Education technology (edtech) is often considered a remedy for restoring SA’s ailing education system to health. So what would it take to design the ideal edtech application for the country’s learners? And what challenges would it need to address?

Kelly Fisher, marketing and communications head at Injini (one of the continent’s only specialised edtech accelerators and think tanks), says the ‘ideal’ solution for SA might not be a traditional app. ‘If you’re building something that requires a high-end smartphone and a 5G connection, you’ve already excluded most

of the country,’ she says. ‘For us at Injini, the ideal tool is one that meets learners where they are. Additionally, perhaps a core focus should be on foundational literacy and numeracy in the lower grades. If we don’t get those basics right by Grade 3, learners struggle in the years to come.’

This tool would need to be available in multiple SA languages, she explains, because children learn best in their mother tongue. It also has to be data-free or zero-rated, to make it accessible in low-income settings. ‘Whether it’s delivered via WhatsApp, which is already on almost every phone in the country, or even through educational television segments, the key is accessibility,’ says Fisher. ‘The app would serve those who need it most.’

Online learning and edtech have advanced dramatically since the global Covid pandemic in 2020, when school closures made it necessary to bring the classrooms into the learners’ homes. The country saw a rapid uptake of online learning, which includes anything from digital textbooks and mobile learning apps to video-based tutoring, learning management platforms and offline‑first tools for low‑connectivity schools.

Blended or hybrid learning – combining face-to-face and online learning – makes learning content more accessible to a wide spread of learners. This can range from early childhood development (ECD) to higher education and even workplace training, where it gives students more flexibility and personalises their learning experience. When implemented correctly, blended learning boosts engagement while  also providing data and feedback that allow teachers to better identify (and address) gaps.

‘We’ve moved past the post-pandemic hype,’ says Fisher, who describes the current state of edtech in SA as ‘the era of intentionality’. ‘Today, the market is much more mature. Thanks to initiatives like the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, we are seeing a shift toward platforms that genuinely prioritise learning outcomes,’ she says. The Fellowship is one of Africa’s biggest edtech entrepreneurship acceleration programmes, implemented through local innovation hubs and accelerators such as Injini in SA, Co-creation Hub in Nigeria and iHub in Kenya. Through this initiative, the foundation supports promising African edtech ventures, providing them with critical business and financial support as well as learning insights  to prepare them for scale and impact.

According to Fisher, there’s growth potential across the board in SA’s edtech ecosystem. ‘Certainly, in the ECD space, ECD centres and owners need support,’ she says. ‘Teacher support, too, is always needed and wanted, but as an assistive tool, not a burden. Then there’s vocational support. This is the type of support that helps the “missing middle” gain job-ready skills without the high cost of traditional university or college qualifications.’

Research shows that edtech has an especially meaningful impact on younger learners. ‘There is no doubt that ECD and the foundation phase are where we can move the needle most significantly,’ says Fisher.

‘The data from the ThriveByFive Index is a wake-up call for all of us: it shows that only 42% of children aged four to five in early   learning programmes are developmentally  “on track”. For those not in formal programmes, the situation is even more dire, with over 55% falling far behind before they even set foot in a Grade R classroom.

‘If we use edtech to support these practitioners and parents now, we’re preventing a high school dropout 10 years down the line,’ she says.

One major challenge is language accessibility. Injini highlights a disconnect between classroom learning and daily life, as many learners don’t hear or speak English outside the classroom. As a result, they often don’t fully understand what’s being taught and find it difficult to transition from their home language to English in Grade 4. Ambani Africa is a non-profit edtech provider that bridges this language disconnect by providing multilingual early learning directly to under-resourced schools. Its goal is to strengthen early learning in SA by gamifying literacy, numeracy and life skills in isiZulu, isiXhosa, Setswana, Sepedi, Tshivenda and English. Ambani uses, for example, augmented reality to bring story books to life when paired with the mobile app.

Click Learning, which is another edtech solution, offers interactive personalised learning software to develop phonics, phonological awareness, reading comprehension and vocabulary in English. Young learners can work at their own pace through fun and enjoyable activities, simultaneously developing tech skills for the future.

