Category Archives: Education

Paying It Forward: Standard Bank Launches ACHIEVA Exchange To Empower First-Timers

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Standard Bank is proudly introducing ACHIEVATM Exchange, a transformative movement poised to redefine the way we celebrate personal milestones. Unlike any other market event, ACHIEVATM Exchange invites everyone to be part of something bigger, to repurpose their significant moments into tangible support for others. Set to take place on Saturday, 2 March 2024 at Soweto’s Maponya Mall, ACHIEVATM Exchange is a dynamic event where personal achievements open doors for others, echoing the spirit of community and shared progress.


First Job, First Needs
Under the theme “First Job,” ACHIEVATM Exchange calls for contributions that fulfil the essential needs of individuals embarking on their first job journey. All items – be it clothing, devices or stationery to a laptop bag or notepad – are welcome, provided they are clean, presentable and functional. Drop-off points have been made available at the below Standard Bank branches, but items will also be accepted on the ACHIEVATM Exchange market day.


• 5 Simmonds Street in Johannesburg’s CBD
• Fourways Mall
• Sandton City Mall
• Eastgate Mall
• Cresta Mall
• Rosebank Mall
• Menlyn Mall
• Mall of Africa
• Maponya Mall


“ACHIEVATM Exchange offers a fresh perspective on celebrating personal milestones. Empowering others through the symbolic sharing of personal milestones, participants go beyond their individual journeys to enrich and uplift others. As Standard Bank we’d like to extend a warm invitation to all, regardless of their banking affiliation, in our aim to foster a community of collective impact and shared growth,” says Head of Middle Market, Motlatsi Mkalala.

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Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari On National Geographic

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Hazen walks through the desert. (National Geographic for Disney/George Watts)

Wilderness explorer and survival expert, Hazen Audel has long been an audience favourite as he takes on journeys in some of the world’s wildest places, braving the elements and navigating challenging terrain. Now, the intrepid adventurer takes on his first extreme safari expedition through east Africa’s legendary Great Rift Valley. Audel’s incredible journey is captured in Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari which will premiere on National Geographic across Africa (DStv 181) from Wednesday 22 November 2023 at 21:00 (CAT). 

Hazen Audel finds a Blue Speckled Bush Snake in the Mangroves. (National Geographic for Disney)

As a former biology teacher, he’s always known the valley as the world’s greatest hub for wildlife. The chance to trek 800 kilometers through its diverse wilderness in migration season and survive out in the open amongst magnificent animals, is a life-long dream. Along the way, Audel will cross grasslands, caves, mountains and river valleys, on foot, in his quest to experience Africa’s greatest natural spectacle, the great Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti.

Watch the trailer below or here:

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Play Room is South Africa’s Newest 24-hour Children’s TV Channel

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Play Room, South Africa’s newest 24-hour Children’s TV Channel went live at 3pm on 6 November, kicking off with the channel’s flagship show, Play Room Live! – a multilingual live studio show which brings a fresh cohort of youthful talent to the screen. Presenters include Thando Madondo, Thato Benani, Paballo Koza, Shudu Mathagwa, Kgaohelo Moloi, Ipeleng Malepe and sign-language interpreter Kanya Msweli making their debuts.

Play Room will combine education and entertainment in a uniquely local package carrying original South African and popular international content, including favourite animated titles dubbed into isiZulu, such as Cocomelon and Akili and Me.

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Oxford University Press Empowers Minds Through World Literacy Day

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Hanri Pieterse – MD of Oxford University South Africa

International Literacy Day is celebrated annually around the world on 8 September and Oxford University Press observes the day in support and endorsement of literacy in all its forms.

Founded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1967, International Literacy Day celebrations have since taken place across the globe to remind the international community of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. (1)

In its simplest definition, ‘literacy’ refers to the ability to read and write. In broader terms, it encompasses ways of thinking and doing reading and writing with the purpose of understanding and expressing thoughts or ideas in written form within specific contexts.

 Global literacy is a cause for celebration since the rate for adults 15 years and above stands at 86,3% in 2023. (2) While, on the surface, this is a successful statistic, closer inspection reveals a deeply unequal divide.

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“Sound of Freedom” releases in cinemas on 18 August 2023

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The independent film, Sound of Freedom, that is based on the incredible true story of a former government agent turned vigilante, who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from human trafficking, will release in South African cinemas nationwide on Friday 18 August 2023. The film has been dubbed the “sleeper hit” of the year by critics internationally who did not foresee the remarkable success that it has achieved at the American and European box offices.

During the weekend of 21 – 23 July, Sound of Freedom outperformed Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, according to Rotten Tomatoes, taking third place in earnings behind the “Barbenheimer” behemoth in America. In the weekend prior to that, it outgrossed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Sound of Freedom is based on the real story of Tim Ballard, a former U.S. Department for Homeland Security agent who conducts sting operations to rescue a young brother and sister from human trafficking in Colombia. Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” plays Ballard in the movie.

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