Prior to the widespread availability of the internet and YouTube mathematics tutorials, South African students relied on William Smith to guide them through the intricacies of science and maths via SABC2 The Learning Channel throughout the 1990s.
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Smith was a math and science whiz who, unlike many other specialists, was also an excellent teacher. He was able to help students understand algebra, trigonometry, geometry, chemistry, and physics by using surprisingly easy techniques that were not covered in the classroom.
Smith, who passed away on Wednesday, worked as a television instructor for more than 16 years, reaching many young people in South Africa and beyond. For several individuals, his broadcast lectures were their sole source of excellent maths and scientific education.
Across Africa, the Learning Channel reaches up to 100 million students.
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With the financial backing of Hylton Appelbaum, executive director of the Liberty Life Foundation, Smith started creating educational television shows for The Learning Channel in 1990.
Critics initially suggested the channel would not succeed, calling it a foolish notion. Since it had never been done before, the SABC was initially hesitant to provide Smith and his colleagues with a platform to teach lessons live on television.
However, the broadcaster quickly discovered that there was a sizable and international demand for these services. Cooperation through satellite with other African nations led to a significant boost in viewership.
For over 16 years, The Learning Channel maintained its popularity, attracting up to 100 million viewers daily throughout Africa.
When nearly everyone else had failed, he helped millions of students pass their maths and science examinations using just a felt-tip pen, a whiteboard and perhaps a few Smarties.
The legendary teacher claimed that although he was not very adept with mathematics in 2019, that might have been the key to his success.
We extend our condolences to South Africa’s favourite teacher, William Smith. He has died aged 85 after a short battle with cancer. #RIPWilliamSmith pic.twitter.com/lXmQ9wp97h
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) August 21, 2024
‘Had I been a numbers person from the start, I would not have been a good teacher because everything would have been so obvious to me,’ he commented. ‘Pupils’ concerns and challenges would have frustrated me. I would not have understood why they struggled with simple concepts.’
Smith and Jeremy Mansfield participated in the well-liked South African game show A Word or Two on television.
Smith, who was born in Makhanda (previously Grahamstown), graduated with honours from Rhodes University with a BSc and a BSc (Hons).
His famous parents had deep-rooted ties with Rhodes University. His father, JLB Smith, identified the coelacanth, thought to have been extinct for millions of years, after receiving the remains of the fish from museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer. His mother, Margaret Smith, was also an ichthyologist and an accomplished and prolific illustrator of fish.
Smith finished his master’s degree at the University of Natal in 1962 in just seven months.
Prior to relocating to Afrox, he was employed at African Explosives and Chemical Industries (AECI). Then, Smith decided he would prefer to become a teacher, so he left the business and entered the education sector, founding Star Schools with the goal of offering high-quality instruction at a reasonable cost.
Over the next twenty-five years, nearly a million students of various colours were taught in his schools.
Among many distinctions for his innovative teaching methods, Smith was awarded the highly coveted ‘Teacher of the Year’ title.
He was selected as one of the top three presenters on South African television in 1998 as a consequence of his performance on The Learning Channel.
Smith received two awards in 2005: the Impumelelo Gold Award for invention and a vote ranking him 86th among the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004.
President Cyril Ramaphosa gave him the Order of the Baobab (silver) in 2019 just before his 80th birthday as a thank you for his contributions to education and the ‘demystification of mathematics and science.’ The orders are the greatest honours available to South Africans.
Rhodes University awarded Smith an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2021.
In addition to being an environmentalist, Smith owned the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the western side of Knysna. He lived there until 2008, when he sold the land and his business, which included Rivercat Ferries, a boat company that operated many vessels that cruised the Knysna lagoon and beyond.
A few years later, Smith and his spouse moved to Australia in order to be nearer to their three daughters and grandchildren.
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Picture: @GovernmentZA/X
