Dr Andile Siyengo

Dr Siyengo joins the Schools Evaluation Authority as a Lead Evaluator

Dr Andile Siyengo matriculated from Fezeka High School in Gugulethu, Cape Town. He enrolled at the University of the Western Cape and later moved to the University of Fort Hare where he graduated with an Honours Degree in Sociology. He later obtained a Masters’ degree from Ohio University in the United States and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in the United States.

He has gained vast experience in all three sectors of the education. He has served for 36 years in the three sectors. He started his career at the University of Fort Hare as lecturer and was later promoted to Senior Lecturer. While at Fort Hare he also collaborated with the Education Policy Unit that was linked to the College of Education. He spent 18 years at the university.

From the university, he moved to take up a middle management position in the Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET) sector as a deputy principal for Research and Institutional Development at Lovedale College. This position was at Deputy Director level. He spent 3 years at that institution.

He then moved to the Western Cape Education Department as Director: Research until the end of November 2023. For the last fifteen years he has been managing the Research Agenda of the Western Cape Education Department. In this regards he has facilitated several internal studies within the WCED and has been a principal collaborator with external researchers doing contracture research for the WCED or other forms of externally initiated research projects.

In addition, he has also been the Project Manager for the WCED Systemic Testing programme. This included arranging and managing the independently administered programme, providing custodial services for data generated by the project and engaging stakeholders on the interpretation and usage of the datasets.

HELéNE VAN ZYL

Helene joins the SEA as a Lead Evaluator

Helene was born in Fraserburg, a small town in the Karoo with a lively community and school environment. She was inspired to become a teacher by exceptional educators such as Mr. George Weideman.

Helene graduated with majors in Geography, Psychology, and Afrikaans-Nederlands, and completed her Higher Education Diploma at the University of Stellenbosch. As the Primaria of Irene ladies' hostel, she took an active role in student leadership.

Her teaching career began at Tygerberg High School. She tutored at Tygerberg College and accepted a position at Heideveld Secondary School. Despite ongoing struggle actions, she established a small boys' gospel choir.

Helene held various positions at De Villiers Graaff High and Primary, Bellville High, and Strand High. She also served as the superintendent of Theresa Girls' Hostel in Villiersdorp, where she managed and cared for 105 girls. As a former Subject Adviser, she provided support to schools across the Western Cape. Her expertise was recognised, and she was appointed as the Assessment Coordinator at Metro East Education District. During that time, she also took on the role of project manager for the Learning Schools Project (LSP), where she successfully turned around the performance of many underperforming high schools.

Subsequently, she was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief Education Specialist (DCES) for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). Her responsibilities included developing assessment policies, circulars, and recording systems and organising conferences to further the WCED’s goals.

As Chief Education Specialist (Circuit Manager) in the Overberg Education District (OED) for ten years, her district was recognised as the best-performing district in South Africa in 2017. Her leadership in the circuit was instrumental in achieving this success. As Acting District Director of OED, she oversaw the management, support and development of all district staff members and schools. Over the last two years as a SEA evaluator, Helene evaluated 65 WCED schools.

Fadia Hassiem

Fadia joined the Schools Evaluation Authority role as Lead Evaluator

Fadia Davids Hassiem matriculated from Harold Cressy High School. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of Stellenbosch. She obtained her undergraduate degree and postgraduate diploma in education from the University of Cape Town.

She is a passionate and experienced English teacher with a career spanning 34 years. She served as Deputy Principal and Head of Academics at Pinelands High School for nearly a decade. Her leadership was instrumental in shaping the academic environment and fostering a culture of excellence within the school community.

Fadia joined the Schools Evaluation Authority (SEA) in January 2022 as a school evaluator with an unwavering focus on assessing and improving educational standards. This paved the way for her current role as Lead Evaluator.

Yolanda Miller

Yolanda joins the SEA Team as a Lead Evaluator

Yolanda was born in Cape Town and matriculated from Fairmount High School, where she developed the love of commerce subjects, especially Accounting.

