By BAKANG MOKOTO
15 August 2025- The North West Department of Education said it has stepped up its commitment to teacher development with over 1000 educators already trained in various areas of specialisation, including language, mathematics, science, and other critical areas of learning since the beginning of the 2025 academic year.
The department said its ongoing training interventions are designed to sharpen teaching skills, enhance subject mastery, and align classroom practices with modern curriculum demands.
The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said currently, Quarter 2 training sessions are underway, ensuring that educators continue to receive relevant, high-quality professional development in preparation for the final stretch of the academic year. Motsumi said this sustained investment in teacher capacity is one of the Department’s strategies to reach the 95% learner performance target set for year-end results.
“The department has also entered into collaboration with the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) to design and implement a capacity-building programme for school principals.
“Scheduled to roll out in September 2025, the programme will focus on jointly developing and delivering context-specific training for principals
– Building ethical, accountable, and visionary school leadership,” she said.
Motsumi further said this includes empowering education managers to embrace digital transformation. She added that they are expected to apply foster change management to keep school leadership aligned with evolving educational demands.
“We encourage strengthening unity and partnership between the Department and SADTU in transforming education. Other teacher unions in the province will also implement similar programmes to equip principals with the necessary leadership skills and to provide them with ongoing professional support.
“These parallel initiatives ensure that regardless of affiliation principals receive consistent and impactful training to improve learner outcomes. This approach aims to strengthen instructional leadership, ethical governance, and professional management across schools, ensuring that curriculum delivery is both innovative and responsive to learner needs,” said Motsumi.
She emphasised the importance of these efforts in meeting the performance target. Motsumi said their investment in teacher and principal development is about equipping our educators with the right tools, skills, and mindset to inspire excellence in every classroom.
“The strides we are making through ongoing training, and now through the teacher unions collaboration, are laying the foundation for us to reach and even surpass the 95% mark.
“A strong curriculum depends on strong teachers, and strong teachers need strong leaders. The Department will continue to prioritise teacher development as a critical driver of curriculum improvement, learner support, and sustainable excellence in the province’s education system,” she said.
The Guardian 