Programme Director;
Honourable Minister of Education, Ms Naledi Pandor;
Provincial MEC's for Education;
Director - General, Mr Duncan Hindle;
Officials of the Department of Education;
Honourable leaders of Teacher Unions;
Distinguished teachers;
Distinguished guests, friends and comrades
Ladies and gentlemen.

I thank you for inviting me to this celebration of excellence in the teaching profession, and to give due recognition to teachers who have distinguished themselves in various areas within our school system.

I am sure we are all agreed that this occasion is not only an important one for the teachers that are gathered before us tonight, but also an important day for the learners and the people of South Africa at large.

Given our past history most teachers do their work under challenging and uneven conditions marked by a lack of bare necessities to carry out their duties. Great achievements in life are experienced under seemingly impossible conditions and yet the forbidding nature of the odds does not deter those determined to succeed.

By their very nature teachers are social leaders and that is how historically they have understood their role in society. As active social beings they are in a better position of gaining insights into social needs and therefore they raise expectations from communities they serve and from their learners.

In this way teachers get inspired and seek to excel and in return learners too seek to do the same.

This presents an even bigger challenge to the majority of our teachers who have to deal in some cases with large classes and learners who are ill prepared for the demands presented by school life.

Clearly, teachers are more and more called upon to play multiple roles which not only position them as custodians of knowledge and values that the young need to acquire but also take on the role of change agents who constantly struggle to work for a "better life for all".

What gives us hope as government is our knowledge that we have outstanding teachers, such as you, who go beyond the ordinary to provide excellent education to our learners.

It is truly an honour to be able to share this night in celebration and recognition of your achievement.

I believe that the few teachers honoured here tonight represent the many teachers who continue to work hard on a daily basis throughout classrooms scattered across our country, serving as shining lights, inspiring their learners to continuously aim for greater heights.

They serve as uplifting role models that our young people could continue to look upon.

I want to assure all teachers in our nation that as government we take pride in the excellent work that they do and will continue to provide support where needed.

Your commitment to this calling is beyond reproach and I want to encourage you to forge ahead with your good work. Our country depends on people of your caliber.

Chairperson,

Last night we learnt about the passing on of one of the literary giants and impeccable teachers in our land, Professor Es'kia Mphahlele.

He comes from the generation of teachers who were concerned with the liberation of the mind of the African child. He clearly understood that learners had to excel since poor results would be attributed to the teacher's struggle activism. They made it their business to inculcate social responsibility in the learners.

An awesomely inspiring figure, Professor Mphahlele comprehended the teaching profession not only as a calling, but also as a historical duty imposed on us to liberate ourselves from the shackles of oppression, both literally and figuratively.

It is indeed a sad coincidence that he passed away a night before we honour excellence in the teaching profession, his lifelong love.

I wish to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, students, and all South Africans. May his soul rest in peace.

Chairperson,
I want to believe that despite the numerous challenges that exist within our education system, the majority of our teachers continue to work hard, serving as torchbearers whose light continues to illuminate the path to the future.

The path you have taken, the dedication you have shown and the passion with which you continue to do your work, will not go without recognition.

In this regard, there are two evocative questions that we need to ask this evening:

• Are we on track to place our school system on a path where our young and adult learners will be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge that will assist them to make a meaningful contribution to our country and the African continent at large?

• How do we value and appreciate the nation-building activities that our teachers are involved in?

In thinking through the answers to these critical questions, it becomes obvious that one should take a look at the broader political, social and economic programmes that government has prioritised and put in place five years back.

Minister Pandor, in this regard, it satisfies me to note some of your own initiatives you took within the Education sector. Your Ministry has put in place programmes in the last five years that have started to inspire our teachers to look forward to doing their work with pride, dedication and a sense of duty that befits this noble profession.

As you are aware, government has further committed itself to meeting the following priorities:

• Acceleration of economic growth in our country,
• Increment of the pace of infrastructure development that will bring about the necessary economic spin-offs,
• Enhancement of the impact of our programmes in the area of education, and
• Improvement of interventions that will bring about the required impact at our Second economy and poverty alleviation programmes.

When taking a look at these strategic priorities, we clearly realise the importance that the Department of Education plays in terms of the achievement of these priority areas.

From this it follows that our teachers are important elements of the broader force that could take our country to greater heights on matters related to the development of the economic, political and social fabric of our society.

Furthermore, it has become even more necessary to work hard and march forward as a collective in dealing with the scourge of underdevelopment, poverty and HIV/AIDS, that continue to affect many of our citizens.

I have no doubt that teachers can do and make a difference in the various areas that define the character of our country.

Together in the spirit of the Freedom Charter and the Constitution of South Africa we can march on a road towards achieving a "better life for all".
What makes me look forward to the journey that lies before us with optimism are the positive signals that have started to emerge within our education system, among which the following are worth noting:

• We have seen this Department making strides in strengthening recruitment and retention of teachers through the provision of full service bursaries to new recruits in Initial Professional Teacher Education (or IPET as it has become known).

The goal of "achieving education for all by 2015" runs a risk of becoming unrealistic if we do not move fast in terms of recruiting and improving the working conditions of our teachers. We believe that the regular improvement of our schools, including working conditions for our teachers, will inspire our torch-bearers to take their profession with the necessary passion and enthusiasm and go on to encourage learners to take their studies seriously. Such developments augur well for our young democracy, which is in great need of qualified teachers.

• We have also noted the great efforts that have been made to come up with additional teacher development initiatives that will enhance the knowledge and skills base of our teachers. The Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) system will see practicing teachers getting opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills through ongoing professional development programmes that make a fundamental shift from the traditional short-course models that exist in our system.

• The Dinaledi Schools Project has also started contributing to our efforts as government to attract young minds into Mathematics and Science learning areas. My office has noted that through this programme, the Department has been able to provide Science kits and other needed resources. It is very clear that our teachers need to play a far more critical role in not only training the young people but also inspiring them to take up training opportunities that exist within our further education colleges and higher education institutions.

• The move to improve teacher salaries through the Occupation Specific Dispensation (or OSD) is one of the critical initiatives that will reward hard work and excellence in our school system. The distinguished teachers whose achievements we celebrate tonight will surely receive the recognition that is due to them without ever leaving the classroom for other higher posts that may be available within the school system or other positions in the private sector. This should surely be seen as an effective strategy to recruit and retain the best possible minds in this profession.

Such is the importance of a good, quality and sound education system, in a country which is still evolving democratic culture and building economic prowess, that we cannot afford to lose sight of the role of education in our developmental state.

We should therefore heed the peerless advice of the South American scholar and revolutionary, Paulo Frere, that:

"[The] new man and the new woman do not appear by accident. The new man and the new woman are born in the practice of the revolutionary reconstruction of the society"
(Paulo Frere and Macedo, 1987).

These penetrating insights exhort us as government and stakeholders in education to strengthen value-adding actions and practices that will bear the fruits we have set out to achieve regarding quality learning and teaching.

Our goals of increasing employment opportunities, developing and harnessing scarce skills and the creation of small business enterprises will not succeed if we fail to translate all the policies that we have formulated into a vehicle that keeps all of us in touch with the "everyday life" of the poor in our country.

Re a leboga
Siyabonga
I thank you all.