2019 NW ENGLISH LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (NWELA) SYMPOSIUM

The North West Department of Education hosted the 2019 NWELA Symposium, at Potchefstroom Gymnasium on Friday 18 October 2019.

North West English Language Association(NWELA) is a provincial structure that was launched in the North West Province on the 31st of August 2018. NWELA is under the National Association of English Teachers of South Africa ( NAETSA) a brainchild of the minister of Basic Education, Mme Angie Motshegoa.

The mandate of NAETSA is to ensure that all nine Provinces establish their own Provincial Association of English Language. NAETSA is therefore a coordinating structure and umbrella body for all English Language Teachers at all levels of South African Education System.

In addressing the 500 teachers and stakeholders who attended the symposium, the Deputy Director General for Curriculum and Examination, Mr Prince Masilo said that the formation of NWELA should assists the Department to improve on poor performance identified on languages, especially English content and reading for our learners. The DDG pleaded with the association to come up with a better way to address all language gaps without relying on stakeholders and to ensure that there is a remarkable change on that aspect in the province.

The Chief Education Specialist, Dr JAT Tholo took the audience through challenges and advantages of a Subject Association and reminded and encouraged everyone to support our learners when they write English paper one, on the 23rd of October 2019.

The objectives of the Symposium are:

• to ensure that the Vision , Mission and Aims of the National Association of English Language Teachers of South Africa ( NAESTA) are realized.
• to create platform for English Language Teachers of South Africa( ELT) that will encourage research on the subject
• to introduce and unveil the intensions and approaches of NWELA to teachers and other relevant stakeholders working within the education sector and to discuss, interrogate and share best practices and information in English Language Teachers.