By Nosiphiwe Nyangana
Archie Mbolekwa Primary School celebrates after a teacher and a learner earned top honours in provincial competitions.
The school, which has long been committed to strengthening teaching and learning, saw its efforts recognised through the success of Hlakanipha Gxekwa, who placed second in the provincial round of the National Teaching Awards, and Olothando Magwaca, a Grade 7 learner who won first place in a provincial career day competition.
Xekwa, a Grade 2 teacher, was honoured in the Excellence in Primary School Teaching category. After placing first at the district level, she advanced to the provincial competition, proudly representing the Sarah Baartman District.
“The stakes were very high because they were not looking at the background of the school you come from,” she said, “I would like to thank the school principal and my colleagues for their support. I want to encourage other teachers to come forward and represent the Sarah Baartman District, and to show the work that the Eastern Cape province produces.”
Meanwhile, Olothando Magwaca stood out among learners across the province during a career day presentation competition. Representing the Sarah Baartman District, she impressed judges with her dream of becoming a robotic engineer, a career she said could help create jobs in South Africa. Her ultimate goal is to one day design the country’s first human-like robot capable of doing everything a human can do.
“I feel very proud of myself. I am happy to be the first person from the location to win at the provincial level,” she said. “I also feel proud that I took career day seriously and was able to bring out the career of robotic engineering.”
Olothando’s says her success was guided by English Jali-Zulu, a teacher at Archie Mbolekwa, who herself achieved first place at both district and provincial levels in last year’s National Teaching Awards. Reflecting on her learners’ achievement, Jali-Zulu said: “It makes me happy that, as much as they are still in Grade 7, they can start thinking about their future and what they want to become. I want to expose them to many careers offered in the 21st century. I hope her achievement inspires others to start dreaming about their future.”
Principal Lindiso Funani expressed pride in both the teacher and learner, “These achievements affirm the good that the school is doing. Olothando’s success showed that we are not far from Model C schools, as she was competing with learners from those schools,” he said, “Our success comes from the parents being involved, and I have committed teachers. These achievements are a testament to that, and we are very proud.”
