Back at our desks for 2026!

• The ASSITEJ South Africa team, like the country’s schoolchildren, are back at their desks and ready to make 2026 a year to remember!

  We celebrate with the matrics of 2025, who have passed this milestone with aplomb, and who are now looking forward to the next stage of their lives, with hope and trepidation.

  Moving into the challenges of further study, job-seeking or starting a business require a range of skills that go beyond the acquisition and application of knowledge: self-belief, emotional regulation, communication, creativity, capacity for reflection and decision-making, adaptability, determination, collaboration and courage are all needed for the challenges that lie ahead. These skills are intrinsic to artistic practice, which demands us to use a variety of human intelligences in coordinated ways.

  At the same time, we acknowledge those young people for whom the end of year results were disappointing, or who did not achieve the outcome they had hoped for. This moment can feel deeply personal and overwhelming, but it does not define their worth, potential or future contribution. There are many pathways forward, and learning, growth and success take different shapes and timelines for different people. We hold space for these matrics too, and affirm that resilience, creativity and determination, qualities nurtured through the arts, will continue to be vital companions as they navigate what comes next.

  We are most heartened by the stated focus of the Minister of Basic Education on the other end of the educational spectrum – on early years learning to build strong foundations. Focusing on pre-school education and ensuring school readiness are fundamental to ensuring the quality of education overall. And it is here too, that the arts must have a vital role.

  Children learn most effectively through play and experiential learning. The arts, and theatre in particular, are a synthesising force, making learning accessible, integrated and pleasurable. By stimulating curiosity and the desire to learn, the arts can be a platform for learning throughout life, encouraging children to find their own voices and to make meaning of their world. We therefore urge the Department of Basic Education to prioritise the arts in early childhood development and to ensure that the arts take their rightful place across the entire learning spectrum.

  While some may feel that the arts are far away from the sciences, in fact the opposite has been shown to be true. The intricate connections between the arts and the sciences, and the ways in which they are integrated within current and future technologies, speaks to the importance of STEAM, where the Arts are at the heart of exploring sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. The arts not only make the sciences more accessible, increasing learner engagement, but also support systems thinking; arts education allows learners to reframe, recontextualise and shift perspectives in ways which are core to scientific endeavour.

  We do not find it surprising that a study conducted in Mthatha recently found that integrating dramatic arts into learning, improved academic performance in Grade 12. As one learner quoted in the study said, “Integrating dramatic arts into Grade 12 education held promise for enhancing my academic performance and learning engagement.  When dramatic arts were used in the lessons, I was able to learn very well, and that has helped develop my critical thinking skills, deepen my understanding of the subjects, and strengthen my time with my studies.”[1]

  So, as we all return to our respective desks, ASSITEJ SA wishes the classes of 2026 (of every year) the very best for the year ahead. We challenge every learner to explore the arts that most resonate with you! You will not only find a pathway to self-expression and creative fulfilment, but also you will bolster your capacity to tackle any subject with the skills you will have gained along the way. Here is to new learning journeys for us all.

   

  [1] Quoted in Sincuba, Limkani & Boateng, Sakyiwaa. (2024). Transformative Impact: Dramatic Arts for Grade 12 Academic Excellence. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. 23. 489-512. 10.26803/ijlter.23.8.25.

   

   

   

   

• Yvette Hardie, Director, ASSITEJ South Africa 

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