On 20 June 2025, over 150 education stakeholders convened at Anglo American – Rosebank, to deliberate and reflect on the 30-year journey of educational technology in South African Basic Education.
The Dialogue, hosted by the NECT and Department of Basic Education (DBE), sought to stimulate discussions and insights that will enable a better understanding of the digital education landscape in South Africa. These discussions were guided and underpinned by a research paper titled Leading SA’s Growing Edtech Ecosystem authored by Dr Shafika Isaacs and the DBE’s Digital Education Transformation Strategy.
Dr Isaacs shared key findings of the paper with the audience by sharing ways in which the community of educational technology (edtech) practitioners, decision makers and influencers think, discuss, enact and make policies on digital technologies in the basic education system.
The paper further proposes an approach that is sensitive to the fluidity of the edtech ecosystem globally and in SA, especially in the principles of inclusion, equity, ethics, redress and social justice.
Mr Seliki Tlhabane DBE Chief Director for MST & Curriculum presented the Digital Education Transformation Strategy which provides a framework for harnessing the potential of technology to improve the quality and equity of basic education in South Africa. The Strategy also recognises the unique contextual challenges that are present in underserved and remote schools by posing solutions that are specific to socio-economic factors.
Participants also heard a series of case studies highlighting perspectives on the implementation of EdTech initiatives, from Anglo American’s investment perspective to school-level insights from Deda Primary in Kwa-Zulu Natal, and a provincial lens from the Eastern Cape Department of Education.
The Dialogue highlighted the importance of collective action and cross-sector collaboration in advancing digital learning. As South Africa’s Education System navigates the next phase of its EdTech journey, the insights shared through this platform serve as a foundation for building a more inclusive, responsive, and future-ready education system.