A Quiet Shift Inside SA Public Crowded Classrooms
- Feb 7
- 4 min read
At The New Insights Journey, we dedicate our time to working with behaviour, perception, and self-awareness. We see first-hand how learning environments, emotional safety, and access to opportunity shape how people show up in the world. Education is not separate from behaviour, it is one of the earliest places where confidence, curiosity, resilience, and self-belief are formed.
Recently, I walked into a classroom in Soweto that looked much like many public-school classrooms across South Africa: too many learners, too little space, desks pushed close together, and a teacher doing their best to hold it all together. But something felt different.
Instead of disengaged faces or restless energy, I saw focus, curiosity, and confidence. Learners were navigating tablets with ease, debating ideas, reading, coding, and helping one another, not because they were told to, but because they wanted to.
This transformation is thanks to Cub Club, a CAPS-aligned digital learning initiative supporting Grade 4 to 7 learners in South African public schools. The initiative was created by a close collaborator and friend, Kathy Ramsewak, with Loryn Dilley at the heart of the educational work, shaping how the programme shows up in classrooms every day.
This visit was my first time seeing what they have been quietly building come alive inside a classroom. I expected to see technology. What I did not expect was the shift in atmosphere.
The Impact of Digital Learning
Learners spoke about looking forward to school and feeling proud that their school had access to tools that opened their minds. Teachers shared how lesson flow improved, how time once spent on administration could now be spent on teaching and connection, and how they felt supported rather than overwhelmed.
One of the most striking changes was in attendance. Teachers reported that absenteeism dropped by as much as 90% in the pilot school. This shift wasn’t about enforcement; it was about learners wanting to be present.
Cub Club addresses real challenges faced by many public schools, including limited access to digital resources, overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of ongoing support for educators. By integrating curriculum-aligned digital tools into everyday classroom practice, the programme helps learners stay engaged while giving teachers practical support they can rely on.
The programme currently supports Grade 4 to 7 learners, focusing on literacy, numeracy, coding, robotics, and digital confidence. Conversations are already underway about extending the curriculum into Grade 8, allowing learners to continue building on the foundation they have started, rather than losing momentum at the end of primary school.
Teacher and Learner Perspectives
The technology matters, of course, tablets, curriculum, connectivity, but what stood out most was the sense of possibility that had taken root.
Cub Club began with a pilot school in Soweto, Ithembalihle Primary School. During early visits, representatives from the Department of Education observed the programme in action and described it as:
"A positive change bringing excitement into schooling"
From that first pilot, the initiative expanded into additional public schools. Their second adopted school is in Cosmo City, Cosmo Primary 1, a large public school serving close to three thousand learners, with approximately half in primary school. It is a school carrying enormous responsibility and reflects the reality of many public schools across South Africa.
Through structured digital learning, reliable connectivity, and ongoing teacher support, classrooms that are severely overcrowded, some with more than eighty learners in a single space are becoming calmer, more focused, and more engaging.
What makes this work especially meaningful is that it sits at the intersection of education, digital inclusion, and long-term community upliftment. The programme supports foundational learning, builds digital skills, and helps bridge gaps that too often limit opportunity.
Cub Club does not replace teachers. It empowers them. Cub Club does not distract learners, it focuses them.
One learner shared that they loved coding and robotics because it allowed them to build things and think differently. Another spoke about enjoying history through debates and activities instead of only textbooks. Others spoke about being able to choose how they learn best, sometimes through video, sometimes through audio, and sometimes through writing.
None of this feels loud. There are no big announcements or dramatic gestures. Just a steady, thoughtful intervention led by people who believe deeply in teachers, learners, and what becomes possible when access meets care.
At The New Insights Journey, impact does not end with personal insight or relational work. It extends into the environments where learning, confidence, and opportunity begin.
This is not a story about technology saving education. It is a story about people, partnership, and what becomes possible when belief is matched with support.
And it is a story still unfolding......Watch the Introduction Video Here
Getting Involved
Cub Club is already being supported by corporate partners who believe in education as a long-term investment in people and communities. Current sponsors include G4S and Elite Wealth, who have chosen to direct their support toward tangible, measurable impact in public schools.
For Cub Club to continue expanding into more South African classrooms, additional partnerships are essential. This includes organisations looking to align their SED and BBBEE spend with credible, transparent education initiatives that deliver real outcomes for learners and teachers.
If this story resonates and you would like to explore how your organisation can get involved, you are welcome to reach out directly:
Contact
Charles Jacobs
📞 079 742 3139
You can also download the full Cub Club profile here, which provides detailed information on the programme, impact metrics, and partnership options.
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