SA’s “IT Super Teacher of the Year 2009” announced

26 November 2009

Mr Lesibe Jimmy Rawane of Thomo Primary School in Limpopo, trounced over 120 other educators from around South Africa to be named ‘Super Teacher of the Year 2009′ by the Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA) and UniForum SA, the .co.za domain name administrators.

Internet industry players announced at a dinner in Bryanston, Johannesburg, that Mr Rawane had best utilized his newly-acquired IT knowledge for the good of his school and local community, after participating in ISPA’s nationwide teacher training programme.

UniForum SA’s support, through its ‘Co.Za Cares’ project, has seen in excess of 2 310 computers donated and over 1 700 educators trained at more than 100 schools in 7 provinces since December 2001. ‘Co.Za Cares’ is the social development arm of UniForum SA promoting the use of Information Technology (IT) in under-resourced communities.

Ten finalists were in the running and this year Limpopo scooped all the awards. Aside from the winner, Mr Rawane, the two runners-up are Cynthia Mokhudu Machaba from Mahlogedi Secondary Primary School and Mr Matebeta Commence Sathekge from Modibone Primary School, also in Limpopo.

“ISPA’s teacher training programme has changed the lives of many South African educators, the majority of whom have never sat in front of a computer before. The true power of this training is felt later by the school and the wider community, as many of our teachers are empowered to share their new skills and confidence with their own learners and colleagues. Mr Rawane, in particular, impressed the ISPA panel with his leadership of new outreach projects aimed at spreading computer literacy widely throughout his community. He is an inspiration to us all,” said Fiona Wallace, UniForum’s Social Responsibility manager.

The ten finalists received certificates as acknowledgement of their achievement at the awards function. The winner and runners-up received laptops donated by NetDay Association and Future Foundation, while the winner’s school received a further two laptops from Global Data Logistix. .Credits obtained from the training will count towards a National Certificate in IT.

The following sponsors have also contributed to the teacher training programme over the years: UniForum SA, X-DSL Broadband, Absa Bank, eNetworks, Snowball Effect, Imaginet, MTN Network Solutions, Cybersmart, Internet Solutions, Posix, SAI Futurenet and Intoweb Training.

“Our industry is facing a severe shortage of skilled professionals which is both surprising and a tremendous pity as IT is an attractive career option,” said Theo Kramer, chairperson of UniForum SA.

“Intervention in the form of ISPA’s teacher training programme stimulates and encourages educators to take advantage of the opportunity to further boost their skills and build rewarding careers,” added Mr Kramer.

Educators were trained on OpenOffice.org 2 by SETA (Sector Education & Training Authority) accredited facilitators provided by Avuxeni Computer Academy while NetDay Association was responsible for the installation of computers and educational content at the schools targeted for training.

Companies interested in learning more about ISPA’s teacher training initiative and the sponsorship opportunities available may contact the Secretariat by sending an e-mail to queries@ispa.org.za.