Dedicated teacher eager to produce innovative leaders
As a minor, Gugu Qwabe dreamt of following in her mother’s footsteps and become an educator.
As fate would have it, the 40-year-old was eventually able to segue into the noble profession, despite her mother’s initial apprehension. Today, the ambitious educator is grabbing the attention of the country’s decision-makers with her lessons in the backwaters of KwaZulu-Natal.
Qwabe teaches English and social sciences at the Mandla Mthethwa School of Excellence in KwaMhlabuyalingana. In October 2023, she scooped the Teacher of the Year Award at the Department of Basic Education (DBE)-organised ceremony.
“I am a child of a teacher. Initially, my mother did not want me to become an educator, despite it being something I have always loved. Even as a young girl, I would imitate being a teacher under a tree or in front of a mirror,” she said.
Unable to clear the hurdle of convincing her mother that teaching was a career she wanted to pursue after completing high school, Qwabe enrolled for a degree in psychology at the University of KwaZuluNatal.
“In psychology, after obtaining a junior degree, you need a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) to make career progress. You cannot really secure a proper job with just a junior degree. Because my mother could no longer afford my university fees, I somewhat found my way to education – proudly so,” she chuckled.
In 2018, she was recruited to the Mandla Mthethwa School of Excellence, when it first opened its doors.
“Our school gets a lot of attention because as much as it is in a deep rural area, it is extremely well equipped,” she said.
Amid all the frenzy around the school, Qwabe was introduced to the National Teacher Awards – one of the ways in which the DBE acknowledges the extraordinary efforts made by teachers, often in very difficult conditions – to provide a better future for learners. Qwabe said it was during this process that she was introduced to policy formulators from national and provincial departments of education.
Published author
As a published author, in her book; Applying Ubuntu Principles to Think, Learn and Succeed, she narrates stories of former leaders – Former President Nelson Mandela, former
Home Affairs Minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi and many other leaders that teach learners about good values that they could also apply in their daily lives.
Qwabe has since created a textbook and a teacher guide that talks to this.
“I met policymakers through the competition and we talked about how we could inculcate these values. There are a lot of issues in the education system – uninspired learners and learners with a lot of psychological problems. In the book, I have a section that deals with these. It narrates stories about people who have survived these challenges.
At the awards, she was honoured for imparting the values of ubuntu as an extracurricular activity to learners at the school.
“I did not have any expectations of winning the competition, I just needed an audience with these policymakers,” she said.
For the 2023 matric exams, her school was ranked first in the quantile one schools in the country. It was the overall best school in KwaZulu-Natal in the same year. From its 93 matriculants, 90 passed. Overall, the school obtained 226 distinctions. Above this, three learners each obtained eight distinctions. Another two obtained seven distinctions.
“Almost all of them got Bachelor passes. Only two of our learners obtained diploma passes,” she beamed. “We are known for quality results and motivated learners. That is why I said my intention was to go to the department and say, ‘look, we are doing it, how about you adopt,’” she explained.
The concept, she said, was inspired by Arnold Zulman, a former friend of former President
Mandela. Zulman is the businessman behind Beacon Sweets.
“He inspired me. I sat down with him and he narrated stories of Mandela and Buthelezi and how he used to mediate when the two were in conflict,” she recalled. “He is a good friend of mine now and we meet up whenever he is in South Africa.”
Qwabe is so committed to the course that she says she spends a lot of time studying neuroscience journals so she can be able to empower learners psychologically. She says these lessons help the respective learners deal with trauma and “real issues”.
“We attract learners from as far as Durban and Johannesburg now. Even if a child does not come from a poor background, they come from a broken family or a family dealing with alcoholism,” she added.
Qwabe's aim is to produce leaders who share the values she teaches.
“I wanted leaders who are accountable. When I teach them, I tell them that in them I see great leaders who will help people,” she concluded. ❖