Press Release for A Legacy of Learning: Celebrating 20 years of The Stella Clark Teachers’ Award.

On the 7 October 2025, the Centre for Higher Education, UCT and HCI Foundation will celebrate 20 years of the Stella Clark Teachers’ Award at a retrospective event which will bring together the award-winning teachers from the last twenty years, past UCT students who have nominated them, people from across the education sector and academics. As we mark World Teachers’ Day, the award will foreground the value and impact of excellent teachers and reflect on the ways in which new teachers and academics can learn from the award-winning teachers’ practices.

The Stella Clark Teachers’ Award was established by Professor Kevin Naidoo and his sons in 2005 in honour of the late Stella Clark, an extraordinary teacher and lecturer in the Centre for Higher Education Development. The award acknowledges the work of exceptional teachers who go beyond the call of duty to motivate and inspire their learners to perform well despite their sometimes poverty-stricken circumstances.

It is particularly significant that nominations for this award come from University of Cape Town students who describe in detail the disposition, teaching methods and mentorship of the teachers they believe helped make it possible for them and others to pursue their dream of gaining access to higher education. In so doing, the students make visible the practices of the many teachers who work tirelessly in mainly under-resourced, over-crowded school environments to ensure that their learners grow and thrive.

Over the last few months, we have had the privilege of interviewing past award winners and student nominators to celebrate their excellent contribution to the teaching profession, to learn from their practice, and to understand the impact of the award on their practice.

They are all teachers who have a sustained record of outstanding examination results, that include many distinctions and successful graduates. Underpinning this achievement, are fascinating narratives of resourceful, resilient individuals who engage in intentional and reflective teaching and learning strategies and care for their well-being. They are role-models who inspire a love of learning, nurture the dreams of young people and create opportunities for their fulfilment.

The teachers’ stories are captured in the booklet and video. Join us in learning from these unsung heroes of the teaching profession, who teach with heart and make a difference in the lives of so many young people.

For an electronic copy of the book: A Legacy of Learning

please scan here: