In a world where change is the only constant, we need great teachers to give pupils the skills to successfully navigate a future. File image.
Johannesburg - It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a real teacher to identify, nurture and unlock the potential of greatness that lies within them.
Thursday this week was World Teachers’ Day. It’s one that went almost un-remarked outside of some schools that would have observed it. It’s not a public holiday. There aren’t any political or religious connotations to it.
It’s a pity. In a world where change is the only constant, we need great teachers to give pupils the skills to successfully navigate a future that all too often appears unfeeling, impossible and hopeless. It’s so much more than being able to pass exams, but rather developing the full person; one of empathy, kindness and responsibility.
It’s no surprise that so many of the world’s greatest leaders always look to those teachers who helped them make the right choice at a critical inflection point in their younger lives. South Africa is no different.
As Nelson Mandela famously wrote: “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine; that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation.”
Education is life changing. It doesn’t always look like that in South Africa because of all the problems we face, but every year we are buoyed by stories of teachers who refused to be cowed by either the pressures they faced or a lack of resources.
Just by caring, by showing up and doing their jobs, they made a lifetime of difference to individuals. We salute them.
South Africa doesn’t do nearly enough for the great teachers in this country. We don’t recognise them; we certainly don’t reward them enough.
It’s time we did, because this country’s future is literally in their hands.
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