Flying Cows of Jozi

16/03/2026

How do we motivate learners to learn mathematics?

Earlier this month our Digital Skills Coaches met with pedagogical consultant Stine Hesager Lema to tackle this question head-on.

Our 2024 and 2025 Siyavula Academy project reports showed a troubling pattern: learner motivation is declining across subjects and grades. And it’s contagious, when learners disengage, teachers feel it too.

We see the external pressures like the high youth unemployment; what is the future learners are preparing for?

We can’t change South Africa’s employment landscape within a mathematics programme.

But we can work on intrinsic motivation, helping learners find meaning, competence, and belonging in their learning. The Siyavula digital platform at the core of the Siyavula Academy enables sustained mathematics practice, and with human support, platform activity is transformed into genuine learning.

For 2026 we’ve balanced our project budget even more toward people. Stine is working with our coaches on the neuroscience of learning and practical strategies for creating autonomy and engagement. Later this year, we’ll extend this to teachers at our partner schools.

Fewer schools. Deeper partnerships. Stronger human infrastructure.

Follow us for updates as the 2026 Siyavula Academy unfolds.



Siyavula

11/03/2026

Our values give us wings!

11/08/2025

09/07/2025

While schools may be on winter break, our Digital Skills Coaches certainly aren’t!

This snapshot from a Grade 10 maths content meeting shows our dedicated team preparing for Term 3, working closely with teachers to guide learners’ practice on the Siyavula Maths & Science platform.

Our Coaches bring a powerful mix of digital skills and maths content knowledge, combined with their infectious energy and joy, to the Siyavula Academy schools.

It’s been proven that increased Mastery on the platform improves performance in the maths classroom. So, Term 3 Mastery targets: here we come!

09/07/2025

19/06/2025

When it clicks, it clicks!

Grade 9 learners at Aurora Girls High have achieved something incredible! After just two terms of guided practice on the online Siyavula Maths & Science platform, these amazing students have:

🏆 Shot to #1 on the Soweto Siyavula Academy leaderboard
🏆 Transformed their maths results compared to Term 1 - the majority now perform at level 7, meaning outstanding achievement between 80-100%!

Congratulations to:
⭐️ The dedicated Grade 9 learners who commit to weekly after-school sessions and extra homework
🌟 Their passionate teacher Mrs Mazibuko
🌟 Our Digital Skills Coach Ponalo Mokgala for expert facilitation

What makes a success story like this?

The perfect combination of cutting-edge technology, passionate teaching, motivated learners, skilled coaching, and true collaboration between all of these!

The joy and pride in these photos says it all.

We can’t wait to see what Term 3 brings!

For more info:
ℹ️ The Siyavula platform: https://www.siyavula.com/
ℹ️ Flying Cows of Jozi Digital Education services: https://bit.ly/Digital-Education

10/06/2025

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03/06/2025

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together!?

We are incredibly proud of what happens when motivated learners and schools come together with the outstanding Siyavula Education Maths & Science platform and our brilliant Flying Cows of Jozi Digital Skills Coaches.

The result?

Learners not only rank in the Top 10 of their grades but also excel in district Maths Olympiads.

Even more rewarding: these learners attribute their outstanding performance to their participation in the Siyavula Academy.

The Siyavula Academy is offered to highly motivated learners who want to improve their maths performance through guided practice using the Siyavula platform. Mind you, motivation is the entry requirement, not past performance.

Weekly, our qualified Digital Skills Coaches visit the schools and work with the learners in after-school sessions, in close collaboration with the schools and grade teachers.

Today we celebrate these Soweto learners:
🏅 Hlamalani Mhlongo (Grade 9 Top Achiever), Onkgopotse Masemola and Lonwabo Stefane, from Glenbrack Grade 9 who all made it through the next round in the Maths Olympiads in the district, and their Digital Skills Coach Chanice Marais
🏅 Manqoba Mcunu, Buhle Madolo, Luthando Mkayo and Sihle Sibeko, who rank first (96%) and shared fifth (88%) in the Curtis Nkondo Grade 10 Top 10, and their Digital Skills Coach Kamogelo Monama.

For more info:
ℹ️ The Siyavula platform: https://www.siyavula.com/
ℹ️ The Flying Cows of Jozi Digital Skills Coaches: https://flyingcowsofjozi.co.za/network/digital-skills-coaches/

07/05/2025

With all its public holidays and breaks, April has been a tough month for our Digital Skills Coaches to run the after-school Siyavula Academy sessions in a number of school districts.

But in May we’re seeing a promising uptake in participation and activity. Just in time for the motivated Grade 9 & 10 learners in the Academy to prep for the June maths exams!

26/03/2025

Well done to Injuni for releasing Volume 3 of the African EdTech Insights report! The insights, backed by solid research, serve as a valuable guide for anyone invested in improving education in our digital age. And really, shouldn’t that be all of us?

This volume highlights three key barriers to successful EdTech implementation:
📌 The limited impact of evidence on learning outcomes
📌 Accessibility barriers for learners, especially non-English speakers
📌 Infrastructure challenges in marginalised schools and households (see below image from Chapter 3 of the report)

From my experience, I wholeheartedly support the conclusions in Chapter 3 and would like to add my perspective:

💡 Access does not equal use. While 82% of Gauteng schools reportedly have access to computers (compared to 12% in the Eastern Cape), that doesn’t mean they’re being used. Too often, we work in schools where the WiFi is switched off, the computer lab is locked, or learners are given devices—but not the chargers.

💡 People matter as much as technology. The report highlights the importance of a dedicated facilitator. This is exactly what Flying Cows of Jozi is built on—coaching and support for teachers and learners. Yet, funding for these crucial roles is often overlooked, with the bulk of budgets going toward hardware and software.

💡 Readiness is about commitment, not just infrastructure. Most EdTech companies assess school readiness by looking at security, infrastructure, and device compatibility. But we’ve learned that motivation, agency, and accountability are just as critical.

In a recent project we did for Siyavula Education, the school with the least access to devices and connectivity had the best engagement and results. When I delved deeper into the reasons why, I found motivation and commitment present at every level—parents in the School Governing Board, the principal, the Heads of Department, the teachers, and the learners. They even found some budget to provide meals for our facilitators and driver on the long journey back.

This experience reinforced my practice of asking schools for this kind of commitment upfront, because it changes everything. The project shifts from being a ‘nice-to-have’ to something truly valued—and hopefully, this will start reflecting in the results.

I still believe that EdTech is a crucial component of improving education in our digital age. With AI in Education advancing rapidly, we need to make sure to get the foundation right, investing in people as much as in technology. Or more.

Do you agree that the focus of EdTech projects should shift from technology to the people who make it work? And what would that look like in practice?

Download the Injini report here: https://citi76660.activehosted.com/f/33

20/02/2025

Join us for an online presented by , Kerry Kennedy on: The Role of AI in the School Curriculum: Lessons from East Asia & their Implications for SA.
📅 DATE: 20 Feb.
⏰ TIME: 16:00
💻 MS Teams: 🔗 TO REGISTER: https://tinyurl.com/UJEDUPL20Feb25

| East Asia’s high-performing education systems have undergone significant reform in the 21st century. Now, the rise of Artificial Intelligence presents new challenges for policymakers. While AI offers opportunities, experts like Nobel laureate Dr Geoffrey Hinton warn of its profound risks. This presentation explores AI policy development in East Asian education, its future direction, and its implications for South Africa. Key recommendations will address both the technical and ethical concerns of AI in schools and education.

Full invite with details:https://www.uj.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/invite_publiclecture_profkennedy_20feb2025_ecs_profdasoo.pdf