethle Frank’s journey in education began in 2018 as a teacher at Moreko Secondary School in Mohlarekoma village.

By 2022 he had been promoted to head of department for mathematics and natural sciences before becoming deputy principal at Ramabulana Secondary School in Maila village in Limpopo.

He now serves as principal of Dinao Secondary School in Polokwane, Limpopo.

Frank received recognition for excellence in mathematics teaching and described the award as both an honour and an opportunity for growth.

“This award means a lot to me. It makes my work easier and makes you think about what you do every day and how best you can teach your pupils,” he said.

Frank said mathematics continued to carry a stigma among many pupils who believe they cannot succeed in the subject.

He stressed the importance of the subject when it comes to helping South Africa produce future scientists, engineers and other professionals needed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

“Mathematics has a stigma that pupils don’t pass maths, so we should always come up with new strategies on how to help our kids do better,” he said.

A teacher from the Western Cape, Chantal Kerssens from Paarl School, who was recognised for her work with pupils with neurological and learning disabilities and has spent nine years teaching at the school, said she never planned to become a teacher.

She originally studied biokinetics before finding herself in a classroom. “Teaching was never part of my plan,” she said.

“I truly believe that this is the Lord’s hand in my life and this is where I need to be, to make a difference and to look after the special kids in the world.”

She said the award represented every educator working with children whose abilities are often underestimated.

“It’s such a privilege working with pupils with special needs whose potential is often overlooked in the community.”

She said the greatest rewards often come from small victories. “Even if it’s just a small increase in confidence, the achievements are so rewarding.”

In the Northern Cape, Kimberley Technical High School principal Michael Ludick used his award to champion the value of technical education.

He said receiving the award for leadership in secondary education had helped bring attention back to technical education.

“Having spent five years in the school’s leadership team, we noticed that technical schools were becoming increasingly rare as more schools moved towards comprehensive education models,” he said.

His school has 100% mathematics enrolment and all pupils take technical subjects.

The school also teaches entrepreneurship alongside technical skills, producing pupils who can pursue a wide range of careers while also creating opportunities for others

“We live in a world of 21st-century skills where artificial intelligence is the centre of our lives. It’s important that everyone can see that technical schools are still relevant,” Ludick said.

“We are busy teaching pupils much more than what the curriculum says. We’re teaching pupils to be job creators and not job seekers.”

Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube described teachers as the foundation of every successful education system.

“Teachers make every other profession possible. Every doctor, engineer, entrepreneur, scientist, artist, judge, minister and president began their journey in a classroom under the guidance of a teacher,” she said.

She said the recognition of teachers was important because public discussions often focus only on the challenges facing education.

“Too often we speak about teachers only when there is a crisis.”

She praised educators for continuing to work under difficult conditions, including overcrowded classrooms, resource shortages and social challenges such as crime.

“And yet every morning they return to the classroom with renewed determination because they understand the profound impact they can have on a child’s life,” Gwarube said.

TimesLIVE