Mondeor High School’s physical sciences teacher, Tennille Thesion Bee, received a certificate of excellence after securing second place in Category 11 at Gauteng’s 25th annual National Teaching Awards on October 7.

Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane, hosted the provincial awards.

The event celebrated educators who inspire, innovate, and shape the future of learning.

Matome said the event marked a profound moment in history. For a quarter of a century, it has been a way of honouring those who shape the soul of the nation.

“As we gather for the 25th annual National Teaching Awards, I am reminded that some things grow more valuable with time, and our teachers are among them.

“Last year I told you about my favourite teacher, but this year I declare that all the teachers gathered here today are my favourite teachers. Every day you stand in front of the classroom, bringing an energy that fills the room with possibility. You do not just share facts from textbooks; you open eyes to a world of critical thinking and exploration. You teach our learners that learning goes beyond the four walls of the classroom. It lives in every question they dare to ask, every mistake they make, and every success celebrated together.

“We say thank you. Your efforts do not go unnoticed,” he said.

The department celebrated winners across 15 categories – from primary school teaching to special needs leadership, from mathematics to life skills, from ICT integration to the prestigious Kader Asmal Lifetime Achievement Award.

“In my eyes, every teacher here is already a winner. You are winners because you teach Grade R in classrooms without adequate learning materials, yet your learners still discover the joy of learning.

“You are winners because you teach physical sciences in laboratories without proper equipment, yet your learners still dream of becoming engineers and doctors. You are winners because you lead schools in communities where violence threatens daily, yet your schools remain havens of possibility. You are winners because, when the world gives you every reason to quit, you choose to stay.

“The awards we present recognise documented excellence. But I want to recognise the undocumented excellence – the teacher who calmed a traumatised child after witnessing violence at home, the principal who negotiated peace between rival gang members at the school gate, and the educator who used their own salary to buy sanitary products for girls who could not afford them.

“This work rarely makes headlines. It does not come with trophies. But it is the bedrock upon which our education system stands,” noted Chiloane.