Education has undergone radical and enforced transformation over the past 18 months. The profound impact of the pandemic put the sector under immense pressure, forcing education institutions and the public sector to rethink approaches and investments. While nobody could have predicted what happened, it has become critical that the sector invests in strategies and infrastructure that will allow for flexible, dynamic and relevant learning in increasingly complex times. There’s no clear end to the pandemic in sight, which means that digital, blended learning, and transformation, must sit at the top of the education agenda. But this imperative asks that the sector not just rethink its approaches, but its technology and investments. How can education deliver exceptional blended learning, assist students, and overcome the digital divide? Answering these questions starts with unpacking how technology can allow institutions to scale and help educators achieve more.

Professor Dolf Jordaan, head: E-Learning, University of Pretoria, believes that timing played a huge role in keeping education going over the past year. He points out that if the pandemic had happened 10 years ago, there wouldn’t have been the access to scalable cloud services that education institutions have used to cope.