Teacher acknowledged for selfless effort

EMILY-JANE Gouveia, a teacher at Forest View Primary School, was one of the eight finalists in the Woolworths and My School 2016 Teacher’s Day competition.

The annual event, now in its sixth year, promotes UNESCO’s World Teacher’s Day on the 5 October by highlighting the immense difference that teachers can make in young lives.

A record number of South African pupils from across the country entered the competition to nominate an awesome teacher that has made a difference in their lives. Emily-Jane was nominated by one of her pupils, Tailyn Archak, who credited her teacher for constantly going way beyond the call of duty – especially when Tailyn’s life and schoolwork was tragically disrupted by her mother’s battle with cancer.

A panel of independent judges took on the task of evaluating more than 13 000 nominations by high school and primary school pupils from across the country. They selected four finalists in each of the primary and high school categories.

Emily-Jane Gouveia won a laptop, a R5 000 Woolworths giftcard and an all-expenses paid weekend away with her partner. Tailyn Archak will receive a R5 000 Woolworths giftcard for her winning motivation and Forest View Primary School has been awarded a R5 000 cash prize.

“Woolies and MySchool have played a long-standing role in uplifting education, and we have a deep appreciation for the great work that teachers are doing in our schools,” said Pieter Twine, Woolworth’s general manager of loyalty and MySchool. “We congratulate Tailyn and Emily-Jane on reaching the finals and hope that their school’s participation in the competition serves as an inspiration in their community to recognise the vital status and role that teachers play in our society.”