National Teaching Awards: Basic Education Dept. Urges Teachers to Participate

The Department of Basic Education in South Africa is calling on all teachers in the sector to participate in the National Teaching Awards happening later this year.

The NTA were established in 2000 to recognize, celebrate and acknowledge the strides made by teachers to ensure that learners are supported in order to progress from grade to grade. The NTA is in its twenty-first year of implementation.

The DBE says it intends to conduct this year’s activities in adherence to the protocols as prescribed by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The competition is open to all teachers in the public schooling sector registered in terms of the South African Schools Act. In recent years the prizes have ranged from cash prizes to cars that are sponsored by the partners of the Department who have supported the initiative.

The NTAs are aimed at motivating teachers to continue the selfless endeavors they make for the benefit of the country.

The Department has sought to improve the Teacher Appreciation and Support Programme by introducing other elements that are geared toward elevating the contribution of teachers in the education sector.

As a result of the extraordinary efforts made by teachers under extreme conditions, the Department has therefore introduced new awards to pay homage to individuals who have demonstrated commitment, dedication, and sacrifice during crisis situations.

To this end, new categories have been added amongst which; National Best Teacher Awards, S/Hero Award and the Learner Award. Other categories are Lifetime Achievement Award, National Learner Award, Excellence in Maths teaching, Grade R teaching, Special Needs, Primary school teaching, Secondary School Teaching etc.

The 21st edition is benchmarked against the worldwide teacher awards/prizes’ strategies adopted from the African Union Teacher Prize Commonwealth Education Awards and the Global Teacher Prize.

For this edition, the DBE wants to reach a broader audience of teachers and thus took a decision to adopt the characteristics of the Global Teacher Prize. As a result, this edition has been tailored differently and the additional models has been infused.