LIMPOPO teacher Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba has been named a top 10 finalist for the Global Teacher Prize 2020 in partnership with Unesco.
In a video message announcing her as a finalist, writer and presenter Stephen Fry paid tribute to her as a teacher who started out with a single cellphone for access to the internet, and went on to acquire laptops and integrate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the classroom.
She introduced her foundation phase learners at Ngwanamago Primary School in Polokwane to coding and has them engaging online with other learners.
Now in its sixth year, the $1 million (about R16.4m) award established by the Varkey Foundation is the largest prize of its kind. The competition attracted more than 12 000 nominations and applications from more than 140 countries across the world this year.
Machaba herself grew up in poverty and was one of those children who walked kilometres to school barefoot, even crossing a river on the way. She became pregnant at 15 and left school, but returned later to become a top achiever.
She couldn't afford to study and worked as a domestic worker until she was able to go to college to study childcare, and then studied at the Soweto College of Education for a teaching qualification.
It took five years for her to land a position as there were so many qualified teachers looking for work at the time. As the eldest in the family, she took care of her siblings by working as a street vendor.
When she finally got a teaching post it was 75km from home.
With this experience, she was determined it would be different for the children in her charge.
She obtained laptops from the ISPA Super Teacher awards, Microsoft, and government – all by showcasing her learners' activities. She has now introduced her learners to Coding Week, using Minecraft , and her classes have also started talking to learners from other countries through the Microsoft Educator Platform and Skype.
This is not the first time she has been recognised for her work. In 2009, Mokhudu was the runner-up in the ISPA Super Teacher for ICT Integration in the classroom. In 2015, she was Limpopo winner of the National Teaching Award, and has been recognised as one of the 50 Inspiring Women in Tech for South Africa.
The virtual award ceremony will take place in London in December. | Staff Reporter