By Lebone Rodah Mosima

Isuzu Motors South Africa and READ Educational Trust are moving their three-year Rally to Read literacy programme into a sustainability phase after reporting improved literacy results at three Gqeberha primary schools.

The programme, implemented at Khulile Primary School, St Albans Primary and Kayser Ngxwana Primary School, has focused on teacher development, learner support, reading materials, community engagement and tools to track learner progress.

At Khulile Primary School in Motherwell, Grade 3 English First Additional Language marks improved from an average of 58.74% in 2023 to 68.70% in 2025, while Grade 4 results rose from 57.28% to 60.93% over the same period, according to the statement.

“Through Rally to Read, our focus has been on building a strong literacy foundation while equipping schools with practical tools to sustain progress beyond the programme,” said Nandi Matomela, Department Executive: Corporate Affairs at Isuzu Motors South Africa.

The programme has included teacher training, age-appropriate books, Early Grade Reading Assessment tools, home-reading initiatives and digital literacy support.

“The improvements achieved over this period reflects the impact of structured, sustained collaboration, highlighting the importance of consistent support, capacity-building, and strong partnerships in driving meaningful change, and we remain committed to ensuring that schools are equipped to sustain and build on this progress over the long term,” Matomela said.

As the schools enter an independence phase, the focus will shift to consolidating gains and strengthening each school’s ability to continue improving literacy outcomes without direct programme support.

Isuzu said it would continue supporting the initiative while identifying a new group of beneficiary schools in Nelson Mandela Bay for the next phase.

To support the sustainability phase, Isuzu and READ Educational Trust are providing READ boxes containing books by South African authors, including Refiloe Moahloli’s We Are One and Sihle Nontshokweni’s Wanda series.

“Literacy programmes like Rally to Read do more than improve reading outcomes; they open up worlds, strengthen critical thinking, and empower children to shape their future. By investing in reading, we nurture a confident and capable generation,” said Nontshokweni.

Moahloli said representation in children’s books was important for building confidence.

“When children see themselves and their lives reflected in the stories they read, they experience them as a celebration of who they are. Reading books that enable this therefore becomes an exciting and enlightening journey, building self-esteem and self-awareness, affirming their importance and inherent value in society,” she said.

Linda Miranda Nonxuba, principal of Khulile Primary School, said the programme had made a meaningful difference.

“We have seen improved learner confidence, stronger reading outcomes, and inspired learners. The support provided has strengthened our teaching approach, and the school is now better positioned to sustain and build on this progress.”

Isuzu said its broader support for schools had also included the refurbishment of St Albans Primary School and the donation of 320 pairs of school shoes to learners at Kayser Ngxwana Primary School through its Adopt-a-School initiative.

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By Levy Masiteng 

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has retained its position as Africa’s leading university in the QS World University Rankings 2027, despite dropping 34 places globally.

UCT was ranked 184th in the latest rankings, published on 18 June, making it the highest-ranked university on the continent.

The institution said that although it had fallen from 150th position in the 2026 rankings, it had maintained its place among the world’s top 200 universities for a fourth consecutive year.

“This achievement places UCT among the world’s top 2%, out of 8 808 universities evaluated, and reflects the dedication, excellence and resilience of our staff and students,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela.

“Our continued leadership in Africa demonstrates the enduring strength of UCT’s academic project and our contribution to scholarship, research, innovation and societal impact.”

The university improved its academic reputation ranking to 179th globally, rising four places from the previous year. UCT said this reflected growing recognition from academics around the world for the quality and impact of its teaching and research.

UCT also said it improved in employment outcomes, rising to 40th globally from 49th in the previous rankings.

Among its other achievements, UCT said it was ranked in the global top 50 for international research networks and in the top 100 for sustainability.

The university placed 31st globally for international research collaboration and joint 59th for sustainability performance.

“While rankings do not define who we are, they do provide useful external benchmarks of our performance,” Moshabela said.

“UCT’s continued position as Africa’s leading university reflects the collective efforts of our community and our unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching, research, innovation and social responsiveness.”

He added that the university remained focused on strengthening academic excellence, expanding research impact, enhancing graduate success and deepening international partnerships.

“We should take pride in this achievement while recognising that there is always room to do better,” Moshabela said.

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By Lebone Rodah Mosima

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has welcomed the launch of the Charlotte Maxeke Educational Fund, saying it should help keep young women in higher education, particularly those pursuing science-related studies.

