WALVIS BAY - A rural teacher from the Zambezi region has bagged at least N$160 000 (US$10 000) in prize money after winning the African Union Continental Teacher’s prize for 2020.
Lionga Stanley Siseho (37) is teaching at the Simataa Secondary School in the Zambezi region.
Siseho teaches History to about 130 learners from grade 10 to 12 and his school has been performing exceptionally well in the subject.
The AU hosted the inaugural award ceremony for the first Continental Teacher Prize in 2019. The award was established to award teachers, by encouraging and celebrating their commitment to Africa.
The prize also raises the status of teaching, facilitates sharing of best practices in teacher excellence, and inspires the best possible candidates to join the teaching profession.
According to Siseho, the AU requested two submissions from Namibia to enter the competition whereby he and a teacher from Ohangwena were chosen to represent the country.
“We had to send in a CV, motivational letter and any achievements we obtained during our career. In my motivational letter, I stated how I encourage my learners to do better as most of the learners I taught are somehow regarded as rejects. I always encourage them to do better and they do,” he said.
According to Siseho, his school is not the best school neither is he the best teacher but he feels honoured that his region chose him.
“It was indeed an honour that the region took cognition of the work that I did. During the lockdown, we came to realise the responsibility that we as teachers have to mould our children. We have seen during the last month that teenage pregnancies increased and many learners did not come back to school. This proves to me that our learners are better off at school and we must do everything in our power to keep them in school and encourage them to become better versions of themselves,” he said.
Siseho received his award yesterday during World Teachers Day.
His achievement was praised by education minister Anna Nghipondoka who said that it should inspire other teachers to greater heights.
“It is really a great achievement not only for Namibia but for the whole ministry and we want to encourage other teachers to follow in his footsteps,” the minister said.
– edeklerk@nepc.com.na