As a pastor of the Christian Restoration Church, Albert Raphunga’s responsibilities do not end with preaching in church. A teacher at Marude Secondary School for Science, Commerce and Technology in Thohoyandou, Raphunga recently made headlines when his school presented him with a special trophy for being the best English teacher.

Since he started teaching Grade 12 English in 2003, Raphunga has been producing a 100% pass rate each year. Last year, the dedicated teacher-cum-priest again produced a 100% pass rate, this time with 8 distinctions. He teaches both grammar and literature.

In an interview with Mirror, Raphunga says the secret behind his success is hard work, team work, networking and proper time management. "I never procrastinate and I make friends with people whom I know I will learn from. I also go to other schools to learn how they work, so that I can also use the knowledge to benefit my learners."

Raphunga, who stays at Gokolo village, near Sibasa, says the power of prayer helps him to succeed in everything he does. "I pray each time before I go to class, to ask God to help me so that learners can understand what I teach them. I know I cannot achieve anything on my own because I belong to the Lord," he says, while displaying his trophy.

He says he also gives his learners extra lessons after school and on Saturdays. "I give my learners class work on a daily basis and also make sure that they respond to what I teach, in writing. I also make sure that I complete the syllabus early. When the examinations come, I know that my learners will be ready and are only waiting to write, hence the acquisition of top results."

He continues and tells Mirror another secret: "I also make sure that I become accessible to the learners and make friends with them. This helps them to ask questions without fear and it leads to the smooth running of the lessons."

He added that there are different stakeholders who contribute to his success. "I will never forget to thank the school’s leadership, parents, fellow educators and learners because I wouldn’t have achieved this on my own."