KZN educator mastered the art of teaching science and lands another ‘world’s best’ award
XOLILE Sibisi has landed her third Best Global Teacher award for her classroom exploits in the subject of physical science, over the weekend.
Sibisi received her recognition during the fifth annual Global Education Awards staged in Dubai on Sunday.
It was the third consecutive year that Sibisi, who was born and raised in Newcastle, north-west of the province, bagged a Best Global Teacher Award .
During a telephone interview with Daily News on Wednesday, Sibisi who was still in Dubai, shared her excitement at scooping the award for the third time, saying she was proud of receiving continuous recognition of her contribution to nation-building through education.
She said all her pupils not only passed her subjects but did so with many distinctions, which enabled them to qualify for university acceptance.
“This means a lot to me. The award comes with no prize money but it is worth more than money to me. I am proud to have changed the lives of people through education,” said Sibisi.
Before jetting out to Dubai for the global awards, she was also crowned the best physical science teacher in the “Greater Johannesburg” district for the third time.
She previously won this award in 2019 and 2022 to go with her 2024 achievement for producing a 100% pass rate in the subject.
Sibisi is a physics teacher at Curro Academy in Soweto where she currently has a class of 28 pupils.
All her 2024 matric pupils passed their physics exam and and 90% of her pupils landed seven distinctions. She has also established an academy where she teaches physics to pupils from other schools.
She started teaching the subject in 2017 in Soweto and has been an educator since 2007, having begun in the profession in her home province of KZN.
In describing her childhood, she said she grew up in a poor family where her father and mother were unemployed and lived in Newcastle. She said she initially wanted to become an accountant but her Grade 12 teacher motivated Sibisi to enter field of teaching physical science.
DAILY NEWS