The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has the pleasure of announcing the names of teachers and principals who have received the Western Cape Teaching Awards for 2005.

The WCED presented the awards at a prestigious event in Cape Town on Friday night, 9 September 2005.

The Western Cape awards form part of a national initiative to acknowledge excellence in teaching. The WCED will nominate the provincial winners to the Department of Education in Pretoria for the 2005 National Teaching Awards, to be announced in October.

The WCED presented Awards for Excellence to the following:

• Early Childhood Development: Ms Margaretha Brand, Haasbekkies Kleuterskool, Citrusdal

• Primary School Teaching: Ms Charlene Davey, Orleansvale Primary School, Paarl

• Primary School Leadership: Mr Bernard Williams, Weber Gedenk Primary School, Stellenbosch

• Secondary School Teaching: Ms Sheryl Hendricks, Weltevrede Secondary School, Paarl

• Secondary School Leadership: Mr Dennis von Willingh, New Orleans Secondary School, Paarl

• Adult Basic Education and Training: Mr Marc–Andre Daniels, Atlantis Adult Education Centre (AVOS), Atlantis

• Inclusive education and special needs teaching: Ms Hilde Janse van Rensburg, Eljada School, Oudtshoorn

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Ms Doreen Weber of Panorama Primary School, Riversdale.

The key aims of the awards are to:

• Focus public attention on the positive aspects of education, thereby raising the public image of the teaching profession

• Recognise and promote excellence in teaching performance

• Honour dedicated, creative and effective teachers and schools

• Encourage best practice in schools

• Afford South Africans the opportunity to publicly say thank you to outstanding teams or individual teachers in schools.

The presentation of the Western Cape Teaching Awards followed a rigorous selection process in the province’s seven education districts.

The districts then submitted winners for assessment for the provincial awards. The adjudicators for the provincial awards included representatives of teacher unions and school governing associations.

Cameron Dugmore, the MEC for Education in the Western Cape, said at the awards ceremony that South Africa achieved a lot in the last eleven years, and that "our teachers have been making outstanding contributions towards the development of our country. Because of your dedication and commitment we have been able to achieve many national goals".

"And therefor these awards are just one of many ways in which we want to show our appreciation to you, and acknowledge and encourage you in your efforts to develop our young people as better South Africans."

"We all have a role to play in improving the quality of teaching and learning in our schools and in improving the status of teaching in general. Tonight's function is one way of acknowledging and recognising excellence, and identifying examples of best practice for others to follow."

Ron Swartz, the Head of Education in the Western Cape, said the awards recognised teachers and principals who had excelled and who "provide role models for us all".

"This important occasion also provides an excellent opportunity to say thank you to all 30 000 educators in the Western Cape for everything they are doing to provide quality education for all."

The following are the motivations received for those who won the awards:

1. Excellence in Early Childhood Development:

   Ms Margaretha Brand, Haasbekkies Kleuterskool, Citrusdal

   Ms Margaretha Brand is a very versatile, dedicated and talented educator. Through her postgraduate studies she follows new trends in education. She is a committed and enthusiastic teacher with the vision of making a difference in the lives of the children our country and not only in her area.

   She initiated Grade R classes at the surrounding farm schools. With her passion for education she has managed to secure large donations to improve the standard of education in her area. Ms Brand has managed to convince farmers to buy into the establishment of pre-schools on their farms. Where necessary she also arranges clothing for needy learners. She has also made arrangements with the farmers to deduct the tuition fees to ensure regular attendance of the children.

   Ms Brand engages the children through imaginative and innovative teaching strategies. Learners experiencing barriers to learning and gifted learners are accommodated.

   She plays a pivotal role in the local community where she gives lectures and coordinates workshops. Ms Brand also gives assistance regarding the addressing of barriers to learning. She has arranged outreach programmes for example the group teaching techniques, child guidance.

   A pleasant and child friendly classroom environment is evident and conducive to learning. Her records are meticulously kept and her planning is excellent.

   Ms Brand encourages and empowers school leavers to become teachers. She offers in-service training programmes for them. Job opportunities are created by employing them as class assistants.

   Ms Brand is not only an asset to the local community, but also to education in general. She should be encouraged to share her expertise provincially.

2. Excellence in Primary School Teaching:

   Ms Charlene Davey, Orleansvale Primary School, Paarl

   Ms Charlene Davey is a very versatile educator who uses different teaching strategies, such as co-operative learning, to meet the diverse needs of her learners. She loves to share her expertise in fields, for example, mathematics, science, technology and sport, with her colleagues at school, as well as with the neighbouring schools in the cluster.

   Her lesson plans, work schedules and assessment forms are used as exemplars by her school as well as other schools. She has a positive attitude to life and encourages her colleagues to remain positive at all times despite the constant changes and challenges in education. Everyone in her presence experiences her energy and drive.

   Ms Davey believes in setting the example and keeping abreast of developments in education by attending workshops and lectures. Not only does she give feedback to her colleagues but implements the newly gained knowledge in her class. Best practice is then shared with her colleagues and the neighbouring schools. She has a special interest in Science and technology and ensures that her learners participate in as many as possible competitions like the science expos.

   Ms Davey is community orientated and plays a pivotal role in the community. She is passionate about teaching. Learners have confidence in her and feel free to discuss personal issues with her knowing that she will assist them. Needy learners are provided with the necessary items, be it clothing or equipment.

   She is very creative in addressing inadequate resources by making use of waste materials to produce learning material. She also collects library books and exposes the children to knowledge as the school is in a disadvantaged community.

   She has the making of achieving great heights in education.

