Centennial School’s founder shares how AI can reboot SA’s education system

South Africa's education system is not there yet. With hundreds of thousands of formal sector jobs unfilled, it's clear that students are not being equipped with the skills they need to succeed. But what if AI could change that?

January 28, 2025

Ditiro Masuku 2 minutes read

Shaun Fuchs, founder of Centennial Schools.

With hundreds of thousands of formal sector positions remaining unfilled, it’s clear that South Africa’s education system needs a reboot, this according to Shaun Fuchs, founder of Centennial Schools, who argues that AI holds the key to unlocking a future-ready workforce.

Fuchs was impressed by the 87.3% matric pass rate that South Africa boasted. He said this milestone means more students than ever before will be entering the working world.

However, while youth unemployment saw a slight decline towards the end of last year, the gains were mostly concentrated in largely unskilled sectors, such as construction and trade.

Also read: Centennial Schools believes in using AI for future ready students

“Our education system is struggling to produce matriculants equipped to secure meaningful employment, establish entrepreneurial ventures, or drive sustainable economic growth. I believe that, because the traditional system has remained unchanged for far too long, the majority of matriculants lack the essential skills needed to thrive in today’s technology-led world.”

He said technological advancements continue to impact every facet of our lives, and education must keep pace. Fuchs believes that integrating AI tools into the classroom is imperative as it has the ability to define the future of learning, the workforce, and the economy.

Also read: Centennial Schools shares its innovative approach to tackling youth unemployment

He shares these five essential areas where educators can harness the power of AI to support future-ready students in 2025.

Personalised learning: Having platforms that track each student’s progress, identify areas for improvement, and tailor learning plans accordingly ensures that every student can thrive at their own pace with targeted support from staff.
Social-emotional learning (SEL): It focuses on emotional intelligence, resilience and interpersonal skills, with the goal of ensuring that students are not only academically prepared, but also emotionally and socially equipped, for future challenges.
Sustainability and the environment: Environmental and social projects that foster stewardship, responsible planning, and effective management of resources have become key as global concerns about sustainability ramp up.
Hybrid learning: Real-time feedback systems and personalised learning pathways make hybrid learning accessible to all students. This helps to prepare students for the hybrid working world that arose during the pandemic, and is going to be the way of the future.
STEAM: By employing AI and other emerging technologies to make STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and maths) subjects – all of which are key but scarce skills in the real world – more accessible. Students can engage in hands-on learning in fields like coding, analytics, robotics, machine learning, and AI ethics, which combine to teach critical thinking and creative problem-solving.