India and South Africa enjoy a great deal of friendship through historical figures such as Mahatma Gandhi who had a great influence on Nelson Mandela. There has been a growing friendship of significance again between South Africa and India spearheaded by the Global Teacher Awards.
These awards have seen two public figures Dr. KW Sibiya, as well as Dr. Dinesh Kamra Awards CEO, getting together to form a strong educational bond. After Dr. KW Sibiya won multiple global awards, the two men became good friends and this can only benefit education on both sides.
Dr. Sibiya was invited to the educational tour of India by Dr. Dinesh Kamra, the tour was attended by other education managers from all over the world. Tag My School Magazine spoke to the CEO of Aks Global Education Awards as well as Dr. Sibiya and this is what they had to say:
Educational Tour of India
“In the last several years, as an organization, we have been fortunate enough to construct and develop strong community standards to promote several cross-country relationships and networking opportunities with educators, teachers, and edu-leaders from around the world. Even this year’s mega event saw powerful and influential dignitaries joining the ceremony and had participants from 40 different countries tabling ground-breaking and thought-provoking ideas. Initiating the ‘Educational Renaissance’ and promoting collaboration for the new and modern era of educators, students, and teachers can pave the way forward to ensure success in the field of education for all is something that we reflect upon. Additionally, the inclusion of the pedagogy of happiness and the pedagogy of trust between teachers, students, parents, and educational establishments will work wonders in providing an exceptional standard of education.” CEO Dr. Dinesh Kamra said.
What can we learn from India in terms of Maths and Science?
“India is a widely acclaimed country with mathematical roots leaning back to Ramanujan and Aryabhatta. From discovering the concept of zero to using the decimal system for the first time righteously, the country has a lot to offer to its counterparts. While the curricula and pedagogies related to teaching science and math have been around for a few years which makes them unique and eccentric; the recent introduction of STEM education in the elementary school curriculum which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, has positioned India distinctively on the world map. This will be pivotal for educators around the globe to learn and acknowledge cohesive learning tactics and applied propositions of STEM concepts from Indian educators and teachers which will prove to be a game-changing solution for students to learn and grow around the world.” Dr. Dinesh Kamra continued.
“The Great India Education Fest has played an integral role in opening the door to understanding different education systems, cultures, and history for educators around the world. This provided access to gaining significant knowledge about the pedagogies followed around the world and fostering several meaningful relationships. We’re absolutely positive that this relationship will prove to be exceptionally beneficial for the educators of South Africa and India in numerous ways since this would allow an exchange of the existing methods of teaching and the innovation of new creative ideas that will upskill the educators.” Said Kamra.
“One of the major emphases that this year’s Global Education Fest has witnessed on educators is to promote extensive collaborations and academic partnerships between two or more countries to achieve educational and learning success for students, teachers, and industry stakeholders. South Africa and India share common synergies on so many different accounts that there’s so much to gain from each other. Interlinking the academia of India and Africa will result in strengthening economies as well. Targeted solutions such as quality, accessibility, and infrastructural advancements in South Africa will demonstrate benefits for students and teachers whereas India can use a more systematic and pragmatic approach to its research and development sector by setting up joint research centers. Students-teachers’ joint exchange programs can also aid educational stakeholders to grow and succeed, which will be advantageous for the advancements of the education system of both countries.” Kamra explained.
What does this relationship mean to South Africa and India?
“Dr. Sibiya’s contribution and passion for teaching Math and Science have been commendable. His story of choosing to become a teacher at a young age inspires and showcases his commitment to providing the next generation of learners with quality education. Dr. Sibiya has been associated with AKS Education Awards for a very long time and this relationship has only grown fonder over the years which has fostered several new and audacious ideas. While India and South Africa enjoy cooperation in the education and skill development sector, education in the fields of accountancy, Information Technology, and environmental literacy are a few avenues of partnership that can bolster the success of learning for the future.
Yes, of course! The future for both counterparts seems bright and honest. Immersion visits to different countries for educators, students, and educational faculties provide invaluable global learning. Such initiatives have proven to be beneficial and have also been undertaken to understand and gain knowledge of the education system, varied styles of teaching, access to the international curriculum, and much more about the visiting country. Student-teacher exchange programs accelerate the growth of educators & students and set them up for exchanging immersive experiences to learn, cultivate and gather perspective, skills, and diverse opportunities from top schools and universities.
South Africa and India have enjoyed positive and forward-looking diplomatic relationships for many years now. There’s a need gap for more cultural, foundational, and technical skillset for both countries to work upon. Additionally, there needs to be focused planning for student-teacher exchange programs to grow so that it keeps them abreast with changing and evolving pedagogies and methodologies of the modern world.” Concluded Dr. Dinesh Kamra.
Dr. Sibiya on his experience of the education tour
“This tour was an eye opener, the people of India are very welcoming, we visited schools and what stood out to me is that some of their schools are international, they have learners from all over the world studying in India which speaks of the global impact India has in Education.
Their approach to education is more practical than theory, stuff that we see in our textbooks’ drawings, they instead build it up to make it visible.
They are a sporting nation, and you see this in schools, they really prioritize sports in schools which is something we in South Africa do not pay much attention to. Also, their culture is important to them, again you see in school that the advancement of and of different cultures is important.
All in all, they really love education and they have a global view. Not only do they want to be impacted by the world, but they want to influence and impact world education.
Their curriculum level is much higher than ours, for instance, the stuff they cover in Grade 12 is at the university level in South Africa. Even though they do not have labs similar to us, they have an open space where they have built all the apparatus needed for the syllabus. When they talk about the speed and direction of the ball bouncing, there is space for them to go bounce the ball and prove the theory.
Article by Dumi Mbona