Best teacher in the world to speak at WCED conference

Statement by Bronagh Hammond, Director: Communications, WCED

The Western Cape Education Department will be hosting a Conference at the CTICC on the 25^th to 26^th March 2019.

The Conference aims to bring together a wide and diverse range of voices in education and development in the province to discuss educational challenges with a focus on a rapidly changing technological and living environment. 

There has been recent hype around the Fourth Industrial Revolution (“4IR”) and the skills required to meet the needs of the 21^st Century. This conference aims to address these needs as well as other challenges in the Western Cape.

These include:

• How to adapt to a changing future of work and lifestyle shaped by the fourth industrial revolution and the need for 21^st century skills

• Social justice

• Inequalities in school performance

• School safety, gangsterism and youth disaffection/unemployment

• Literacy and numeracy levels

• Teacher professional development

The WCED is very excited to announce that Andria Zafirakou, the 2018 Global Teacher Award winner, will be one of the key note speakers at the conference.

Ms Zafirakou beat teachers nominated from more than 170 countries to win a prize worth $1m in Dubai last year and has also since been appointed MBE in the United Kingdom’s New Year’s Honor’s list for her services to education and young people. She has also been named in the top ten of The Evening Standard’s list of the most influential people in London.

Ms Zafirakou is a teacher at a north London secondary school called Alperton Community School and was instrumental in changing the lives of many of the learners at the school through creativity, while also promoting diversity.

Using the prize money awarded by the Global Teacher awards, Ms Zafirakou founded a charity called Artists in Resistance with an aim to improve arts education in schools.

Video: https://twitter.com/GESForum/status/991006952619696128/video/1

Global Teaching Prize write up: https://www.globalteacherprize.org/person?id=4090

The WCED is also excited to welcome Ms Nirmala Sankaran, a co-founder of HeyMath!, a web-based Mathematics platform comprising of animated visuals and interactive activities that empowers educators and engages learners and educators across the Western Cape. It also infuses best practices from high performing systems like Singapore.

The Conference has been warmly welcomed and is now oversubscribed. We look forward to the many engagements by prominent speakers in the Western Cape, as well as, a variety of exhibitions and entertainment.

 Soundbite available: please whatsapp me on 072 7241422

Media Enquiries:
Bronagh Hammond
Director: Communications
Western Cape Education Department
072 7241422 (please whatsapp or sms me if unavailable)
Bronagh.hammond@westerncape.gov.za