The Department of Education wishes to salute all schools and teachers who have entered the National Teaching Awards since 2000. The Department acknowledges their extraordinary efforts which have been made often under very difficult conditions and as a service to our children, many of whom come from poor communities.
The National Teaching Awards Scheme conceptualised and launched in 2000 now enters its tenth year of implementation. Through extensive consultation, the scheme has been refined, sharpened as well as broadened in terms of its frame and categories. This information leaflet welcomes you to the National Teaching Awards 2009.
The National Teaching Awards are but one of the ways in which the Department of Education acknowledges and encourages dedicated and caring teachers in their efforts to develop each learner as a citizen of a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa.
Afford South Africans the opportunity to publicly say thank you to outstanding teams or individual teachers in schools.
Cash awards received by schools/centres must be used for staff development to improve classroom practice.
NB: These amounts could be reviewed.
Maintaining high standards of performance and professionalism and aiming to be the best in everything including being fair, ethical and trustworthy.
Refers to two or more people cooperating with one another/working as partners in a school/centre, in an open and supportive way to achieve shared organisational goals. A team should be a group of colleagues in a particular grade, phase, learning area or the school/centre management team. A maximum of 5 (five) educators may form a team.
This refers to learners' needs, interests and background (social, economic, political, cultural, etc.
Differences in people, taking into account the following aspects: culture, language, geographical background, ability, age, economic and social background, etc.
This refers to everyone that has relevance in the school/centre setting (i.e.
All entries will be assessed against the general criteria and the specific criteria of the category entered for.
Creatively and innovatively adhering to curriculum outcomes and assessment stan-dards relevant to the learners' developmental levels.
Creating a supportive and caring environment that helps children to manage their own behaviour.
Receiving results, awards and recognition over a long period of time, e.g.
Showing endurance, commitment and perseverance to the benefit of the school and the education sector in general (e.g.
Nominees are limited to one category at a time. Entering for more than one category will lead to disqualification.
A separate form must be used for each category. A school/centre is provided with enough booklets and must use the attached forms for the categories entered in.
The category for each nominee must be clearly marked.
The school/centre must ensure that the Nomination Forms, Self/Team Portrait Forms and the School/Centre Motivation Forms are clearly completed. These forms must be sent to the District Office by no later than 19 June 2009.
You are free to make photocopies of the Nomination Form or access forms via the website of the Department of Education: www.education.gov.za and the Thutong Portal: www.thutong.org.
Even in the case where the District Official nominates, it is still necessary for the Principal/Centre Manager to sign the forms.
If a principal of a school/centre or a School Management Team/Centre Management Team is a nominee, then the School/Centre Governing Body and the School/Centre Nomination Team must agree on a person who will sign on behalf of the principal and motivate why such a person was chosen to sign.
Once suitable teachers/teams have been nominated, their names must be filled in on the Nomination Forms provided.
District Officials may also nominate in consultation with the school/centre community.
The staff and the SGB/CGB members of the school/centre must study the criteria requirements of each Category and draw up attributes or qualities that would match their nominees with a particular given criteria.
Participants in the National Teacher Awards are requested to compile a poster of their work. This poster will be used in the national adjudication interviews and displayed at an exhibition that will precede the gala dinner later in the year.
Please use a background size not exceeding 1 square metre to present your work. A black background is preferable, but if black is not available any other colour is acceptable. Mounting of the material for presentation will be done by the organizers of the exhibition.
a thought (150 words) on what the National Teaching Awards means to you as an educator.