Injini’s African EdTech Insights Report 2025 unpacks another major challenge: infrastructure limitations that prevent many schools from benefiting from digital tools. By March 2025, 5 323 schools had been connected to the internet in accordance with the requirements of the Independent Communications Authority of SA. That means that roughly 17 000 of SA’s approximately 23 000 public schools remain offline and unable to access edtech.

‘Connectivity will not fix the education system on its own, but without connectivity, nothing else stands a chance,’ says Shireen Powell, CEO of Project Isizwe, which focuses on digital inclusion, connected classrooms, and community Wi‑Fi. In a recent opinion piece, she writes about ‘the uncomfortable truth’ that SA has the knowledge, the funding and multiple technologies available to connect schools, but is simply not doing it. Powell suggests putting political and corporate egos aside and using low earth orbit satellite networks rather than fibre or wireless in order to connect remote schools quickly and affordably. ‘Before connecting any school, we conduct due diligence,’ she writes. ‘We install secure and filtered internet that blocks adult content, gambling and social media. We train teachers to use vetted platforms, including Nabu, which provides free multilingual digital books, and Canva for Classrooms. In classrooms of 40, 50 or even 70 learners, no teacher can listen to every child read. Technology makes the impossible possible.’

Beyond connectivity, low-income schools often can’t access edtech because they don’t have computer labs (88% of public schools in the Eastern Cape lack computers, compared to 18% in Gauteng). They also often struggle with outdated systems, insufficient tech support and low digital literacy skills. Many teachers are already frazzled by overcrowded classrooms, limited access to devices and unreliable internet connectivity. They require efficient, personalised edtech onboarding that meets them at the level of their tech proficiency. If teachers ‘encounter glitches

or failures during training, it can diminish their confidence and make them less likely

to adopt the blended learning practices  being taught’, says Injini.

‘Digital skills are no longer optional. The Department of Basic Education has introduced coding and robotics to the curriculum, but many under-resourced schools lack implementation support,’ says Joanne Brink, the founder and CEO of TechWays – an edtech solution that partners with schools to deliver practical, curriculum‑aligned tech and AI education for learners and teachers. ‘Digital skills are foundational to employability, entrepreneurship and economic resilience. We are not just teaching software; we are building economic agency.’

TechWays operates as a for-profit edtech company and a non-profit foundation that have one mission but two delivery models.

The for-profit arm works primarily with fee-paying independent and public schools that directly license the company’s structured online courses and teacher training programmes. The foundation focuses on under-resourced schools and unemployed youth, with funding from corporate CSI budgets, foundations and donors.

‘The content framework is aligned, but delivery is adapted for context, including low-data environments, device constraints and additional mentorship support,’ says Brink. ‘We have now supported youth in building more than 80 functional websites

and completing over 300 digital courses. Several participants are earning freelance income locally and online.’

In schools, learners build AI-informed prototypes – from environmental monitoring concepts to job-matching platforms – and participate in national AI Innovation Weeks and Hackathons.

‘These are not theoretical exercises. Learners leave with tangible portfolios that demonstrate applied problem-solving,’ says Brink. ‘The shift we see is confidence. Young people move from “I can’t” to “I built this”.’

According to her, SA edtech is at a critical inflection point. There’s a growing appetite for AI integration in classrooms, coding and robotics implementation, teacher AI upskilling and digital assessment innovation.

‘However, inequality remains stark. Some schools are piloting AI-assisted grading tools; others lack stable internet access,’ says Brink. She sees the greatest potential in three areas: teacher AI confidence and responsible implementation; scaling practical coding and digital skills in under-resourced schools; and linking education directly to income pathways for youth.

‘The next wave of impact will not come from content alone, it will come from integrated ecosystems that connect schools, teachers and youth into economic opportunity,’ says Brink. That’s why TechWays’ focus goes beyond education technology to ‘education that changes economic trajectories’.

Edtech may not be the sole remedy for an education system in crisis, but with the right collaborations and structural changes  it has the power to transform it. Ultimately,  it’s a necessary tool to equip young South Africans with the digital skills to actively shape their future.

By Silke Colquhoun
Image: iStock