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He’d dedicated his adult life to education and was looking forward to his retirement – to devote more time to his hobbies, relax with his wife and spend more time with his kids and grandchildren.
But Riyaadh Najaar had barely taken off his tie when he was summoned back to the principal’s office. His skills were needed, the education department told him, and he needed to work his magic on struggling schools in the Cape metropole.
And so the 68-year-old left his retirement in his living room and rolled up his sleeves again. First he took the reins at Windsor High, then Princeton High, then Livingstone High and most recently at Alexander Sinton, which is where we meet him.
Riyaadh is in the process of wrapping up his stint at the school in Athlone, Cape Town. He was brought in last year to do what he does best – help matrics and improve the pass rate at the school.
It’s a case of mission accomplished. Under his watch the school saw an improvement in the matric pass rate of over 30%, from 60% in the September 2022 mock exams to 91% in the finals.
He’s now preparing to hand over to the new principal, Ashrif Barday. “I really feel privileged to have been able to serve for this short period because I see a lot of potential at this school,” Riyaadh says. “But we’re still thinking of the 9% of the learners who failed.”
Riyaadh’s calm demeanour and the extra care and consideration he has for struggling pupils makes him stand out.
“In order to get results, one needs to focus on the learners who are struggling,” he says. “A team is only as strong as the weakest link.”
Riyaadh was principal of Spine Road High School in Mitchells Plain for 25 years and under his stewardship it became one of the top schools in the area.
In 2014 and 2017 the school had a 100% pass rate, most of them university passes. Riyaadh says he’s humbled to have had this “special period” in his life. “I remember in 1993, when I went to my first meeting with the education department as principal, Spine Road had the worst matric results in Mitchell's Plain. I sat there and I vowed that never again would we fail our children in this in this way.”
Returning to school after retiring wasn’t his idea. “But when I saw the matric results, I knew I had to do it for the children.”
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Riyaadh’s love of teaching comes from his parents. His dad, Sheikh Abubaker Najaar, was a religious leader at Muir Street Mosque and his mom, Shariefa, was a teacher.
“I can only thank my parents for being such great teachers who inspired me to do things honestly and to do them well.”
Riyaadh, who grew up in Strand near Cape Town, knew he wanted to become a teacher when he was a learner at Harold Cressy High School in District Six.
“My mentor was my principal, Victor Richie, who’s still alive and who, as fate would have it, is my neighbour. I learned so much from him.”
After matric he studied at the Hewat Teacher Training College in Athlone and began his career at South Peninsula High School in 1976.
He taught at several schools before he was transferred to Spine Road in 1984, where he taught history, English and Afrikaans before becoming principal in 1993, a position he held until he retired in 2018.
He was looking forward to his retirement, he admits. “But I was called in by the education department to run Windsor.”
Windsor High School had lost their principal and before a permanent one was appointed the department wanted Riyaadh to be the caretaker headmaster and improve the matric results.
He was such a success the jobs kept coming. He’d step into take care of schools where the principal’s position was vacant and where pass rates were low.
So what’s his secret?
The teachers are the first thing he considers. “They are the key to the success of any institution. It’s never the children – it’s how we approach them and how we can make them see themselves as successful.”
He makes sure he understands a school’s teaching methods, makes a point of walking unannounced into classrooms to observe lessons and makes sure he gets to know every member of staff, from teachers to cleaners.
He also doesn’t hesitate to set new rules. At Alexander Sinton, for example, he extended the length of the school day for matrics, brought in extra tutors and added Saturday classes.
“We had meetings with the parents to get them on board,” he adds. “The matrics didn’t leave the school after the valedictory day either – we had normal classes for them right up to the week they started writing their final exams.”
This was to help ensure they studied and that help would be on hand if they needed it.
He also isn’t afraid to speak up if he disagrees with a school policy or decision.
“If I think it will negatively affect the children, then I’ll fight tooth and nail not to have it implemented.”
Riyaadh bemoans the closure of teacher training colleges in South Africa because he believes teacher training is at the heart of everything.
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Students are now trained to be teachers at universities and universities of technology but, while they have practical training in their second or third year, teacher training colleges put more emphasis on the practical side and on the classroom side. This isn’t the case anymore.
“The lecturers and professors at universities haven’t been in the system for many years, so they’re not exposed to the daily reality of teaching,” he says.
Riyaadh says he wouldn’t have accomplished much in life if it weren’t for Rochan Najaar (60), his wife of 35 years.
“She’s my crutch. She’s also a teacher and she’s been very supportive of the many hours I spent at school because she knew I had a passion for teaching and wanted to do things right.”
The father of six and grandfather of eight enjoys spending time with his family and outdoors, where he walks with a group of retirees twice a week.
Riyaadh also loves spending time with his racing pigeons, a hobby he’s enjoyed since he was four years old. He has more than 200 pigeons in his coops at home.
“I have more time for my pigeons now,” he says. “When these birds fly, they fly with only one thought on their mind – that’s you and their loft. It’s the most amazing thing.”
Now that another school secondment is done and dusted and another batch of youngsters has flown the classroom, is he ready for the next school?
“No,” he says. He’s done now. He’ll keep mentoring teachers and young principals but he’s finally ready to enjoy his retirement.
“I think Alexander Sinton was my swan song. I’m always open to giving advice and support, but I wouldn’t want to be in a formal position as a principal again. Not because I didn’t like it, but because of the demands. And also, I believe staff from within should be developed,” he says.
He’d rather help several people from as many schools as possible, rather than focus on one school at a time. That way a positive impact can be made on the lives of as many children as possible.
“That’s why we become teachers,” he says.
