In July this year, the University of Cape Town (UCT) launched an online high school, and in doing so became the first university on the African continent to extend its expertise and impact to the secondary schooling market through an innovative online modality.
The public response has exceeded all expectations, indicative of the global need for innovation in the education sector. Across South Africa’s cities and towns, and the African continent; parents, learners and teachers have shown interest in this revolutionary education offering, with over 5 000 learner applications for January 2022 and climbing.
Bolstering the launch announcement in July, the University of Cape Town is proud to confirm the placement of its UCT Online High School Director and Principal, Ms Yandiswa Xhakaza, who is an avid educationalist.
Yandiswa experienced the dire consequences of an unequal education system as a young girl. These inequalities left an imprint in her life so profound that she has dedicated her whole life to finding effective solutions to provide high-quality education at scale.
She holds a Bachelor of Education degree (Wits University), Postgraduate Diploma in Management (Wits University) and a Master of Business Administration (University of Pretoria). Her incredible operational skills and large-scale implementation capabilities are both going to be resourceful in her new role as UCT Online High School Director and Principal.
Yandiswa believes that UCT Online High School is exactly what this country needs, offering high-quality education at scale. She explains: “Online education in our context will always come with its own fair share of challenges as a developing country. The digital divide is significant and we have to work around the digital barriers such as poor network coverage, data costs, access to devices and computer literacy to mention a few. This is exactly the type of challenge I am excited about because when we get this right, it will be a massive win for all of us.”
Yandiswa begins her tenure as the Director and Principal of the UCT Online High School from November 2021 ahead of its first official cohort, cementing her role as its leader from an early onset.
‘’I am delighted to be joining the UCT Online High School team pioneering such amazing work and I look forward to breaking barriers and working towards the accomplishment of something so deeply personal to me, a course I have been preparing my whole life to chart forth.’’
UCT Vice Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng welcomed the appointment. “Yandiswa embodies what we as an institution stand for: building an inclusive society using the knowledge and resources that we possess. With her leading us on this journey we will be building a more equitable and sustainable social order and influencing our young people from an early age to prepare them for the demands of higher education and society. Her experiences and passion is just what we need to make a success of the UCT Online High School, which is a key project of the university’s Vision 2030 and shows how we are committed to unleashing human potential across our society.”
The UCT Online High School ecosystem has been designed to service South African learners from a broad range of socioeconomic means. The UCT Online High School offers a CAPS-aligned curriculum, and enables learners in grades 8-11 in any corner of the globe with the opportunity to study at a monthly fee of R2 095 per month, making it one of the most affordable private schools in the country. Grade 12 will be offered from 2023.
Admissions for the UCT Online High School opened on 21 July 2021 and has been met with great interest ahead of school commencing in January 2022. Applications are still open till the end of October 2021. Yandiswa has advised all parents that have applied already to secure their placement fee and the
parents that are yet to apply, do so before the end of October to join the first cohort in January 2022. Applications can be done online here: www.uctonlinehighschool.com
Learners will benefit from the UCT Online High School’s supported self-discipline model, which allows learners to pace their own learning and get high quality 1:1 tutoring from expert teachers and support coaches whenever they need it. Learners will also be prepared with a unique range of university and career preparation services and offerings.
For more information on the UCT Online High School, please visit www.uctonlinehighschool.com.
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Contact details:
Email: [email protected]
Number: +2721 010 1350
Website: www.uctonlinehighschool.com