Thandulwazi hosts its closing ceremony for the teachers held on 7 September.
”Teachers are the cadres for transformng the South African education system,” said Professor Adam Habib –vice-chancellor of Wits University – when he addressed nearly 1 000 teachers at the closing ceremony of the Thandulwazi Teacher Development Programme held on Saturday, 27 September at St Stithians Boys’ Prep School.
Prof Habib referred to the Thandulwazi programme as a , ”moment of hope”, as it strived to up-skill teachers so that they could positively impact on the education of the youth, whom Habib referred to as ”our most precious resource”. He urged teachers to be passionate about their vocation; to become lifelong learners and continuously seek to grow their content knowledge and upgrade their skills; and to understand their context and , ”create an enabling environment for education.”
Prof Habib also applauded the Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy for ‘building bridges of solidarity’ and , ”creating an educational platform for a new education system in a new world.”
Established in 2006, the Thandulwazi Teacher Development Programme, offers up-skilling workshops for teachers (Pre-school to Grade 9) currently working in under-resourced schools serving disadvantaged communities; and provides professional development for these educators. Sessions focus on the curriculum (numeracy/maths, literacy, natural science and technology), a classroom management and leadership skills; and are held on 11 Saturdays a year. There is no charge to schools or teachers wishing to attend the sessions, which are funded by Thandulwazi’s generous corporate and individual donors.
The workshops are co-ordinated by Karen Walstra, a highly experienced educator, and hosted by St Stithians Boys’ Prep School.
Details: thandulwazi@stithian.com or www.thandulwazi.com
