Celebrating teaching excellence with the winners of the WC PTA

Last night, I had the pleasure of hosting the Western Cape Provincial Teaching Awards for 2024, now in their 24th year.

These awards give us the opportunity to celebrate the incredible work that teachers in our public schools do every day.

These teachers relentlessly pursue excellence, and their passion for improving learning outcomes is clear for all to see. It is wonderful to see how our teachers are making a lasting impact on the lives of learners in the Western Cape.

Our 2024 Provincial Teaching Award winners are:

• Excellence in Grade R Teaching: Heather van Staden, Irista Primary School, Sarepta, Kuils River
• Excellence in Primary School Teaching: Christine Bester, Botrivier Primary School, Botrivier
• Excellence in Primary School Leadership: Gershwin Kroukamp, Berzelia Primary School, Atlantis
• Excellence in Secondary School Teaching: Liezel Reynolds, Hopefield High School, Hopefield
• Excellence in Secondary School Leadership: Tiro Motaung, Centre of Science and Technology (COSAT)
• Excellence in Special Needs Teaching: Chadwin Bagley, Rusthof School, Rusthof, Strand
• Excellence in teaching Life Skills (Grade 1-6): Dorothy Jooste, Highbury Primary School, Highbury, Kuils River
• Excellence in Special Needs School Leadership: Irma Mentoor, Ligstraal School, Paarl-East
• Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (GET): Ethon Leigh Alexander, Fraaisig Primary School, Knysna
• Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (FET): Dillon Seals, Apex High School, Blue Downs, Eerste River
• Excellence in Teaching Natural Sciences: Ziyaad Noordien, West End Primary School, Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain
• Excellence in teaching Physical Sciences (FET): Bernice van Blerk, Vredenberg High School, Vredenberg
• Excellence in Technology enhanced teaching and learning – Lalindei Botha, La Rochelle Girls’ Primary School, Paarl
• Best Teacher Award: Llewellyn van der Ross, Tuscany Glen Primary School, Tuscany Glen, Eerste River
• Kader Asmal Lifetime Achievement Award: Derek Swart, Paarl Boys’ High School, Paarl

We congratulate each one of these outstanding teachers, and look forward to seeing even greater achievements from them in the future.

Our 15 provincial winners will now go on to represent us at the National Teaching Awards, to be held in October 2024.

We thank all teachers of the Western Cape for their hard work over the past year and encourage all residents of our province to express their appreciation for the teachers who work so incredibly hard.

Our teachers are our most valuable asset, and we appreciate their love, care, and support for our children every single day!

2024 Provincial Winners