New principal of UCT Online High School

UCT has announced its new principal and director for its Online High School.

UCT said the public response to the school had exceeded all expectations.

“Across South Africa and the African continent, parents, learners and teachers have shown interest in this revolutionary education offering, with over 4 000 learner applications for January 2022 and climbing,” it said.

Yesterday it announced that its Online High School director and principal is Yandiswa Xhakaza.

They said Xhakaza, who they described as an avid educationalist, started out as an English teacher in 2010 and had grown tremendously and continuously upskilled herself,

travelling the world to learn best practices from other countries.

They said she brings a wealth of knowledge, having started and operated a school in Centurion in 2017.

She also served as chief executive of national literacy organisation, the Nal’ibali Trust.

She holds a Bachelor of Education degree (Wits University), a postgraduate Diploma in Management (Wits University) and a Master of Business Administration degree (University of Pretoria).

Xhakaza said the UCT Online High School is what the country needed.

“Online education in our context will always come with its 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 and data costs and access.”