Keanan Harmse
A group of teachers including one principal from Lotus River were honoured for being shining examples in the education field during an awards prizegiving last week.
The staff that earned prizes all hail from Perivale Primary School after they entered the National Teaching Awards (NTA) held at at Zwaanswyk Academy in Retreat on Friday 20 June.
The awards are currently celebrating 24 years of existence.
The NTA scheme is one of the ways in which the Department of Basic Education (DBE) acknowledges the extraordinary efforts made by excellent teachers, often in very difficult conditions.
Perivale had three teachers that participated namely: Cheryl Alexander (Grade R teacher), Nicolene Langner (Primary School teacher), Jamaeelah Salie (Primary School teacher) and principal: Nomabisa Ndidi, popularly known as Lewo among her peers.
“Lewo (Ndidi) won the category Excellence in Primary School Leadership in our District. This means she will now participate in the Provisional category taking place in July. We as a school are extremely proud of her and would like to celebrate and acknowledge her achievement,” said fellow winner, Langner.
Ndidi told People’s Post that she’s been dedicated to teaching for 30 years, starting as a class teacher and progressively moving into leadership roles as a department head, deputy principal, and now as principal.
She pursued her studies at Good Hope College in Khayelitsha and completed her Primary Teachers Diploma in 1994.
“My passion for teaching sparked at a very young age. I remember clearly always playing the role of a teacher, and in primary school, I loved reading aloud to others. It felt like my natural calling to guide and inspire young minds.
“My journey began and blossomed at Ukhanyo Primary School in Masiphumelele, Fish Hoek, where I served for 20 years. This was a transformative period for me and for the school. I arrived in 1995 when the school was just starting with minimal facilities, and I was fortunate to be involved in its foundational development and incredible growth. During my time at Ukhanyo, I was deeply involved in numerous projects that made a significant impact to the school and the community,” she recalled.
In 2022, she says, she encountered her most challenging leadership role during her time as Principal at Khanya Primary in Philippi Samora Machel.
“Here I learnt to work remotely from the district office due to safety concerns. Despite these challenges I remained fully operative emphasizing the importance of resilience. My journey then led me to my current role, starting in 2023, as Curator Principal at Perivale Primary School.
“Stepping into a new community with a different cultural and linguistic background alongside diverse religions – presented another unique challenge,” she said.
This year marked Ndidi’s first time entering the teaching awards.
“I honestly doubted myself at first. However, Circuit Manager Mrs Jafta, nominated and really motivated me to give it a try. I decided to trust her judgment, believing she saw potential in me that I might not have fully recognized myself. I’m so glad I did,” she said.
Her future goals during her current tenure as principal is: “to help build a generation of confident, capable, and compassionate young people from Lotus River who will not only succeed personally but also positively contribute to their community and beyond regardless of their backgrounds.”
