Private South African education group ADvTECH has announced that the South African Council of Educators (SACE) has accredited several AI programs it offers to its teachers through the digital training platform.
Called SIRIUS, ADvTECH provides its teachers with the platform and allows them to take advantage of digital training programs, many of which are tailored to the most up-to-date topics such as AI, which is rapidly changing education in South Africa.
In an announcement, ADvTECH says it has recently invested in its SIRIUS training platform, many of whose modules are accredited by the country's Teacher Registration Council.
It noted that, “In a major milestone, several SIRIUS programs have now been accredited by the South African Council for Educators (SACE).”
“This accreditation ensures teachers receive high-quality, compliant professional development that counts toward their mandatory Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) points, while equipping them with practical, future-ready skills.”
ADvTECH teachers can upgrade themselves on topics like “AI in Education”, where they can learn how to better understand the new role of AI in learning, assessment and efficiency in the classroom. Other programs include an introduction to AI prompting and data literacy for teachers.
“SIRIUS currently has 96 courses and 63 podcasts, and offers a growing suite of AI-aligned programs designed to enhance digital fluency, foster innovative pedagogy, and keep ADvTECH schools at the forefront of future-ready learning,” the education group explained.
Darren Purdon, Academic Project Manager at ADvTECH's Academic Center of Excellence, says the investment is to ensure high quality teaching across its institutions. “By investing in nationally recognized, high-impact development, ADvTECH ensures that great teaching continues to be the foundation of excellent student outcomes,” he enthuses.
AI is changing education as we know it in South Africa
In July last year, ADvTECH announced It is launching an AI-centric learning platform called Brightspace for its 65,000 higher education students across the country.
“This initiative marks the beginning of a transformative, technology-driven learning experience,” the company said at the time.
Other universities and higher education institutions have also followed suit, Involved The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is under increasing pressure to adopt the latest technologies in the education sector or be left behind by students who have already adopted them.
“Many universities, with the exception of the University of Johannesburg, have taken a conservative approach to AI,” said Kat Yassim, Associate Professor in the Department of Education Leadership and Management at UJ.
“We have been bold in embracing the AI revolution while protecting ethics, so students can use it for learning, innovation, and social impact.”
It is becoming more difficult to distinguish between AI-generated content and human work as the capabilities of AI platforms continue to improve. Teachers in South Africa are struggling with a paradigm shift as students are adopting AI platforms to bypass learning and simply get the work done.
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