MAKONDE – She worked as a teacher in various primary schools for 44 years and, on September 21, Mrs TK Mokoki, who was attached to Makonde Primary School, retired in style during an event that was held at the school premises.

After completing her diploma at the then Vendaland Training Institution, she was employed as a teacher at Makonde Primary School in 1961. The following year, 1962, she moved to Lukau Primary School and again to Matangari Primary School in the same year. During the period 1963 to 1966, Mokoki was again at Makonde Primary School.

In 1967, she moved to Mawila Primary School in Meadowlands Zone 5, while, the following year, she moved to Livhuwani Primary in Meadowlands Zone 8. In the year 1971, Mokoki went to Mokwaneng Primary near Marble Hall and in 1973, she returned to Makonde Primary until her retirement.

During the function, speaker after speaker hailed her as an educator who loved her work and always did her best in ensuring that learners received quality education. The principal of the school, Mr AR Ravhura, described her as a hard-working and dedicated teacher, who was always committed to shaping the young generation for the future. The circuit manager, Mr Razwiedane, who remarked that, although Mokoki qualified as a teacher during the period of Bantu education, she did not have any difficulty switching over to teaching methods used of late. He said that this poses a challenge to other teachers who are still fresh from college, who are still finding it difficult to cope with the latest teaching methods.

The guest speaker, who also went through her hands, Mr Livhuwani Phophi, urged teachers to work very hard in their profession as well as further their studies. He said that teachers should be inspired by the reitred Mokoki who, in the last 10 years, furthered her studies and acquired two diplomas, despite her age and looming retirement. “Teachers should be proud of their profession and the work they are doing in order to restore the dignity of their profession,” he said.