On Tuesday, 12th July 2022, the Global Teachers Institute (GTI) hosted its 5th-anniversary celebration which focused on thanking all friends and supporters, new and old, big and small and who have enabled the work of supporting aspiring teachers, our Future Leaders.
GTI was established in 2017 as a non-profit organisation registered with the Department of Social Development and as a Public Benefit Organisation registered with SARS after having been incubated in the LEAP Science and Maths Schools and the South African Extraordinary Schools Coalition.
The 5th Anniversary was held at HeronBridge Retreat and online via zoom. GTI’s Executive Director, Dr Fay Hodza, welcomed the 46 guests in attendance. Dr Hodza presented an overview of GTI’s history and impact and celebrated its successes and plans for the future.
Namhla Saba, Chair of the Finance Committee and GTI Board Member, shared remarks from a board level and highlighted the importance of the work that GTI was doing in South Africa and the world. She shared her personal reflection of having been raised by a mother and grandmother who were both teachers and who made many sacrifices for her to obtain a quality education. While Ms Saba acknowledged that she was extremely privileged as she is today a qualified Chartered Accountant, she shared her belief that all children in South Africa should have the right of quality education.
The keynote address was delivered by Mr Ben Lubisi, Acting Director, Initial Teacher Education from the Department of Basic Education. Mr Lubisi spoke about the fruitful relationship between GTI and DBE and the Future Leaders Programme in the province of Mpumalanga since the launch of the Public-Private Partnership in 2020 in that province. Mr Lubisi also shared how excited he was to be facilitating the expansion of GTI into the Northern Cape Province.
GTI is dedicated to transforming Initial Teacher Education in South Africa and beyond. Through our local and global partnerships and support, we invest in the 360-degree training of a new brigade of teachers through our flagship Future Leaders Programme (FLP). Future Leader interns are immersed in all the spaces where learning happens within and around the school system while studying towards their Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.) degree through a distance or online higher education institution. The Future Leaders benefit from the extraordinary opportunities to learn with and from mentors who are experienced master teachers.
The event also provided guests with the opportunity to engage Future Leaders and these other important stakeholders who contribute to their ecosystems of support, such as school principals and mentors.
“We are humbled and honoured to welcome the delegation from Teach With Africa, a long-standing supporter and donor of GTI who travelled all the way from San Francisco in the United States as well as representatives from SA Youth at Work who are here to join our celebration today”, said Margaret Farred, Head of Advancement at GTI.
The event concluded with a cake cutting ceremony and live musical entertainment from saxophonist, Kunle Sax who serenaded our guests.
