Durban - A ONCE timid boy gained confidence after his beloved “Sir” inspired him.
Shivay Devhiechand, of Rose Heights Primary School in Chatsworth, was so grateful to Robinsingh Harichand for motivating him to excel that he nominated him for the Woolworths Educational Programme and My School Teacher’s Day Awards 2019.
His nomination letter led to the English and Life Science teacher winning in the intermediate phase (Grade 4 to 6) category.
He was selected out of 48 000 entries countrywide and won R10 000 and a further R10 000 for the school.
The Grade 6 pupil received R5 000.
“When I was still in Grade 3, I used to be very shy and used to sit in the corner of the classroom. But Sir saw the potential in me. Sir not only teaches in our class, but he taught us about moral values in life, being kind, to inspire others, and to always respect and honour our parents,” said Shivay, 12, of Arena Park, Chatsworth.
He said Harichand inspired him to deliver a speech at the school’s cultural day in 2016.
“After that, I got more confident and can now speak in public,” added Shivay, who wants to study psychology.
Harichand, who formed the Motivate to Inspire group two years ago, said it was important to motivate and inspire young South Africans to excel and to be better humans.
“I live by the motto that if I can change the mindset of one individual, I can change the world. If you make a difference to one person, it is sure to have a ripple effect. And so, we started doing outreach projects, where the children reached out to those who are less fortunate and vulnerable in an attempt to bring happiness and inspiration.”
The principal, Rishichand
Budhal, said Harichand deserved the recognition.
“He has been involved in all the school’s social responsibility programmes for many years, and his endeavours link up to the Batho Pele (people first) principles of the school.”