Reflections from Mr Bilal Mohamed – Former Zenex Inkanyezi Project Teacher
Behind every transformed classroom and every thriving learner is a teacher whose influence endures far beyond the school gates. Over the past 30 years, the Zenex Foundation has engaged with thousands of hard working and dedicated teachers who are the backbone of the education system. One such teacher is Mr Bilal Mohamed. Mr Mohamed taught Mathematics and Physical Science for 35 years and retired at the end of February 2025.
He states that teaching wasn’t his first choice, “I became a teacher because my parents couldn’t afford university, and there was a bursary available. But once I started, I found passion and purpose. If I had to do it all over again, this time by choice, I would still choose teaching.” For him, teaching was more than just imparting knowledge, it was a calling to serve and to shape young minds.
Mr Mohamed was part of the Zenex Inkanyezi Project. Zenex funded the implementation of the Inkanyezi Project in selected public schools from 2013 to 2018. Its goal was to support black learners with potential from disadvantaged backgrounds to access high-quality education in schools that offered strong teaching and learning in Mathematics, Science and English.
He reflects on his participation in the Inkanyezi Project.
“The project came at a time when I needed professional and personal renewal. It reminded me that as a teacher, you never stop learning”.
While the project’s focus was on learners, its success depended heavily on teachers like Mr Mohamed. Zenex recognised that teacher empowerment is inseparable from learner success, and so, the Inkanyezi Project became a space for educators to grow, learn, and connect.
Through workshops, collaboration sessions, and shared learning environments, the project cultivated a spirit of continuous growth. Teachers were not only delivering extra lessons but also co-creating knowledge, exchanging ideas, and developing reflective practices that enriched their classrooms long after the programme ended.
Inkanyezi provided a comprehensive and holistic development programme to support learners. This included support for academics, socio-emotional aspects, leadership development and pastoral care. In reflecting, Mr Mohamed’s greatest insight from the project was that, “humanity has to be the centre of teaching”.
“At the end of it all, I realised I didn’t want to be remembered for my Physics lessons. I wanted to be remembered for my humanity, my compassion, my empathy, and my kindness. Because being human is the greatest teaching tool of all.”
This human-centred approach not only transforms how learners engage with content, but also how teachers perceive their own roles, shifting from information providers to relationship builders and catalysts for growth.
As Mr Mohamed steps into a new chapter of his life beyond teaching, his reflections remind us that the legacy of a teacher is not found in exam results or lesson plans, but in the lives they touch.
At the Zenex Foundation, we are honoured to have walked alongside teachers like Mr Mohamed, teachers whose resilience, empathy, and dedication have helped us shape a generation of confident, capable learners.
