Exciting news from the Amathuba Project!

"Amathuba" — meaning opportunities in isiZulu — couldn't be a more fitting name for what we are building.

The Amathuba Project is a mixed-methods, longitudinal, multi-level national research programme with one clear mission: to explain and strengthen the sustainable employability of Life Orientation (LO) teachers across South Africa.

LO teachers are far more than subject specialists. They are the primary practitioners who deliver career guidance, psychosocial support, and values education to approximately 2 million secondary school learners each year. They sit at the most consequential intersection in our education system — where teacher wellbeing, learner career development, social inequality, technological change, and climate-related disruption all meet.

Today was a milestone day. We warmly welcome Maryke Marais, who officially joined the project as a new PhD candidate. Her work will make a meaningful contribution to understanding and strengthening sustainable employability for this critical group of educators.

📸 Pictured at today's planning session: Dr Amanda Erasmus, Prof. Ian Rothmann, Ms Maryke Marais, and Ms Geraldine van Heerden.

This is just the beginning. Over the coming week, the team will be meeting with colleagues at the Faculty of Education at North-West University, the University of Johannesburg, and the University of Pretoria — building the collaborative foundation this national programme deserves.