Top award for teacher
2008-09-11
Sabelo Mpana
A TEACHER from Mbekweni, Nozipho Mbekwa Sijaji (46), has won the national Absa and Sowetan Education Practitioner of the Year Award. She received her prize for early childhood development (ECD) at a gala dinner in Gauteng after winning the Western Cape ECD award earlier this month. Mbekwa, mother of two, was given a hero’s welcome by the Sinethemba Preschool and the community of Mbekweni of P section and O section on her return. Says Mbekwa, “I love working with kids so much and felt confident because I know that I am good in what I do, but still couldn’t believe it when I won the award. I want to uplift the standard of preschool education.” Mbekwa studied music at the Athlone Music Centre after finishing school. She joined Sinethemba Preschool as a volunteer assisting in the education of the 42 youngsters when it opened in 1992. The school has flourished and now has 285 children (60 of them in Grade R) and six teachers. The school is open all day until 17:00. “Our dream is to have a resource centre for training. We would also like to be open 24 hours a day to assist parents.”
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