My Octopus Teacher – a school library competition celebrating our teachers

Statement by Minister Debbie Schäfer, Minister of Education Western Cape

In recognition of October having been both national Teachers Month and International School Library Month, the WCED is holding a school library competition that celebrates the wonderful work our teachers have done this year – and every year!

Six schools will win R20 000 each for library and e-resources:

• Three Secondary Schools will each receive R20 000 for winning entries in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.
• Three Primary Schools will each receive R20 000 for winning entries in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.

We’ve borrowed the name of a popular documentary as our theme – My Octopus Teacher – in recognition of the multiple roles our teachers juggle on a daily basis.

Our teachers do far more than just teach academic content.

They are also the ones that our learners turn to for emotional support, advice and career guidance. They keep an eye on our learners’ health and wellbeing. They coach school sport and host after-school programmes. They help schools to raise funds for their schools and some are part of the school management team. This year, teachers have had to take on another role – that of ensuring that our schools and learners follow the safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

No one knows just how important our teachers are quite like our learners do, which is why we want to hear from learners about the many wonderful ways in which their teachers supported them this year.

Each school is invited to collect submissions from their learners – letters, presentations, or other format that can be sent to us electronically – and send these to the WCED as a single pack per school. Learners need to answer these questions:

• Describe what your teachers meant to you during the COVID19 pandemic and how they supported you and your classmates.
• What are the multiple roles that they play in supporting you?
• Motivate to us as to how the books/e-resources would help to make the teachers’ task a little easier.

The closing date for the competition is 15 December 2020. A minute has been sent to schools today with all the details on how to enter.

To our teachers: thank you for your work during this difficult year. You are our daily superheroes, and you continue to inspire us with your dedication to our learners.

Media Enquiries:
Kerry Mauchline
Spokesperson to Minister Debbie Schäfer
Western Cape Ministry of Education
Kerry.Mauchline@westerncape.gov.za