CELEBRATING TEACHING EXCELLENCE IN THE EASTERN CAPE By: Siphosethu Zimba The Eastern Cape's impressive 84.98% pass rate for the Class of 2024 sparked optimism and motivation among stakeholders, highlighting the province's potential for continued success. Building on this momentum, the 2025 MEC Excellence Awards recently took place, featuring an expanded program that included a new category for special schools. A total of six schools received vehicles, and excellence in extracurricular activities was also recognized. This year's awards recognized outstanding achievements with a total of 82 awards, comprising 22 School Awards and 60 Teacher Awards, showcasing the dedication and hard work of educators and institutions across the province. Head of Department at the Eastern Cape Department of Education, Sharon Maasdorp expressed her heartfelt appreciation. Despite facing numerous challenges, our teachers and school principals have consistently delivered quality education, enabling better futures for our learners. We are committed to nurturing and developing the children of our province, and as Nelson Mandela so aptly put it, 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world!'" Among the award winners at the awards was Mxolisi Mavenge, Acting Principal at Sukude Secondary School, who scooped the Mathew Goniwe Award for large numbers-output in Grade 12, good performance in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, expressed his gratitude and enthusiasm. "This achievement serves as a great motivation to our school and other schools in our district. Despite being under-resourced, with overcrowding, teacher shortages, and poor access roads, this prize will motivate our school community, including parents and neighboring schools. There's no substitute for hard work with proper planning and execution. Motivation keeps you going, but discipline keeps you growing. I also believe that investing in team-building activities is crucial", stated Mavenge. Sive Special School in Matatiele, which won the Matthew Goniwe Award for Best Cumulative Inclusive Basket Score - 2024, was also among the winners. Principal Hamilton Tsese expressed his appreciation to the MEC, highlighting the challenges faced by the school. "Teaching Deaf learners in SASL and assessing them in English is a significant challenge. This vehicle will help us save on fuel costs and reduce expenses associated with traveling to meetings across the province. We'll be able to travel more efficiently with just an interpreter, which will greatly benefit the school," said Tsese. Honey Ndulula, IT Teacher at Ngqele Primary School in Amathole West District, who won the Excellence in Technology-Enhanced Teaching & Learning Award said that receiving the award was exciting and unexpected. "We were competing with top schools in technology and robotics, and this was our first time participating in the robotics program. We're thrilled to be winning for the first time at the MEC Awards. Despite limited resources, we made the best of what we have and put in extra effort. We're grateful for the prizes, including computers, tablets, and other materials that will help us improve our program. I encourage other schools to participate in this competition the rewards are worth it", concluded Ndulula.
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