She matriculated in 1988 and went on to complete her studies at the University of Cape Town, majoring in Accounting, Business Studies and Economics.

Yolanda started her teaching career at Salt River High School in 1993. Yolanda took up a post at Crestway Secondary School in 1998, and headed up the Accounting and EMS Departments.

In 2008 Yolanda was appointed at Norman Henshilwood High School (Normies) as a Business Studies and Economics teacher. Within a year she was promoted to serve on the School Management Team and became the subject head of the Commerce Deparment (Accounting, Economics, Business Studies and Economic Management Sciences).

Yolanda became Departmental Head in 2010. In her time as Accounting subject head, she was acknowledged by the WCED for the remarkable improvement in the school’s Accounting results. Under her leadership, the school consistently achieved a 100% pass rate for Accounting in the NSC examination.

In 2017 Yolanda was promoted to Deputy Principal at Normies. She was part of a team that developed a turn-around strategy with the former Principal David J. Millar, which resulted in Norman Henshilwood being listed as a Top 20 Merit List school and a school of excellence. This experience gave her invaluable experience in serving with excellence, acting with integrity and transparency and promoting accountability.

ZAIDA VAN DER BERG

Zaida has been a Lead Evaluator at the Schools Evaluation Authority since 2021

Zaida Van Der Berg is a Foundation Phase Specialist with extensive experience working with children from birth to 9 years old. Zaida has worked in both urban and rural settings, serving as a Curriculum Advisor for 5 years and as a Deputy Chief Education Specialist (DCES) for 11 years. This has provided her with a broad perspective on education.

Zaida has been a Lead Evaluator at the Schools Evaluation Authority since 2021 and will again be using her expertise to evaluate education provisioning across various learning environments.

Apart from her professional endeavors, Zaida loves travelling and finding inspiration from exploring different cultures and landscapes. Zaida holds a qualification as a soccer referee, which shows her love for soccer.

Zaida firmly believes that providing quality education is possible through the unwavering dedication and passion of teachers. Her commitment is to empower both teachers and learners and is thrilled to share her knowledge and experiences with schools as we look towards shaping the future of education in the Western Cape.

Ruth Raubenheimer

Ruth has been a Lead Evaluator at the Schools Evaluation Authority since 2021

With a prolific career spanning national and international education systems, Ruth Raubenheimer has excelled in diverse leadership roles across primary and high school levels. Her expertise lies in education consultancy, where she has played a pivotal role in school improvement initiatives. Additionally, Ruth has made significant contributions to the development of Mathematics curricula and assessments, advancing educational excellence.

Ruth has accomplished significant personal academic milestones, having successfully earned a master’s in education from Murdoch University and completed a Senior Leadership Program at the University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Ruth's personal achievements and commitment to excellence propelled her to the role of Lead Evaluator at the School Evaluation Authority in Western Cape, South Africa, from October 2021 to September 2023. In this capacity, she conducted meticulous evaluations, ensuring clarity in purpose and procedural detail. Engaging with school leadership, observing lessons, and systematically collecting data, she assessed schools against established standards. Ruth's dedication to transparency and accountability is evident in the comprehensive evaluation reports she provided, facilitating continuous improvement.

As a Mathematics Lead Consultant at Education Development Trust, Ruth collaborated with UNICEF in Jordan to roll out a Learning Support Services programme for the Makani Project.

As the Lead Mathematics Strategist at SAAL Education, Ruth partnered with educational institutions, playing a key role in creating and reviewing online content.

Ruth, with significant tenure at the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) as an Academic Quality Improvement Officer, contributed to innovative school improvement initiatives by actively engaging school leadership.

Before her UAE experience, Ruth demonstrated leadership as a deputy-principal and departmental head in South Africa.

With experience in the education systems of South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ruth brings a comprehensive global perspective, enhancing her ability to navigate and uphold international standards within the education sector.