It’s been a year since UCT Online High School launched, opening its virtual doors to applications and how quickly the time has flown by!

Let’s go down the corridors and see all the exciting things the school has been up to. Here’s to six months of the success of UCT Online High School:  

Launch of UCT Online High School 

At the start of the new academic year, UCT Online High School welcomed more than 5000 learners spanning numerous different backgrounds. The school has accomplished a lot of ‘firsts’, starting with being a first of its kind — the launch of the University of Cape Town’s Online High School made it the first university on the African continent to cross over to the secondary schooling market through an innovative online learning model. 

We Own The Future

What’s a school without a school song? UCT Online High School brought together some of South Africa’s finest voices to create the school’s anthem because they are doing everything better! We Own The Future, named by the school’s learners, was released on January 24th — coinciding with International Day of Education. The track honours today’s youth, inspiring and reminding them that they are the future. The school song graced the stage of the KDay Music Festival in March 2022, and was performed live for the first time on Expresso Morning Show to viewers across the country! You can listen to the catchy melody, with GoodLuck, Shekhinah, YoungstaCPT and Msaki here. Expect to catch yourself humming “a little bit curious” all day today. 

Image: KDay Music Festival – March 2022, Elizabeth O’Donnell

Image: KDay Music Festival – March 2022, Russel Gerber Photography

From virtual gatherings to in-person events

They headed out of the virtual classroom and celebrated Youth Day with a spectacular event at Battery Park, Cape Town, in collaboration with Grade Africa! YoungstaCPT, Uncle Vinny and KashCPT took to the stage with amazing performances, and a quick chat on The Importance of Education, led by Kieno Kammies, had the audience enthralled. For Video Game Day, the online high school organised a fun-filled gaming event that saw one of their own, Grade 10 learner Omolemo Masibi, come out victorious against the Southern Hemisphere Tekken Champ, Miguel Macabi. Omolemo Masibi won a brand new PS4 double motor controller.

Image: UCT Online High School Youth Day event, Battery Park, V&A – June 2022, UCT Online High School

Image: Video Game Day – March 2022, UCT Online High School

A spin on school uniform 

In addition to a hot event and in the spirit of doing tradition and school pride better, the no-uniform school teamed up with South Africa’s dopest streetwear brand, Grade Africa, to drop a creative line of UCT Online High School merch no other school has ever seen. The collection consists of hoodies, tees, beanies and tote bags. It’s cool enough for everyday living and is available to shop on the online store. 

Image: UCT Online High School Youth Day event, Battery Park, V&A – June 2022, UCT Online High School

What’s next? 

UCT Online High School is constantly striving to be and do better when it comes to education. The platform is growing and changing to accommodate new communities. The online high school is now offering the world-renowned Cambridge International curriculum. Accepted by over 2000 universities, the Cambridge International curriculum opens learners up to wider opportunities across Africa and the globe. Another exciting offering is their Adult Matric programme to serve those who were unable to write their National Senior Certificate when they were younger. This new offering will allow them to complete high school part-time and entirely online. 

Now, for YOUR gift!

For their birthday, UCT Online High School wants to get three future learners ready for their first day of school with a chance to win a R5000 tech hamper, packed with all the essentials they’ll need. There are also seven Takealot vouchers to the value of R500 up for grabs. To enter, complete this application form to enrol your child into UCT Online High School. To verify your entry into the birthday giveaway, you need to ensure that you pay the R350 application fee and the enrolment fee — which you’ll get 60% off from 3–31 August 2022 — and your entry is in! 

Winners will be announced on Monday 5 September 2022. Ts&Cs apply.