The fund was launched during the 125th Graduation Anniversary Memorial Lecture of Charlotte Makgomo Mannya-Maxeke.

“Tonight, in this very programme, the Charlotte Maxeke Educational Fund is launched: private generosity reaching out a hand to a young woman whose studies are at risk, with a special care for those pursuing the sciences. The same degree Maxeke earned,” Manamela said.

“I want to say to the founders of that Fund, and to the philanthropists and institutions in this room: this is how it should be. The public purse and the private hand, pulling the same young person through the same open door. The education she earned in exile is, at last, working for our democracy at home.”

Manamela used the lecture to link the fund to Maxeke’s own journey from singer to scholar, activist and organiser. He said Maxeke travelled abroad with an African choir in the late 19th century before enrolling at Wilberforce University in Ohio.

“One hundred and twenty-five years ago today on the 20th of June 1901, a young woman from this country walked across a stage in Ohio and was handed a degree. A Bachelor of Science. She was the first Black woman in this part of the world ever to hold one. Her name was Charlotte Makgomo Mannya-Maxeke,” he said.

Manamela said Maxeke’s legacy was not only about academic achievement, but about using education to serve others.

“She could have stayed where her degree was worth something. She returned instead to a land where her qualification was an insult to the order of things — and she put every page of it to work. The education she earned abroad, she spent at home, on her people, for her people,” he said.

He said South Africa had made major progress since Maxeke’s time, with women now making up the majority of university students.

“The country that refused Charlotte Maxeke a university has become a country in which the majority of our university students are women. Read that sentence slowly. The doors that were bolted against her are the doors through which her granddaughters now pour,” Manamela said.

“That is not an accident of history. It is the work of a democracy that decided education would no longer be a privilege rationed by birth.”

However, he said the work of expanding access was not complete, particularly in student funding.

“We have built a national financial aid system that has carried millions of young people — most of them young women, many of them the first in their families to see the inside of a lecture hall — from the township and the village to the graduation stage,” he said.

“We are not finished, and I will not pretend to you that we are. We are reforming how we fund our students so that the promise is not only generous but durable — so that the child who qualifies in 2040 finds the door as open as the child who qualifies today.”

Manamela said the central lesson of Maxeke’s life was that education should not only benefit the individual.

“That is the whole of it. That is the difference between an education that liberates a people and a qualification that merely rescues an individual,” he said.

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Staff Reporter

Stronger partnerships with business, civil society and development organisations are needed to ensure menstruation does not prevent girls from attending school or participating fully in education.

This was according to Deputy Minister of Basic Education Dr Reginah Mhaule, who made the remarks at the Menstrual Hygiene Gala Dinner this weekend.

“Menstrual dignity is fundamentally linked to educational access, learner wellbeing and gender equality. By working together, we are not only addressing immediate needs but also creating conditions that enable young women and girls to participate fully in education and realise their potential,” she said.

Mhaule said no girl learner should be denied “her right to education, dignity and opportunity as a result of menstruation”.

The event recognised the role of partners including the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Premier FMCG, Lil-Lets, the Baithudi Mampane Foundation, UNICEF, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, provincial education departments, development partners and civil society organisations in supporting access to menstrual hygiene products and services for learners.

“Achieving menstrual dignity is not a responsibility that government can fulfil alone. The progress we are witnessing today is a direct result of meaningful collaboration between government, business, civil society and development partners who have committed themselves to ensuring that every girl learner can attend school with confidence, dignity and pride,” said Mhaule.

The department said the Sanitary Dignity Programme and related interventions had helped expand access to menstrual hygiene products, support awareness and advocacy initiatives, reduce stigma, and create safer and more supportive learning environments for girls.

Mhaule said the event reflected a national commitment to tackling period poverty and keeping menstrual health within efforts to improve learner wellbeing, educational outcomes and gender equality.

“The future looks bright for this important government-led initiative. The strength of the partnerships that have been forged demonstrates what is possible when the public and private sectors work together in pursuit of a common goal. Together, we are moving closer to a South Africa where menstrual dignity is a lived reality for every girl learner.”

The department said it remained encouraged by the momentum built through these partnerships and was confident that continued collaboration would accelerate progress towards universal access to menstrual health and hygiene support in schools.

