Personal

• Date of Birth: 28 November 1949
• Marital Status: Married

Positions last Held

• Former Premier of the Eastern Cape Province (22 April 2004 - 25 July 2008).

Academic Qualifications

• Junior Secondary Teacher's Diploma from Lovedale Teacher's College.
• Bachelor of Arts degree from Universty of Fort Hare (1976).
• Masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Columbia University Teachers College (1979)
• Attended a four months course on Distance Education from Institute of Education at London University (1992).
• Honorary Doctorate from University of Fort Hare (2002).

Career/Positions/Memberships/Other Activities

• Teacher at Gasela Secondary School (1973 - 1974).
• Teacher at Lovedale Teacher's College (1975 - 1977).
• Founder and Director of Early Learning Centre (1981 - 1982).
• Lecturer Education Psychology at University of Fort Hare (1982 - 1983).
• Lecturer at Cape College Teacher's Education (1984).
• Lecturer at University of Transkei and involved in Collegiate University teaching (1985 - 1987).
• Head of Junior Primary Department at Dr WB Rubusana College of Education (1988 - 1991).
• Department of Basic Adult Education, University of Fort Hare (1991 - 1994).
• MEC for Education and Culture in Eastern Cape Province (1994 - 1999).
• MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture in Eastern Cape Province (1999 - 2004).
• Regional Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) (1990 - 1991).
• Woman of the Year (by readers of the Star, Johannesburg newspaper 1983).
• President of Alice Branch of South African University Women (1983).
• Designed and implemented the curriculum of the Department of Collegiate Education, which resulted in a link between the Colleges, and which led to the establishment of the University.
• Designed pre-primary Bachelor of Education Curriculum, Faculty of Education of Fort Hare.
• Pioneer of three rural pre-schools in Ciskei based on Dr Francis Wilson's findings on poverty.
• Designed and introduced the Amakhaya Home Based Educare programme special emphasis on parental responsibility and participation.
• Introduced breakthrough to Literacy Project (Rhodes University Institute for English in Africa) into 10 lower primary schools, Stutterheim (January 1992).
• Member of Board of Directors, Stutterheim Development Foundation.