Via Afrika’s roots are in two publishing companies: Via Afrika, established in 1949 and Nasou, established in 1963. Via Afrika publishes a comprehensive range of educational materials for schools and TVET Colleges in South Africa and Botswana. These publications include textbooks in printed and digital formats, readers, literature titles and various teacher support materials for all grades and TVE
T College and AET levels. The company also has publishing experience in Namibia, Mozambique, and Zambia. Via Afrika has published over 1 100 school textbook titles for the current South African CAPS Curriculum. These books are published as printed editions, and most are also available in two ebook formats (EPUB and ePDF) for tablet devices and computers. Key to the development of the EPUB format ebooks was the inclusion of multimedia and interactive enhancements that do not require internet connectivity to be used, once loaded on the device. Via Afrika partners with authors who are leading educationalists, including teachers, academics and Department of Basic Education officials. This partnership enables Via Afrika to develop learning materials that make a difference. Via Afrika is also highly selective in the quality of freelancers and other service providers it contracts to add value to authors’ manuscripts. Via Afrika is using its decades-long experience and work in digital content development to create material for its Via Afrika Digital Education Academy. Here courses are offered asynchronously online (pre-recorded with no interaction with trainer to provide teachers with South African Council of Educator (SACE) approved training with Professional Development Points. The course offering starts with a Mindset Change Course to give teachers new to technology the emotional support to make the change to technology in education. Our Teaching for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Course creates a foundation for teachers to help them prepare themselves, and their learners, for successful and effective lives as we continue deeper into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. From there training is offered to help first time laptop PC (Using your Laptop to Make a Real Difference in your Teaching) and tablet device users (Android and Windows Courses) get going with their devices. Courses then broaden to include topics like social media, gamification in the classroom, and effective ICT policy creation. The Teaching Online Course provides guidance on how to effectively teach remotely. Underpinning all the training is the importance of using technology in education in pedagogically sound ways. Remaining true to its roots, Via Afrika outsources the printing, warehousing, and distribution of all its materials to South African businesses.
