Masilu Modiba

Masilu Modiba

In the late 1970s and 1980s, teaching was highly regarded and praised as a job to die for in the black communities.

Teaching is more of a calling than a career. Teachers are people who show an uncompromising dedication to building a winning nation through quality public education and training.

It was in this spirit of community-building that I fell in love with the profession. I love being a teacher. More than that, I love being a mathematics, science and technology teacher.

For the South African government to know its population, a census is carried out and a statistical analysis of the numbers is made to determine the population of our country for the better delivery of crucial services.

Mathematics can be used in the building of cars, the construction of bridges, electricity supply, water supply and agriculture and many other things human beings simply cannot do without.

That is why I found it important to become a part of mathematics, physical science and technology organisations preaching and practising top-notch learning and teaching methods, like the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa and the South African Association of Science and Technology Educators.

I am also involved in the yearly national science expo and science week, and through these activities am able to help to show other teachers the different new things we can use to make maths, science and technology enjoyable subjects for our pupils.

It is through these activities that I was crowned the overall winner of the Aggrey Klaaste Maths, Science and Technology Educator of the Year competition for 2005 and last year in the general education and training category.

As the national champion, I was able to make appearances on several maths, science and technology platforms like the National Science and Technology Forum awards for last year.

I was also invited to conduct a workshop on information communication technology learning and teaching at the Limpopo Dinaledi Schools project workshop in Potgietersrus last year.

It is my vision that we teach our communities to appreciate the presence of technology in education and society because we cannot separate maths, science and technology.

All these three fields are vital to the success of this country. The youth who qualify in these fields will help lead the way for South Africa to be a competitive world player in science and technology.

l The author is the general education and training category winner of the 2005 and 2006 edition of the Sowetan and Telkom Foundation sponsored Aggrey Klaaste Mathematics, Science and Technology Educator of the Year competition.

The other two winners were Fararai Rufetu, of Mpumalanga, in further education and training teacher Wakeford Gova in the retired teachers' section.