Respected teacher and Principal, Ms Marietta Westerberg, was honoured by the Council of the University of Johannesburg (UJ), with the Ellen Kuzwayo Award, for her outstanding contribution in the higher education sector on Friday, 22 November 2013.
The Ellen Kuzwayo Council Award recognises excellent contributions beyond the confines of teaching and research by individuals over an extended period of time, to promote the well-being of the higher education sector, as well as the well-being of society in respect of matters in which the University has a particular interest.
As the principal of UJ Metropolitan Academy, a school in Crosby, near Brixton, Johannesburg that is associated with the University and caters for selected high-school learners from disadvantaged communities who demonstrate potential for success in studies at higher education institutions, Ms Westerberg epitomises the values within the Faculty of Education’s conceptual framework for teaching and learning. She is a caring, accountable and critically reflective educator who knows how to maximise learning opportunities for children coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a principal, she is loved and respected by her learners.
Ms Westerberg has been involved in the UJ Metropolitan Academy since 1993, first as Head of Department, then as Deputy-Principal and, since 2009, as Principal.
Her involvement in the school has been marked by commitment and dedication, not only to advance the well-being of learners and teachers in the school, but also in her collaboration with the UJ’s Faculty of Education.
Under Ms Westerberg’s stewardship, the school has been flourishing. The school’s matric results are consistently excellent. In 2012, the school obtained a 100% pass rate and an 84.6% university exemption. The school is annuallyawarded as one of the top schools, as the school’s ex-pupils are among UJ’s top first-year students.
Ms Westerberg has promoted the well-being of the UJ’s Faculty of Education and society beyond the immediate confines of teaching and research over an extended period of time in a manner that finds expression in the vision, mission, core values and strategic goals of the University.
Ms Westerberg, is one of three recipients of the 2013 Ellen Kuzwayo Council Award. The other recipients are motor industry icon, Mr Brand Pretorius, and the founder of the Gift of the Givers – Africa’s largest disaster relief organisation,Doctor Imtiaz Sooliman.
The Ellen Kuzwayo Council Award is in the form of a specially minted medallion and an accompanying protocol.