ARISE is an art-led education project at Ikhaya Primary in Kayamandi. Learners create ceramic birds symbolising belonging, aspiration and possibility. The project is led by Prof Jonathan Jansen, Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University.

International Mother Language Day was celebrated on 21 February. Mother-tongue instruction is important for learner success. Multilingualism must be promoted in all spheres of society.

World Day of Social Justice was on 20 February. Many obstacles stand in the way social justice. We need a credible vision of social justice in South Africa.

The EU–Africa Track 1.5 Cyber Diplomacy Dialogue brought together leaders from government, industry, academia and civil society to tackle pressing cybersecurity challenges. The diplomatic corps in South Africa, led by the Ambassadors of Austria and Italy, also participated. It has established a historic platform for future EU–Africa cybersecurity cooperation.

A stokvel that funds education, fights procrastination and invests in community upliftment has earned two Stellenbosch University (SU) lecturers top honours at the 2025 Absa Stokvel Awards. The award-winning model was conceptualised by Phodisho Kgwale, a lecturer in academic and professional literacies at SU’s Language Centre, and her friend Reginald Kgwedi, a lecturer in the Department of Logistics. The Absa Stokvel Awards celebrate and recognise stokvels across South Africa, including those that demonstrate strong financial discipline, community impact, innovation, or sustainable group savings habits.

The Rt Hon Baroness Valerie Amos LG CH PC to speak at seventh Annual Social Justice Lecture presented by the Centre for Social Justice on 20 February. Lecture theme: Illusions of Stability: Delivering Social Justice in a Period of Polarisation and Global Instability. It marks Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Social Justice’s first public event after joining the International Labour Organisation’s Global Coalition for Social Justice.

Inaugural QS World University Rankings: Sub-Saharan Africa released on 12 February 2026. SU academics are the most prolific in Africa when it comes to papers published. SU has the second highest number of academic staff with PhDs in South Africa (third in Africa).

The Policy Innovation Lab at Stellenbosch University (SU) recently hosted a hybrid workshop to explore how regulatory sandbox approaches could support South Africa’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Participants examined how governments can regulate increasingly complex digital systems in ways that enable innovation while safeguarding public values. The workshop created space for informed, context-sensitive reflection and laid the groundwork for evidence-based approaches to governing South Africa’s digital future.

Would you like to work on your grammar skills and improve your understanding of the inner workings of English? Join us in this course and take your communication skills up a notch.

Women scientists contribute to solutions to real-world problems and flexible ways of thinking. Women advance science in the academia and through entrepreneurship and product development. Mentorship, broader exposure, and more inclusive recognition can attract more women and girls to science.