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By Thapelo Molefe

The University of Fort Hare has defended its decision to deregister Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane from a master’s degree programme, arguing that he did not meet the admission requirements and that the institution had the authority to remove him from the programme.

The matter was heard in the Eastern Cape High Court in KuGompo City, where judgment was reserved.

Mabuyane is seeking to have his 2021 deregistration from the university’s Master of Public Administration programme declared unlawful.

Arguing on behalf of the university, Advocate Fiona Gordon SC said Mabuyane failed to meet the academic requirements for admission and had not produced evidence that he qualified through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

“He was admitted, but the fact of the matter is he didn’t then meet the requirements and he still doesn’t meet the requirements. He still hasn’t put up proof that he met the requirements,” Gordon told the court.

Gordon argued that the university senate had the power to deregister students enrolled in academic programmes.

“It would be nonsensical for a university to admit a student and not be able to deregister them. The senate had the power to deregister,” she said.

She further told the court that Mabuyane had been invited in March 2021 to provide proof of an RPL application if one existed, but the university never received a response.

Mabuyane’s legal team, however, argued that the university acted outside its powers and failed to follow a fair process before deregistering him.

Advocate Anton Katz SC submitted that the premier was informed of the senate’s decision only after it had already been taken and was not given an opportunity to state his case.

The premier’s lawyers argued that the university’s powers to exclude or deregister students are limited by the Higher Education Act and that the decision should therefore be reviewed and set aside.

Advocate Mfundo Salukazana also argued that the university failed to consider whether Mabuyane qualified for admission through RPL and did not adequately explain the reasons for his deregistration.

“The deregister by the university was unlawful because there was no audi alteram partem,” Salukazana told the court.

The case forms part of a broader dispute over allegations of irregular postgraduate admissions and qualifications at Fort Hare.

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By Jarred H Martin, Jacomien Muller, Jolize Joubert van Appel, Sonja Nicolene Mostert

Student mental health has become one of the defining challenges facing universities worldwide. In South Africa, these concerns are often framed around reports which point to anxiety, burnout and academic pressure. With this comes the call for expanded student counselling and crisis services.

These concerns are important. Previous research has shown that university students in South Africa face mental health challenges shaped by financial strain, inequality, academic pressure and social stressors. Studies conducted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic have also shown how isolation and loss of support affected students’ mental health and wellbeing.

But mental health is not only the absence of distress or illness. It is also the presence of wellbeing: feeling connected to others, being satisfied with one’s life overall, and having the ability to manage everyday challenges and participate meaningfully in one’s community.

Our recent study suggests that this broader view matters. As psychologists and researchers, we wanted to better understand the factors that help university students flourish.

We surveyed 1,366 students at a public, in-contact South African university to examine what influences student mental health and wellbeing. We looked at structural factors, such as socioeconomic status, food security, financial strain and living conditions. We also examined academic pressures and psychosocial factors. These included life satisfaction, loneliness, sexual wellbeing, and health-related social support (help from friends, family and others to maintain a person’s physical and mental health).

The findings suggest that students are more likely to flourish when they experience both material security and psychosocial support, including greater life satisfaction, stronger social support for their health, and lower levels of loneliness.

Coping, but not all thriving

Most students in our study were not languishing, a state characterised by low levels of wellbeing and a sense of disconnection, stagnation, or lack of purpose. But many were also not flourishing, which refers to high levels of emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.

About two-thirds (66%) of participants were classified as having moderate mental health. Just over a quarter (28%) were flourishing, while around 6% were languishing.

This matters because students with moderate mental health may appear to be coping. They may attend class, complete assignments, and continue with their studies. But coping is not the same as thriving.

The distinction is important because flourishing has been associated with stronger psychological functioning, better social relationships, improved academic engagement and greater resilience when facing life’s challenges.

For universities, this means student mental health strategies should consider not only how to address and reduce distress, but also what enables students to flourish.

Two different student profiles

One of the clearest findings from our study was that students tended to fall into two broad profiles.

The first group, which we called “Strained and Stressed”, was characterised by greater financial strain, poorer food security, lower life satisfaction, weaker social support for health, and higher loneliness.

The second group, which we called “Resourced and Supported”, had greater material security, stronger psychosocial resources, more health-related social support and higher life satisfaction. These students also reported better mental health outcomes and were less lonely.

This highlights an important reality for South African universities: student wellbeing is shaped by both material circumstances and psychosocial resources. Financial strain, food insecurity and unstable living conditions matter, but so do social connection, support, life satisfaction and the ability to manage one’s health.

