Transforming Education in Hanover Park: Charnelle Arendse's journey to the global teacher prize

In Hanover Park, where the realities of gangsterism, poverty, and generational trauma form part of everyday life, one classroom at Belmor Primary School has become a sanctuary of hope, dignity and possibility.

At its centre stands Charnelle Arendse - award-winning teacher, community leader and Global Teacher Prize Top 50 finalist - whose work has redefined what it means to teach with purpose in one of Cape Town’s most volatile communities.

Ms Arendse’s story is deeply intertwined with the very challenges her pupils face. Raised on the Cape Flats in Hanover Park, she speaks of her upbringing with honesty and depth.

“My story, like the narratives of my pupils, is like an onion - multi-layered and full of flavour,” she said. “One cannot deny the harsh and harrowing realities of growing up amidst a kaleidoscope of overwhelming social issues like gangsterism and poverty. That is the context.”

Yet, within that context, Ms Arendse discovered an alternative future.

“The library and school served as my passport into another porthole. It shifted my destiny from the predictable future to the preferred.”

She has made it her life’s mission to open that same porthole of possibility for every child who enters her classroom.

Now entering her 16th year at Belmor Primary School, Ms Arendse teaches Grade seven pupils  aged 12 to 14, while also serving as departmental head in the intermediate phase and acting deputy principal.

Her impact, however, extends far beyond curriculum delivery. For 15 years, she has built a classroom culture rooted in belonging, emotional safety, and excellence - one that pupils describe as a space where they are truly seen.

Her innovative teaching philosophy blends social-emotional learning, 21st-century skills, positive discipline, and differentiated instruction. The classroom itself tells the story: personalised desk name cards, heart-shaped photo walls, collaborative group structures, themed emotional well-being days, and a unique anonymous communication box labelled #IWishMyTeacherKnew.

These intentional strategies create trust and emotional literacy while strengthening academic outcomes.

Each week unfolds with signature well-being rituals - Motivational Mondays, Choose-Day Tuesdays, We Rise Wednesdays, Thankful Thursdays, and FriYay.

“Teachers are in the life-changing and life-saving business.

“My purpose, intent, and mission is to open that porthole of possibility to my pupils,” she said.

Her excellence has not gone unnoticed.  Ms Arendse is a multi-award-winning teacher whose accolades include the National Teaching Award for Excellence in Primary School Teaching (Provincial Winner and National Finalist in 2015; Provincial Winner and National Runner-Up in 2022), the Teach the Nation Impact-Driven Leadership Award (2022), the Provincial Life Orientation Award (2024), and the National Ministerial Award for Teaching (2025). Her work has been featured nationally on the television series Breaking the Silence, and she has received multiple community awards, including recognition from the City of Cape Town.

In 2026, her journey reached a global milestone when she was named a Top 50 finalist for the Global Teacher Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious education awards, presented by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO. She was nominated by a veteran educationalist. “When I received the email, I accepted eagerly and delved into the process with great passion and a hopeful heart,” she said.

“I feel bountifully blessed,” she said, adding that she cannot articulate just how grateful she is to God for making it all possible.

"Out of thousands of amazing teachers across the world, 50 were selected. That alone is extraordinary. This award is incredibly special because it is indicative of the fact that teachers are M.A.D. - Making A Difference,” she said.

“It is dedicated to all teachers on the Cape Flats who try to deliver quality education amidst overwhelming social challenges. It tells us that something good can come from Hanover Park -  and the answer is a resounding yes.”

Ms Arendse has pioneered high-impact social response initiatives that remove barriers to learning, including the Sow-A-Sandwich project addressing childhood hunger, Sole Mates providing school shoes, Sanitary Savvy combating period poverty, and the Care Closet, where learners “shop” for clothing at no cost. Through these initiatives, thousands of children have received food, shoes, clothing, and sanitary products.

“These projects teach compassion, empathy, and civic responsibility, ”she said, adding that they show pupils that they are not powerless and that they can be part of the solution.

Beyond this, she has mentored 12 published authors under the age of 12 through a partnership with Via Africa, and serves as a curriculum leader, youth mentor, athletics coach, drama facilitator, and co-curricular coordinator. She collaborates with Teach the Nation, Edufundi, Growsmart, SADTU, the Western Cape Education Department, and multiple NGOs, while facilitating workshops at the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute and representing educators at national conferences.

Her classroom also serves as a gateway to the world. Through digital pen-pal exchanges with Norway, World Café dialogues, climate action projects, recycling initiatives, a school garden, and global-issues panels, Ms Arendse embeds global citizenship and sustainability into everyday learning.

If awarded the Global Teacher Prize, Ms Arendse plans to establish a smart technology laboratory at Belmor Primary School to close the digital divide for 744 pupils, while expanding her feeding and clothing initiatives to reach even more families.

“Exposure enlarges. This is a personal victory, a community win, and a platform to grow. I am looking forward to collaborating, learning from global peers, and expanding impact.”

When asked how she would like to be remembered one day, her answer is simple yet profound: “A legacy of love, compassion, and civic responsibility - to make the world a better place.”