His dawn, dusk and Saturday classes turned a struggling Limpopo school around

Abiud Prosper Baloyi teaches Physical Sciences at Mugwazeni Secondary School in Limpopo, South Africa — and for years he has opened his classroom before sunrise, after sunset, and on Saturdays for any student who wants extra help. Since he took charge of the school’s Grade 12 program in 2024, the school has climbed from chronic underperformance to a 100% pass rate, with a distinction in Physical Sciences in the first term of 2026. He also started a free community academy giving extra science classes to hundreds of learners nearby — and several of his former pupils are now training to become science teachers themselves. South Africa’s Department of Basic Education honored him at the 26th National Teaching Awards.