Micheal Ludick, principal of Kimberley Technical High School (THS), is heading to China to enhance his educational expertise after being named national winner in excellence in Secondary School Leadership at this year’s National Teaching Awards in Johannesburg.
This event is annually hosted by the Department of Basic Education to recognise and celebrate outstanding educators. The awards acknowledge teachers who achieve extraordinary results, often under challenging circumstances, with categories including Grade R, primary and secondary school teaching and leadership, special needs teaching, and subject-specific excellence.
The 38-year-old Ludick expressed shock and honour at receiving the award, particularly given his age compared to other nominees and the significant impact other principals have made across the country.
“The award serves as a platform to demonstrate that technical schools and their learners can compete and excel nationally, even against mainstream academic schools,” he says. “The school will be featured on an SABC programme highlighting leading technical schools.”
Ludick says the award recognises the multidimensional approach implemented at the school.
“Our vision focuses on being a leading technical institution, implementing a technical curriculum, a three-stream model, and equipping learners with 21st-century skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
Central to his success is a measurable, scalable, and implementable educational leadership and management model that has transformed Kimberley THS from a previously struggling institution into a national leader in technical education.
Showing significant performance
Under his four-year leadership, the school’s academic performance has significantly improved, achieving better pass rates and producing a top achiever in the Northern Cape. The school also excels in extracurricular achievements, implementing various sports programmes and becoming a focus centre for the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture.
Learners have won national competitions, including winning the Heritage Educational Outreach programme twice. The school was the first from the Northern Cape to participate in the Constitutional Board, and the provincial junior station commissioner is from the school.
Ludick’s approach focuses on developing learners into job creators rather than just job seekers, ensuring they are employable upon graduation. This includes fostering innovative solutions, with 14 learners receiving bursaries from the Department of Water and Sanitation for their innovations.
The school has established strong relationships with external companies like Komatsu and Beefmaster, and actively collaborates with universities.
Kimberley THS is a national leader in implementing the General Education Certificate (GEC) and pioneering models for integrating technical subjects – mechanical, civil, and electrical technology – into the curriculum, which are now being adopted across South Africa.
Leadership model centred on empowerment
The award includes international study opportunities in Denmark and China, valued at R250 000. Ludick plans to learn from these countries’ educational models and bring back best practices to the Northern Cape and South Africa.
He is currently pursuing a master’s in Educational Leadership and Management, specialising in Technical Education, with the goal of creating a universally applicable educational model for South Africa.
His leadership model is centred on empowering educators, learners, and parents through shared decision-making, acknowledgement, and selflessness. He aims for Kimberley THS to become an international benchmark for technical education.
Ludick emphasises the importance of a positive mindset, hard work, and believing in one’s potential, regardless of humble beginnings like his own in Wrenchville, Kuruman.
“I want to inspire learners from Kimberley and the Northern Cape to realise that achieving greatness is possible. I want learners from cities and small towns to know that you can come from small beginnings, but you determine your achievements through working hard, putting in the effort, and caring about other people.”
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