PROFILE
CONTENTS
Alumnus Agnes Rasesemola, principal at Sunrise View Secondary School in Rustenburg, was the only female teacher representing South Africa at the 2021 AU Teacher Prize awards.
She is also a winner of the 2017 National Teaching Awards in the Excellence in Secondary School leadership category.
Behind the scenes
Agnes obtained her Advanced Certificate in Education from the NWU in 2003, and her BEdHons, also from the university, in 2006.
At the age of 23, she kicked off her teaching career at a full-time centre in Limpopo, which offered Grade 12 pupils the opportunity to rewrite their matric. She then went on to teach mathematics and physical sciences at a number of other schools.
She has worked in the basic education sector for approximately 24 years, and has been a principal at Sunrise View Secondary School for almost eight years.
Agnes’s passion for teaching burns brightly after 24 years
While some people easily lose interest in their jobs after a few years, Agnes Rasesemola has kept her passion for teaching and children burning for over two decades.
Agnes, an alumnus from the Potchefstroom Campus and principal at Sunrise View Secondary School, in Boitekong, Rustenburg, has broken boundaries and changed the narrative of how township schools look and feel.
She obtained sponsorships to equip all the classrooms at the school with interactive boards and establish a well-equipped computer centre. She also secured a UC-Wireless Wi-Fi sponsorship for both staff and learners to use at the school.
These efforts and her constant dedication to teaching and learning have earned Agnes a nomination for the African Union (AU) Teacher Prize.
The AU Teacher Prize aims to show respect for teachers and the teaching profession by encouraging and celebrating committed educators in Africa.
“The nomination itself is a confidence booster and it has accelerated the mood I have as a principal to take my leadership and classroom teaching to the highest level. Winning the award will give me more edge to rub my leadership skills off on colleagues in and outside the school. Winning will also increase my public profile and therefore motivate other teachers,” says Agnes.
Fulfilling, but not without challenges
She says the most fulfilling part of being a principal is being able to legitimise her efforts to apply changes in the curriculum, and being in a position to have an influence on the “learning climate”.
There are challenges too, of course. “To me, the hardest part about being a principal is not being able to knock off, whether on holiday, over the weekend or at night. I am always on duty as far as my school issues are concerned.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she adds, “while hard, it is also incredibly rewarding to be a principal.” With 24 years’ worth of experience within the basic education sector, Agnes says planning, consistency and not procrastinating are her three recipes for success.
The NWU applauds Agnes for all the sacrifices and work she has put into the various schools she has served. The university also congratulates her for the African Union Teacher Prize 2021 nomination and is holding thumbs for her.
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Some sound advice
Agnes advises young teachers who look up to her to be the kind of teachers that they would want for their own children.
She also encourages young teachers to be lifelong learners and to easily adapt to change, as change is inevitable.
“Know that the ultimate goal of a teacher is to impact learners positively, as well as develop and nurture the potential they have.”
On the air
Bojanala FM Radio interviewed Agnes in August. Here are some of the viewpoints she shared on air:
- “The kind of education that I impart to my learners is not only about the curriculum – it also involves life skills and the expectations in the world out there.
- “My aim is to make teaching fashionable, and I have quite a number of learners who are now in teaching.”
- “My mother taught me resilience, and that you have to stand up and work for yourself – you will not receive anything on a silver platter.”