SA’s AI future is leaving millions behind
On the surface, South Africa's digital credentials tell only part of the story. The country ranks 46th out of 147 economies in Microsoft's Global AI Diffusion Report for Q1 2026, ahead of every other African country measured, and its generative AI usage has risen to...
Why universities are turning off the ‘AI polygraph’
By 2026, the initial panic that greeted the launch of generative AI in higher education has transitioned into a complex, high-stakes standoff. At the heart of this conflict are AI checkers - software designed to catch students using tools like ChatGPT. However, a...
AI-backed platform targets inequality in early learning
South Africa's early childhood development (ECD) sector is facing mounting pressure to improve learning outcomes amid persistent educational inequality and a deepening literacy crisis. In response, The Unlimited Child, South Africa's largest non-profit ECD...
How can we secure the foundation of digital education for Gen Alpha?
If the future of South Africa is shaped by the opportunities we create for young people today, then the promise of a digital education and the opportunities it provides is one of our most important and urgent endeavours. So too is the digital security of Gen Alpha’s...
Classroom AI is here: Now schools need the rules to govern it
The question is no longer whether artificial intelligence belongs in South African classrooms. It is already there, formally through approved school platforms, and informally through learner usage and teacher experimentation. By Willem Kitshoff, CEO of d6 The real...
We are educating for a world that no longer exists
South Africa keeps talking about job creation while ignoring the far more uncomfortable truth: millions of young people are entering the economy unprepared for the jobs that actually exist. The country is not short on talent, it is short on digital skills development,...
Students as consumers: what higher ed can learn from Netflix, Spotify, Uber
Students arrive in higher education with mindsets and habits shaped by the digital platforms they use every day. Netflix, Spotify and Uber have normalised daily life experiences that feel simple, personalised, immediate and intuitive, and this has raised students’...
When screen time for kids is a bridge to learning, not a barrier
Screen time is bad for children, right? Artificial intelligence is killing critical thinking, correct? I beg to differ. By Kate Groch, CEO of the Good Work Foundation In the rural areas where I’ve worked as an educator for the past 20 years, technology is being used...
SA repeats old education mistakes as AI emerges
A pattern is emerging within our schooling system that needs highlighting as South Africa faces its next major technology decision. In coding and robotics, with the best intentions, directives were given, curriculum was developed, and then the move forward stalled. We...
When a school is offline, opportunity is not just delayed, it is denied
South Africa has approximately 23,000 public schools, yet around 17 000 remain completely offline. That means only about 6 000 have some form of internet connectivity, while roughly 74% of public schools have no access at all - not for teaching and learning, not for...
When screen time for kids is a bridge to learning, not a barrier
Screen time is bad for children, right? Artificial intelligence (AI) is killing critical thinking, correct? I beg to differ, writes Kate Groch, CEO of the Good Work Foundation. In the rural areas where I’ve worked as an educator for the past 20 years, technology is...
Rustenburg, Orbit TVET strengthen skills development partnership
Rustenburg Local Municipality and Orbit TVET College have strengthened their working relationship through a collaborative skills development programme aimed at upskilling municipal employees with accredited training. The initiative follows an internal skills...