NATION BUILDING: Born to teach
by Larry Claasen,
2014-11-20 07:01:34.0
AT ONLY 23, Marvin Jutzen is well on his way to becoming a stalwart of the Lotus River community.
Jutzen, who is completing his training to become a teacher in computer applications technology, has been running youth programmes since he was a teenager. While in high school he gave fitness and martial arts lessons and now leads a local hiking group.
He also plays a leading role in many extramural activities, such as helping out with surfing and rowing training for pupils at Lotus High, the school he once attended and is now interning at.
His decision to become a teacher is clearly motivated by his desire to make his community a better place. “I love teaching. I want to help others.”
Teachers like Jutzen, who not only love what they do but also have skills to train youngsters in technology, mathematics and accounting, are clearly what communities like Lotus River needs.
The NDP advocates exposing teachers to the use of technology in their own training and to train them to use it in their teaching.
“Greater use of technology backed by high-speed broadband could open new opportunities not available for learners in disadvantaged schools,” it states.
Jutzen is getting funding from the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme. That is one of several initiatives of the NDP to produce more and better qualified teachers. “In SA, for every teacher there are 33 learners, compared with Botswana where the ratio is 1:22, which is one of the lowest teacher/learner ratios in the world,” he says.
The Funza Lushaka is generous in its support. Not only does it pay for his tuition at Cape Peninsula University of Technology but also gives him extra money as a de facto stipend. “I used it to buy my first laptop computer and a used car,” Jutzen says. In total, Funza Lushaka will pay out R180,000 over four years.
Jutzen could have gotten funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme but as it was loan financing, it would have required him to pay it back. Under Funza Lushaka, Jutzen does not have to pay back the money but has to teach at a public school for the same number of years that he has received the bursary. That policy ensures well-trained teachers are not lost to public education.
Though it is not up to the graduates to choose their schools, Jutzen hopes he gets placed at Lotus River High.
Picture: THINKSTOCK
AT ONLY 23, Marvin Jutzen is well on his way to becoming a stalwart of the Lotus River community.
Jutzen, who is completing his training to become a teacher in computer applications technology, has been running youth programmes since he was a teenager. While in high school he gave fitness and martial arts lessons and now leads a local hiking group.
He also plays a leading role in many extramural activities, such as helping out with surfing and rowing training for pupils at Lotus High, the school he once attended and is now interning at.
His decision to become a teacher is clearly motivated by his desire to make his community a better place. “I love teaching. I want to help others.”
Teachers like Jutzen, who not only love what they do but also have skills to train youngsters in technology, mathematics and accounting, are clearly what communities like Lotus River needs.
The NDP advocates exposing teachers to the use of technology in their own training and to train them to use it in their teaching.
“Greater use of technology backed by high-speed broadband could open new opportunities not available for learners in disadvantaged schools,” it states.
Jutzen is getting funding from the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme. That is one of several initiatives of the NDP to produce more and better qualified teachers. “In SA, for every teacher there are 33 learners, compared with Botswana where the ratio is 1:22, which is one of the lowest teacher/learner ratios in the world,” he says.
The Funza Lushaka is generous in its support. Not only does it pay for his tuition at Cape Peninsula University of Technology but also gives him extra money as a de facto stipend. “I used it to buy my first laptop computer and a used car,” Jutzen says. In total, Funza Lushaka will pay out R180,000 over four years.
Jutzen could have gotten funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme but as it was loan financing, it would have required him to pay it back. Under Funza Lushaka, Jutzen does not have to pay back the money but has to teach at a public school for the same number of years that he has received the bursary. That policy ensures well-trained teachers are not lost to public education.
Though it is not up to the graduates to choose their schools, Jutzen hopes he gets placed at Lotus River High.
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