What started as a simple clean-up initiative at Willowmoore High School has propelled educator Tidimalo Makoe into the national spotlight.

Her learner-centred innovation, the environmental safety and security officers (ESSO) programme, earned her the district and provincial award for excellence in secondary school teaching and secured her a place among the finalists at last month’s National Teaching Awards.

The awards consider an educator’s teaching strategy, innovation in and out of the classroom, teacher development, contribution to the profession, and going above and beyond their job description, among other criteria.

A teacher who prefers the spotlight to shine on her learners, Makoe described receiving her provincial certificate from Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane as overwhelming and career-defining.

“I don’t like being the centre of attention. It’s all about the learners. When you are put at the centre, it’s overwhelming. It’s a proud moment because you don’t expect it. But it was a career-defining moment,” said Makoe.

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Speaking about her experience at the NTA event at Birchwood Hotel, the English teacher said it changed her perspective.

“I’m not the same teacher I was in October. You don’t come back the same. We’ve had NTA winners in our school. They share the same sentiment. Your perspective changes. The other thing is you understand why you did not win at nationals when you hear what teachers from other provinces with limited resources do.”

Makoe was nominated by Willowmoore High Principal Lorna Sanders, who she described as a strong advocate for the NTA.

“She always encourages us as staff to enter. The things I have done at school would not have been possible without her support,” she said.

From a clean-up project to a life-skills programme

Makoe launched the ESSO three years ago with five learners after recognising that challenges confronting learners stretched beyond the classroom. The programme has since grown to 120 officers who are not only making a positive impact in the school but also developing valuable life skills, such as leadership.

“We have the Representative Council of Learners and house captains, but we had nothing that focused on social issues. The ESSO focuses on learner safety, security, and being conscious of the environment and how they can contribute positively to it,” she said.

Initially started to keep Willowmoore High litter-free, the ESSO evolved into a platform to tackle critical social issues, including bullying, teenage pregnancy, plagiarism, academic honesty, gangsterism, and substance abuse.

“It was about the environment, but as we continued, we added safety and then security. It just grew from there. This year, we have a manifesto and a mission statement because we’ve seen that it can grow bigger than ourselves. We didn’t expect it to be what it is now,” she explained.

A key lesson Makoe learned during the nationals was the need to extend her impact beyond her school.

“I haven’t done much outside the school. That’s one thing I’m aiming to do for my community in Wattville. I want to be more impactful and do more for the schools there.”

Looking ahead, she and her team plan to take the programme to other schools in Ekurhuleni North in response to recent bullying incidents in the district.

“Bullying seems to be a problem in Ekurhuleni North, with multiple incidents cropping up in several schools in the last few months. We want other schools to adopt the ESSO as a portfolio because it has been effective in curbing bullying in our school,” she said.

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