In other words, student mental health is both a material and relational issue.

Why connection matters

Psychosocial factors showed the strongest associations with mental health in our study. Students who reported greater life satisfaction and social support for health reported better mental health. Loneliness was associated with poorer wellbeing.

This aligns with previous research showing that social connection and belonging are central to student wellbeing.

This does not mean universities should stop investing in counselling and psychological services. These services remain essential, particularly for students experiencing significant distress.

But counselling services alone cannot carry the full burden of student wellbeing. Universities also need to create environments in which students can build meaningful relationships and experience a sense of belonging.

This could be through promoting peer mentoring programmes, student societies, residence-based support, orientation programmes that extend beyond the first few weeks of university, and structured opportunities for students to connect across academic and social spaces.

The overlooked role of sexual wellbeing

One finding stood out because it is rarely discussed in South African higher education research: students who reported higher sexual wellbeing also tended to report better mental health.

Sexual wellbeing is not simply the absence of disease, dysfunction or risk. It includes feeling safe, respected, comfortable and able to exercise agency in intimate relationships.

This is important because much of the South African research on student sexuality has understandably focused on sexual violence and risk. These remain urgent issues.

But our findings suggest that universities should also consider the positive dimensions of sexual wellbeing as part of holistic student health. A student’s sense of safety, respect and autonomy in intimate life may be connected to their broader wellbeing.

This does not mean that sexual wellbeing should replace risk-prevention work. Rather, it suggests that student wellness programmes should be broad enough to address both protection from harm and the conditions that allow students to experience dignity, agency and wellbeing.

What universities can do

The findings highlight three priorities.

First, universities must, with the support of government and other relevant agencies, continue addressing the structural barriers that shape student wellbeing. Financial hardship, food insecurity and living conditions remain serious pressures. Support systems such as food programmes, accommodation assistance and academic flexibility are not peripheral to mental health. They are part of the conditions that make wellbeing possible.

Second, universities should invest in and support social networking interventions that create durable social connections among their student communities. Students experiencing greater loneliness are more likely to report poorer mental health. This means that belonging should not be treated as an optional aspect of university life. It is central to the wellbeing of young adults.

Third, universities should adopt a broader view of student wellbeing and implement targeted support interventions which encourage multiple dimensions of wellbeing. Our findings support a “whole-university” approach to health promotion. This integrates student wellbeing across the university ecosystem. Mental health, belonging, academic success, as well as physical and sexual wellbeing, cannot be addressed through disconnected health and support services.

Student mental health is often discussed only in terms of crisis. Our findings suggest that universities should focus equally on the conditions that help students thrive.

For South African universities, this means combining structural support with psychosocial care to create environments where students can flourish – not merely survive, but fully participate in university life and realise their potential.

Jarred H Martin is Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of Pretoria; Jacomien Muller is Lecturer in Psychology, University of Pretoria; Jolize Joubert van Appel is Lecturer in Psychology, University of Pretoria; Sonja Nicolene Mostert is Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria. This article was first published by The Conversation.

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By Willem Kitshoff

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.

The real challenge is moving beyond the hype to provide schools with practical clarity, consistency, and implementation frameworks that let them use these technologies effectively and responsibly.

As Riaan van der Bergh, Deputy CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS), recently observed, the priority is giving teachers and learners the exact frameworks they need to navigate these tools safely. That is not a technological hurdle alone. It is fundamentally a challenge of governance, operational readiness, and system design.

Schools are among the most complex institutions in society. They simultaneously juggle teaching, communication, administration, finance, legal compliance, and pastoral care. In that high-pressure environment, any new technology must reduce complexity, or it risks compounding it.

Two decades of working with schools have taught us one simple truth: efficiently run schools are often the best-performing ones. When communication flows smoothly and administrative burdens lift, educators can do what they are there to do: teach. That lesson is critical as AI enters the fold.

While public conversation fixates on AI’s capabilities, the more important question is integration. AI can support personalised learning, streamline administration, and free educators from routine tasks. But without strict oversight, it introduces serious risks: misinformation, fragmented systems, and data privacy breaches.

The policy gap in our schools is widening. Well-intentioned teachers are uploading learner work, report data, and behavioural notes into public generative AI platforms to save time, inadvertently exposing personally identifiable information to public algorithms and raising immediate flags under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). The answer is not to ban innovation. It is to govern it.

