The story of ELF
There would be no ELF Montessori without Hawa Tayob (Educational psychologist) – [B.Ed; MA (Ed. Psych); Mont Dip. 0-6].
Having taught in private schools both in South Africa and abroad and having studied the Montessori approach to education, I became passionate about making this pedagogy accessible to the more disadvantaged communities of South Africa. In 1989, on my return from the USA, I was the only black qualified Montessori preschool teacher and discovered that although Montessori schools had existed in South Africa since 1985, they were only located in affluent white neighbourhoods. This was despite the fact that most research documented on the Montessori preschool shows the benefits for low-income communities.
An opportunity arose when in 1995; I was invited to introduce Montessori to a pre-school in the Salt River community of Cape Town. This preschool mainly served the children of factory workers. This opportunity allowed me to realise my passion to bring quality preschool education to children from impoverished communities and to empower women. This project gave birth to the Early Learning Foundation Montessori Teacher Training (ELF Montessori).
As the organization grew, a management board composed entirely of women was formed and ELF Montessori was registered as a Non Profit organisation (048-964-NPO). In order to facilitate donations, ELF Montessori applied for and obtained an 18A Tax-Exempt Status.
With the emergence of the South African Qualifications Authority, the ELF team worked hard to register its courses with the relevant sector. In 2004, the ETDP SETA granted ELF full accreditation to train students on the SAQA NQF Levels 4 & 5 (ETDP-581PAA060704-FO197). ELF has continued to grow from strength to strength. In 2008 ELF won an ABSA/Unicef award for Best Resource & training organisation of the year (Provincially) and and again in 2012 an ELF lecturer, Shamiemah Jassiem won the ABSA/Unicef award for Best ECD Trainer of the year.
Today ELF Montessori is a fully fledged tertiary institution providing quality Montessori training to people from all walks of life.
A short biography on Hawa Tayob:
Hawa matriculated from a government school in Kwa Duguza, Kwa Zulu Natal. Since then she have completed a Montessori Teachers Diploma (AMS, USA), a B.Ed (Educational Psychology and Psychometric) at the University of Cape Town, a Master’s Diploma in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology.
Hawa has over 10 years of teaching experience in South Africa, the U.S.A. and the Netherlands. In addition she worked in an NGO environment as a literacy coordinator, gaining experience in materials development and teacher training. As a consultant she has been part of the South African audit team on Inclusive Education for the National Department of Education and gave a series of lectures on Montessori at the Protea Teacher Training College in Bellville, Cape Town. In addition she has also conducted a number of Montessori workshops for women from rural communities in Groutville Kwa-Zulu Natal; the Western Cape, and presented at several conferences. She is currently the founding director of The Early Learning Foundation Montessori Teacher Training (ELF MTT).
