Lavender Hill High School Tourism teacher wins the GTTP - SA / Travelport Tourism Teacher of the Year award.

Annelize Robson, the Deputy Principal and Tourism teacher at Lavender Hill High School, has won the prestigious national Tourism Teacher of the Year Award. The Tourism Teacher of the Year Award was developed by Global Travel and Tourism Partnership - South Africa (GTTP-SA). The Award Ceremony was held at the National Careers Expo Gala Event in Bloemfontein on 02 October, 2015.

This award gives national recognition to Tourism teachers who make a difference in the lives of the learners, the school and the community where he or she teaches. The Tourism and Travel Subject adviser, Ms Sharmini Naidoo and the principal of the school, Faseeg Manie, must be on top of the world for having their nominee for the Tourism Teacher of the Year Award confirmed to be the best on a national platform.

Profile of Annelize Robson

Annelize Robson has been teaching at Lavender Hill High School for decades. As the Tourism teacher, she has received excellent results for her subject, Tourism, at the school. Her Grade 12 learner cohort often achieved 100% pass rate in the NSC examinations and many of them achieved a bachelors pass in the subject.

Annelize Robson's students have only high praise for her. One of her past students was working for an Italian businessman. This student shared the story of his passionate, caring teacher with this businessman. Then in 2007, the Italian businessman visited Lavender Hill High School unannounced,  wanting to meet Annelize who had made such a profound impact on the young man. The businessman offered to sponsor ten of her learners to go to Italy where they could go for further training in tourism on the spot. Today those learners are working in the travel and tourism industry, where they are successful entrepreneurs.

Acceptance Speech

After Annelize had received the award as the Tourism Teacher of the Year, she made an acceptance speech that captures her passion for teaching.

"From an early age my parents made me understand that I need to always take care of the less fortunate, less privileged and the poor. So when the opportunity arose to join Lavender Hill High School as an educator, I grabbed it with both hands.

Lavender Hill High School is situated on the outskirts of the leafy suburbs of Cape Town. It is gang-infested, drug-ridden, with high unemployment and teenage pregnancy rates. My school would not be the school of choice for many people of Cape Town.

These learners are given little hope to succeed in the face of the almost insurmountable odds they have to face on a daily basis. Teaching in this area was a deliberate choice for me because I am blessed to have found my great passion in life. It is because of my passion, energy, enthusiasm, drive and commitment, that I have always seen these challenges not as burdensome, but as an opportunity to be the change my parents taught me to be.

This award will certainly serve as a vehicle to give a voice to the voiceless, through growing the subject, Tourism, not only at my school, but indeed throughout Cape Town, the Western Cape and my country."


Well done, Annelize. May you continue to inspire your learners, the school and the community. You are indeed a worthy ambassador for all your colleagues in South Africa.