With the start of the new year, Dowerglen High School welcomed its new principal Alleta Mayaka-Hadebe.
This comes after Dr Larry Harmer was asked by the Gauteng Department of Education to lead the school, as its head of school, from late 2022 until the end of 2023.
With 24 years of teaching experience, Mayaka-Hadebe said she felt humbled and honoured to have the opportunity to serve the community as the principal of Dowerglen High.
Starting her teaching journey in Kempton Park in 2000, Mayaka-Hadebe worked her way through the academic ranks.
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After Kempton Park said she mainly worked in the Springs district after moving to Brakpan High School.
After she was promoted to head of department, she became a deputy principal in 2019.
She was appointed to the position at Thandi Eleano Sebeko Secondary School.
Four years later she signed up for the position of principal at Mountain View High in Heidelburg.
She worked as a principal in Heidelberg for five months before applying for the Dowerglen High School’s Principal post.
Mayaka-Hadebe said growing up in rural Limpopo, there were very few tertiary institutions.
“Growing up, we were not exposed to many things so my role models were the teachers, in primary and high school.”
Mayaka-Hadebe said at her primary school, Manyaka Primary School, Mrs Mahleke was her role model while at high school, Ratang Secondary School, her English teacher Mr Marodi was her role model.
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“The reason I looked up to these teachers was because of the way they believed in us learners, irrespective of our backgrounds and our resources.
“They saw the talent in us despite our young age and because of them I wanted to become a teacher to disseminate the same passion to future learners.”
Mayaka-Hadebe said her decision to apply for the Dowerglen High principal post
Following her arrival at the school, she said her vision is to uphold and maintain the values of the school.
She intends to take ownership of the vision and mission of the school and see it flourish as it has done so in recent months.
“I love the motto of the school ‘Believe it and achieve it’. This is something I strongly believe in. You have to envision what you want to achieve your goals,” said Mayaka-Hadebe.
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She said this is possible for everyone, especially learners.
“I don’t believe that children are incapable, they just have untapped potential.”
Harmer congratulated her on her position.
Although no longer head of school, Harmer told Bedfordview and Edenvale News that he was requested by the school’s governing body to stay on as the operational manager. He will continue to maintain, implement and fine-tune projects at the school.
These include the school’s feeding scheme, its sustainable vegetable farm and getting assistance from the community to improve and uplift the school.
“It is all about the learners. I have no intention of walking out or leaving them,” Dr Harmer.
