The South African education system is making headway in terms of recruiting young vibrant teachers in primary and secondary schools. This was confirmed as the top performing teachers ascended the national stage to receive their prestigious awards conferred as part of the National Teaching Awards (NTAs) ceremony. The event took place at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg on 1 October 2026. A passion for teaching and a determination to see learners excel beyond their imagination to embrace their dreams, has earned a selected few outstanding teachers high-level recognition as an appreciative gesture to education excellence, demonstrated in several areas of specialisations in public schools.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, joined by the Basic Education Ministry and MECs for Education, expressed their gratitude to the winners of this year's NTAs for their outstanding achievement in elevating the standard of South Africa’s teaching profession. The NTAs, facilitated under the theme, “Uniting for Excellence: Elevating Achievement, Empowering Educators to Shape South Africa’s Future,” remain a critical DBE’s flagship programme designed to remind the nation about the role of teachers in moulding the character of future leaders. The NTAs were launched in 2000 by the late Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal, to acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate excellence in teaching. All top three winners in 15 categories scooped several prizes including cars, overseas trips, trophies, certificates, and tablets.

In his keynote address, President Ramaphosa congratulated the DBE for having sustained the NTAs as an example of sharing best practice to become part of the commonwealth of education: “These awards show that excellence is found across every phase of education, across different subjects and in schools serving vastly different communities. They show that excellence can be found in a rural school with limited resources, in a township school confronting difficult social conditions, and also in well-resourced urban schools. Our responsibility is to ensure that such excellence is recognised, supported, and replicated”.

He also said that the NTAs should motivate teachers to promote non-sexist and non-racial school environments: “The violence perpetrated against the women and girls of South Africa is inhumane and intolerable. Women should not have to live in fear. Girls must be safe in their homes, in their communities and in every place of learning. We cannot tolerate sexual harassment, abuse or exploitation by teachers, staff members, or fellow learners. Every school must be a place of safety. Every educator must uphold the highest standards of professional conduct. But we must go further. Education must help us prevent violence before it happens. We must teach young people about respect, dignity, equality, and consent. We must equip them to resolve conflict without violence and to build healthy interpersonal relationships. We must teach boys and young men that strength is not demonstrated through domination or abuse, but through respect, responsibility, and self-control. We need to strengthen age-appropriate life-skills education from early childhood development through to high school. This must be an intergenerational effort. Teachers, parents, relatives, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and community elders must work together to raise a generation defined by mutual respect, tolerance, and equality”.