Temba Maqubela (born 1958) is a South African educator and administrator. He is the eighth and current headmaster of

Groton School Groton School is a Private school, private, college-preparatory school, college-preparatory, day school, day and boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, United States. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcop ...

, the American boarding school, serving since 2013. Before Groton, he spent 26 years at

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

(Andover), eventually rising to faculty dean and assistant head of school for academics.

Early life and education

Maqubela was born in 1958 to Jiyana Maqubela, an accountant, and Shena Matthews, a biology teacher. The family were

Anglicans Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. Maqubela grew up in the mining village of Nonkobe, South Africa. Maqubela is a fourth-generation educator: through his maternal grandmother, his great-grandfather was John Knox Bokwe, the South African composer and educator. Maqubela's maternal grandfather was Z. K. Matthews, the first Botswanan ambassador to the United States and the first black graduate of a South African university. His first cousin is

Naledi Pandor Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor (née Matthews; born 7 December 1953) is a South African politician, educator and academic who served as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation from 2019 until 2024. She also served as a Parliament o ...

, the South African Minister of Home Affairs. Maqubela attended St. John's College, Mtatha, a South African boarding school where his mother was a teacher. He obtained a scholarship to medical school, but in 1976, he was forced to leave school at the age of 17 after the police arrested him for anti-

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

activities. He took advantage of the chaos caused by the

Soweto Uprising The Soweto uprising, also known as the Soweto riots, was a series of demonstrations and protests led by black school children in South Africa during apartheid that began on the morning of 16 June 1976. Students from various schools began to p ...

to escape to

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

, where he obtained

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

, and then moved to

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

for university. Because of his exile, he never obtained a high school diploma. Maqubela obtained a bachelor's of science in chemistry from the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

in Nigeria. During his years at Andover, he also obtained a master's degree in chemistry from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

, graduating in 1994.

Educational career

Early career

After obtaining his bachelor's degree, Maqubela taught at the Maru-a-Pula School in

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...

, Botswana from 1984 to 1986. However, the South African government monitored the activities of black exiles. During the 1985 Raid on Gaborone, Maqubela and his family narrowly escaped being killed when the South African military assaulted the wrong house. The South African government continued to surveil him following the raid. To avoid further persecution, the Maqubela family moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, again obtaining political asylum. To make ends meet, Maqubela briefly worked as a coat checker at the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

and moved his family into a homeless shelter. He eventually obtained a job at Long Island City High School, a public school in Queens, where he spent one year before moving to Andover.

Andover

In 1987, Maqubela moved to Massachusetts to become a chemistry teacher at

(Andover), a private boarding school. He left for two years to study for his master's degree. After returning to Andover, he chaired the chemistry department from 1994 to 1999. He was promoted to faculty dean in 2004 and assistant head of school for academics in 2006. At Andover, Maqubela participated in several programs to improve educational readiness for traditionally underrepresented populations. He directed MS(2), the academy's math and science-focused summer school program for minority students, and started the ACE Scholars Program to "tackle[] the preparation gap among gifted students." He also participated in Andover's global education programs. Maqubela was awarded the White House Distinguished Teacher Award in 1993, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Northeast Section of the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

in 2002.

Groton

In 2012, Maqubela was appointed the eighth headmaster of

, starting in the 2013–14 academic year. From 2014 to 2024, he raised $95 million to support the school's financial aid initiatives.

Other

Maqubela serves on the board of South Africa Partners. He is a co-founder and board director of Masibumbane Development Organisation, an NGO established in 2010 to serve the populations of the Eastern Cape of South Africa. He also serves on the advisory council of the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African secondary institution.

Personal life

Maqubela has been married to educator Vuyelwa Maqubela, the daughter of '' Hill of Fools'' author R.L. Peteni, since 1985. They have three children. His wife taught English at Andover, and subsequently Groton.

Notes

References

* Vance,Valerie
S. Africans on Write Track; US Program Teaches Black Teachers How to Encourage Self-Expression

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

, August 19, 1991 * "Interview with Temba Maqubela on Nelson Mandela."

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

( NPR) December 6, 2013. *Seth Stern
"Summer camp targets high achievers when it counts."

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

. 2002.

HighBeam Research HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was headqua ...

.
It's tough, it's intense - and kids love it

. 2002. HighBeam Research. * Jordana Hart
South African Seeks To Unlock Minds Of A Nation's Children

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

(Boston, MA). 1990. HighBeam Research. (October 16, 2016). * Shari Rudavsky, Globe Correspondent
Summer Of Science Recharges Attitudes
The Boston Globe (Boston, MA). 2002. HighBeam Research. * "Daniel, Nneji, Ayuba, Cynosure of All Eyes At Kora Awards." Africa News Service 19 Dec. 2005. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maqubela, Temba 1958 births American educators Living people South African emigrants to the United States University of Ibadan alumni University of Kentucky alumni