3. Excellence in Primary School Leadership:

   Mr Bernard Williams, Weber Gedenk Primary School, Stellenbosch

   Mr Bernard Williams is an excellent manager with a positive attitude, despite the many challenges he faces. He leads by example, as teaching is his passion. Mr Williams is always trying to make a difference in the lives of the different role players: learners, staff and parents.

   He strongly believes in creating opportunities for his disadvantaged learners and he encourages them to rise above their circumstances by arranging opportunities to enhance their lives, for example an outing to Gold Reef City, a sleep over in a hotel.

   With very limited resources, he has managed to develop a small needy rural school to a school with excellent resources and a good infrastructure. He has arranged several large donations to achieve this. Various school projects were initiated for example, the upgrading of the classrooms and playgrounds, the organic school garden and sport fields. Currently he is busy with the building of a school / community hall. The school and the parent community has raised R 400 000 for this project. Mr Williams sees hunger as a barrier to learning and has secured a donation from Price Waterhouse Coopers to provide learners with soup.

   When other schools turned learners with Xhosa as mother tongue away, he has welcomed them at his school. He contacted the Academy of Xhosa to upskill the staff in Xhosa. The school has introduced a "buddy system", whereby Afrikaans-speaking learners assist Xhosa-speaking learners.

   The school is the hub of the community as the people are empowered with knowledge and members of the community also use the computer lab.

   Mr Williams inspires and motivates his staff to give their best at all times by giving recognition to their innovative and creative ideas. He also advocates a multi-disciplinary approach in addressing barriers to learning.

   The community supports him in all his endeavours. He is an asset to the education department.

4. Excellence in Secondary School Teaching:

   Ms Sheryl Hendricks, Weltevrede Secondary School, Paarl

   Ms Hendricks is a dynamic, youthful and captivating educator. This is evident in the learners’ attitude towards her subject as well as her extra-mural activities at the school. She has proven to be an educator who’s heart and soul is in teaching and actively encourages learners not to be victims of their circumstances, but to positively overcome their challenges. She has presented several musicals, and succeeds in keeping learners from negative influences on the streets. She has encouraged and helped other schools within disadvantaged communities to start their own similar projects.

5. Excellence in Secondary School Leadership:

   Mr Dennis von Willingh, New Orleans Secondary School, Paarl

   Under his leadership the school is performing well academically and their matric results has over the years been impressive.

   The school is situated in a disadvantaged area and the learners are actively encouraged not to be victims of their circumstances, but to positively overcome their challenges. The whole school community is committed to addressing inequalities at various levels. They have moved to ensure that the learners are afforded the best possible environment, where they can visualise the future and prepare themselves to achieve those dreams in spite of financial, social or lack of human resources at times.

6. Excellence in Adult Basic Education and Training:

   Mr Marc–Andre Daniels, Atlantis Adult Education Centre (AVOS), Atlantis

   Mr Daniels is a lead educator at AVOS. He designs learning programmes, tailor made to local needs. He also designs and implements workplace-training programmes in the fundamental learning areas.

   He also formalises partnerships with local employers and industries. He investigates learning pathways for Adult learners from ABET and GET, to further learning and working opportunities.

7. Excellence in inclusive education and special needs teaching:

   Ms Hilde Janse van Rensburg, Eljada School, Oudtshoorn

   Ms Hilde Janse van Rensburg is an energetic, dedicated and motivated educator. She has empathy with the diverse needs of the learners experiencing barriers to learning. Ms Janse van Rensburg motivates and encourages her learners to achieve to the best of their ability by assisting them to give more than their best at all times.

   She meets their individual needs by using innovative and creative teaching strategies to address the barriers they experience to learning. Ms Janse van Rensburg focuses on their strengths to address their weaknesses.

   The holistic development of each learner is of the utmost importance to her so that learners can be empowered to function emotionally and socially as independent as possible in the broader community.

   Her creative portfolios are sent quarterly to the parents to enable them to monitor the progress of their children. She also creates the opportunity for each learner daily to assist and discuss her/her progress and to address his or her weak areas. Parents have confidence in her to discuss personal and sensitive issues with her.

   As one of the HIV/ aids co-ordinators of the school she is responsible for the sharing of information. She deals with sensitive issues concerning colleagues, parents and the learners.

   She motivates her colleagues by leading through example and giving recognition to their innovative and creative ideas. Ms Janse van Rensburg has been instrumental in aligning the functional curriculum followed at school for learners experiencing severe intellectual barriers to learning with the Revised National Curriculum Statement. She has been responsible for the macro planning of the school’s curriculum in all the phases. Her macro planning has been used as exemplars by the district office.

   She shares best practice, not only with her colleagues at her school, but also with the neighbouring special and mainstream schools. Ms Janse van Rensburg also gives guidance and assistance to several mainstream schools where learners experience barriers to learning.

   She is also involved in sport, cultural activities and hostel supervision. Ms Janse van Rensburg remains a student at heart and is forever seeking new knowledge and ideas to improve her teaching strategies. She views barriers to learning as challenges and with her passion for the learners she always strives to give her best.

   She is a worthy winner of this category as she reaches out and shares best practice, her knowledge and vast experience at school, community and district level.

8. Lifetime Achievement Award:

   Ms Doreen Weber, Panorama Primary School, Riversdale

   Ms Doreen Weber is a highly motivated individual, who lives for her profession and has a high level of enthusiasm. Ms Weber started her teaching career in 1977. She was appointed as Head of Department in 1992. She has received three merit awards for excellent teaching. She has made a valuable contribution to her school both curricula as well as extra-curricula. In her spare time she gives remedial classes to Grade R learners at home at no cost to prepare them for school. She has strong links with the community and lives by the phrase "Always be prepared".