UJ yields 308 top achieving first-years
AUCKLAND PARK - 308 First-years rewarded for academic performance at UJ.
UJ yields 308 top achieving first-years
Lesego Maja
lesegomaja@caxton.co.za
Beyond the liberty of living alone in communes and apartments during that first year of tertiary study, there is that great feeling of achieving the grades that students work hard to obtain.
A total 308 University of Johannesburg (UJ) first-years obtained an average of 75% or above in their June 2013 examinations, UJ announced recently.
UJ media liaison Herman Esterhuizen believes this exceptional performance “demonstrates the University of Johannesburg’s commitment to support its first-time entering students from school-to-university transition
and complements the strategic direction of the institution”.
A key programme that contributed to such a high yield of top achieving first-years is UJ’s First Year Experience Programme (FYE), with the involvement of highly capable tutors.
The First Year Experience Programme is an initiative offering academic skills reinforcement with an accent on students mentoring fellow students,” said Esterhuizen.
“1 285 student tutors, selected from third-year level, and up, do well academically, are good communicators, are able to identify with students’ needs and act as an interface between students and teaching staff.”
In addition, UJ has introduced academic advisors to assist students living in on campus and approved off campus residential facilities. “Under UJ’s Academic Excellence Programme, 250 student advisors are serving 2 000 first-years in 25 residences,” Esterhuizen said.
Some of the students who obtained an average of 87% or are Rezanne Neethling, Melissa Annandale and twin sisters Bianca and Talia Fisher. Six of the top achieving students were previously enrolled in the UJ Metropolitan Academy in Crosby, Johannesburg, where they matriculated.
“UJ Metropolitan Academy is the University’s high school and is co-sponsored by Metropolitan,” said Esterhuizen.
“The Academy nurtures selected high school learners from disadvantaged communities who demonstrate potential for success in studies at higher education institutions,” he added.
