Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has acknowledged the country's teachers on World Teachers Day by thanking them for their excellent contribution to educating and developing children and opening brighter horizons for their future.
"Our teachers work hard day in and out, sometimes under difficult conditions, sometimes putting extra hours even on weekends to ensure that our children attain good results," said Zuma in a statement on Friday.
He said that in most cases teachers went beyond the call of duty of just teaching by being secondary nurturers and counsellors to children without much recognition from society.
"As we celebrate World Teachers Day we would like to applaud all teachers for their hard work and continuous dedication to this noble profession. Your efforts are not going unnoticed. As government we recognise your hard work," the President said.
He encouraged children and learners to respect and support their teachers as well as urged them to understand how important any teacher's job is.
"As we observe this day, I also call upon teachers to reflect on their importance in society. The success of our learners is to a large extent determined by the level of effort and commitment that is put in by our teachers.
"Thus it is vital that our teachers are in school, in class, on time, teaching for at least seven hours a day," said Zuma.
He added that by working together with teachers, the country could achieve excellent academic results and ensure that South Africa becomes a well-educated nation. - SAnews.gov.za
