Organised by EduPulse, the two-day event brought together school principals, education executives, and thought leaders from across South Africa under the theme “Take the Lead – Reimagine, Reach, and Rise.” The conference focused on empowering women to lead with purpose, navigate complexity, and drive systemic change in education.
Simpson’s keynote, “Partnering and Collaborating to Drive Sustainable Change in Education,” highlighted how OUPSA is working with diverse partners to address South Africa’s most urgent educational challenges—from foundational literacy to digital access and future skills.
Literacy Access: Avbob Road to Literacy campaign
Through the Avbob Road to Literacy campaign, OUPSA has distributed over one million books and 2,000 mobile trolley libraries to under-resourced schools, reaching learners in all 11 official written languages. This initiative ensures that children across the country have access to books in their mother tongue—an essential foundation for reading comprehension and academic
Read more on the campaign
Watch the testimonial video:
Digital equity: Learn with Oxford and MTN
In partnership with MTN, OUPSA launched Learn with Oxford and LearnHub+, mobile-first platforms offering curriculum-aligned content delivered on mobile phones for just R5 per day. The platform has reached over one million learners, particularly those without access to traditional educational resources.
Explore learn with Oxford
Future skills: Coding and robotics with Resolute Education
To prepare learners for the digital economy, OUPSA partnered with Resolute Education to deliver a comprehensive coding and robotics solution for Grades R–9. The programme includes printed and digital resources, robotics kits, and teacher training, already reaching over 300,000 learners in 450 schools.
Discover the coding and robotics solution
Foundational literacy: Northern Cape intervention with Unicef
In collaboration with Unicef, the Department of Basic Education, and the Northern Cape Department of Education, OUPSA is implementing a two-year Early Grade Reading Programme across 156 schools. The initiative includes teacher training, multilingual graded readers, and classroom coaching, impacting over 22,000 learners and 200 teachers.
Read about the Northern Cape literacy drive
Learn more, watch the video:
Simpson concluded with a powerful message: “We need to work together to advocate for and deliver evidence-based, scalable programmes that drive real impact. The future of education in South Africa depends on it.” Her message echoed the broader goals of the conference: to foster inclusive, courageous leadership that drives meaningful change in schools, communities, and the education system at large.
