How Small Ideas are Creating Big Changes in South African Education

by Admin · August 13, 2025

Top: St Benedict’s Head Boy, Tayte Gregory with students from St David’s Marist Brothers. Bottom left: From left: Dr Edwards, Kass Naidoo, Geraldine Pillay and David Edwards. Bottom right: South African cartoonist, ZAPIRO, aka Jonathan Shapiro.

South Africa’s education system needs transformation, but where do you start? The answer might be smaller than we think.

The recent St Benedict’s College Embrace Symposium brought together leading advocates to demonstrate how modest, intentional actions are driving real change in schools across the country. From cancer advocacy workshops to platforms celebrating female athletes, the event showcased practical examples of how individual ideas become powerful movements.

The Symposium showcased how “small ideas” can create “big changes” in education. The event brought together educators, students, and leaders to explore advocacy and innovation, drawing inspiration from poet Julia Carney’s words “little drops of water make the mighty ocean”.

Highlights included a practical advocacy workshop led by Dr. Lynn Edwards and Linda Greeff, breakaway sessions on topics like refugee support and stress management, and powerful presentations from political cartoonist Zapiro and Gsport4girls founder Kass Naidoo.

The symposium reinforced the idea that transformation is a collaborative effort, equipping delegates with practical tools and renewed energy to become agents of change in their own communities.