Teachers are not “kind of” a big deal, they are a big deal.

“Teacher: (n) tee-cher: A multitasking educational rock-star who lives to inspire and loves to encourage. They’re kind of a big deal.” Waterstone Notebooks

Sandra Nyika from Zimbabwe, an educator by profession and an alumnus of the Education Changemakers Program has proven through her dedication, passion, and commitment to the field that teacher’s are a “big deal”.

Sandra is an educator and one of the founders of Jenesis Empowerment Trust, a youth-led non-profit working to empower women and youth through innovative and inclusive approaches to education. She is also the founder of Fundo Groups.

Fundo Groups is a virtual WhatsApp tutoring class where carefully and innovatively planned lessons are delivered to learners. The group was established during the COVID-19 lockdown to help learners in Zimbabwe adjust to the disruption to learning. As a result, The Fundo platform reached over 500 learners who will sit for the national examination in November 2020.

Sandra says her initiative received positive feedback from both parents and learners. Learners welcomed the opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment that improves concentration and Teachers who signed up to help with the Fundo classes do so on a voluntary basis. The Fundo platform provides both peer to peer learner interaction and Teacher professional development. She hopes to grow her virtual classroom into a reputable online school.

Sandra certainly deserves the “Rock-star Teacher” award!

Happy World Teacher’s Day!