Schools need clear guidance on what data can and cannot be shared with AI systems. Governing bodies need policies that remove legal uncertainty. And schools need technology partners who understand the unique legal responsibilities that come with managing learner information.

This is the philosophy behind our AI Assist development at d6. We have taken a deliberate, layered approach. The first layer, embedded in d6 School Communicator, uses AI to answer parent and community queries, drawing exclusively on verified, school-approved content and operating within a POPIA-aligned environment where the school retains full oversight.

The next layer goes deeper. AI Assist is now embedded across the d6 school management platform, giving staff, from administrative and curriculum teams to finance and SGB leadership, direct conversational access to their own institutional data.

Rather than navigating complex reports or waiting for extracted summaries, staff can ask questions in plain language and receive immediate, contextualised answers from within their secure environment. The system meets people where they are, in the language they use, while keeping all data governed, role-restricted, and within the school’s control. That is the difference between AI as a shortcut and AI as a properly integrated institutional tool.

We are also excited about what comes next. The natural progression beyond AI that answers questions is AI that acts. We are actively building agentic AI capabilities within the d6 platform, which will allow schools to move from insight to action, automating routine tasks, triggering workflows, and enabling staff to delegate defined administrative processes to AI agents operating within governed, school-approved boundaries. The goal is not to replace human judgement, but to free up the people who hold it.

There is also a significant equity risk at play. Well-resourced schools can afford to develop independent AI policies and train staff. Millions of learners in under-resourced schools cannot. Without a coordinated national approach, AI adoption will widen the digital divide rather than close it.

South Africa faces a clear choice: let AI adoption happen ad hoc, driven by fragmented experimentation, or build the governance frameworks, training programmes, and trusted systems required to elevate the entire sector. The latter demands urgent collaboration between government, governing bodies, educators, and technology providers.

Technology alone does not improve education. Effective, safe implementation does.

We do not need more debate about whether AI belongs in education. Reality has answered that. What we need now is the structural discipline to ensure it strengthens our schools rather than complicates them. The challenge is no longer one of possibility. It is one of readiness.

Willem Kitshoff is Chief Executive Officer of d6, a leading South African school management and communication technology provider.

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By Thapelo Molefe

Tributes have poured in for the vice-chancellor and principal of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), Professor Tandi Matsha-Erasmus, following her death this week, with Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela describing her passing as a significant loss to South Africa’s higher education sector.

Matsha-Erasmus’s death was announced by the university on Wednesday. While no cause of death has been disclosed, messages of condolence have since flowed from government, universities, and higher education bodies across the country.

In a statement on Thursday, Manamela said he had learned of her death “with deep sadness” and extended condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, students and the entire SMU community.

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“Prof Matsha-Erasmus was a distinguished scholar, an accomplished academic leader, and a dedicated servant of higher education,” Manamela said.

The minister said Matsha-Erasmus had demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence, transformation, social justice and the advancement of health sciences education throughout her career.

“As Vice-Chancellor and Principal of SMU, Prof Matsha-Erasmus worked tirelessly to strengthen the university’s academic mission, advance research and innovation, and deepen the institution’s contribution to society,” he said.

Manamela said her contribution stood as an example of excellence and commitment to the public good at a time when South Africa continues to rely on strong leadership in institutions of higher learning.

SMU described Matsha-Erasmus as a distinguished academic, accomplished leader and passionate advocate for the transformative power of higher education.

The university said she had dedicated herself to advancing the institution’s academic mission, strengthening research and innovation, and positioning SMU as a leading health sciences university committed to excellence, equity, social justice and community impact.

“Professor Matsha-Erasmus leaves behind a legacy that will continue to inspire students, academics, researchers, professional staff, alumni, and partners for generations to come,” the university said.

Universities South Africa (USAf), which represents the country’s 26 public universities, also paid tribute to Matsha-Erasmus, describing her death as an immense loss to the sector.

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USAf said Matsha-Erasmus joined its board after being appointed vice-chancellor in June 2025 and had recently accepted the role of vice-chairperson of its Teaching and Learning Strategy Group. She also served as a proxy representative on the Higher Health Board.

The organisation said she combined scholarly excellence with strategic leadership and believed in the transformative power of education and research to address the health challenges facing the continent.

SMU said details of the memorial and funeral arrangements would be communicated in due course.

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