The University of South Africa (Unisa) has once again taken center stage in shaping the future of higher education across the continent with its recently concluded 3rd International Higher Education Teaching, Learning and Student Support Conference, known as ITLC 2026. Held from May 4 to 7 at the vibrant Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria, this hybrid event drew educators, researchers, policymakers, and students from South Africa and beyond. Under the compelling theme "Hope through Transformation: Advancing Sustainability, Inclusion, and Digital Innovation in Higher Education Practices," the conference spotlighted artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative force, positioning Africa not as a consumer of global tech but as a producer of contextually relevant solutions.

Unisa, Africa's largest open distance learning institution serving over 400,000 students, leveraged the event to address pressing questions: How can AI bridge access gaps in diverse, resource-constrained settings? What safeguards ensure it promotes equity rather than exacerbating divides? Discussions unfolded across pre-conference workshops, keynote addresses, panel debates, breakaway sessions, poster presentations, and a gala dinner, fostering collaboration amid South Africa's unique higher education landscape.

Unisa's Strategic Push for AI-Led Transformation

Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Puleng LenkaBula set the tone in her opening address on May 5 at the ZK Matthews Great Hall. "We are living in a time of rapid transformation," she declared, emphasizing intentional AI adoption to avoid excluding African languages, cultures, and epistemologies. This aligns with Unisa's broader initiatives, including AI writing detection tools that flagged AI-generated content in nearly 40 percent of processed submissions, prompting updated policies on ethical use.

Building on successes from ITLC 2025, the 2026 edition expanded to eight tracks, with "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education" leading the charge. Sessions explored integrating AI into teaching, ethical deployment, and personalized learning pathways. Other tracks covered immersive technologies like virtual reality, student digital resilience, decolonial pedagogies, sustainability via green tech, translanguaging for multilingual contexts, and curricula embedding African knowledge systems.

Keynote Insights: Voices Shaping AI Discourse

Prof Thabo Msibi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), delivered a pivotal keynote, warning that unchecked AI risks marginalizing African histories and languages. "This often results in the marginalisation of African languages, histories and epistemologies," he noted, calling for human-centered designs rooted in local realities.

Dr Denzil Chetty, a scholar of technology and education, highlighted AI's dual edge: efficiency in scaling personalized support for Unisa's vast student body versus biases from Global North-dominated datasets. Dr Morgan Maphutha from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) reinforced teachers' centrality, even in automated environments. Panels featured experts like Ms Nakene-Mginqi, Unisa's Vice-Principal for ICT, discussing infrastructure for AI equity.

Over 30 speakers, including Prof Leketi Makalela from Wits and Prof Kgomotso H. Moahi from Botswana Open University, shared case studies. For instance, Prof Meahabo D Magano, Unisa's Executive Director for Tuition Support, outlined data-driven analytics enhancing student retention amid digital divides.

Opportunities: AI as Equalizer in South African Classrooms

AI promises to democratize higher education in South Africa, where enrollment exceeds 1 million but dropout rates hover at 50 percent due to socioeconomic barriers. Tools like adaptive learning platforms tailor content to individual paces, vital for Unisa's distance learners in rural areas lacking tutors.

Delegates showcased examples: AI chatbots providing 24/7 query support, predictive analytics flagging at-risk students early—reducing attrition by up to 20 percent in pilot programs at institutions like Stellenbosch University. In multilingual South Africa, with 11 official languages, AI-driven translanguaging tools enable code-switching, boosting comprehension for isiZulu or Sesotho speakers.

Sustainability tracks linked AI to UN Sustainable Development Goals, with green data centers minimizing energy use in power-strapped campuses. One session detailed gamification via AI simulations training nursing students at the University of the Western Cape, enhancing experiential learning without physical resources.

Challenges: From Cheating to Cultural Bias

Yet optimism tempered realism. Turnitin data revealed a 235 percent surge in Unisa submissions, with 40 percent containing AI-generated text—a trend mirroring continent-wide adoption where 92 percent of African students now use such reports indicate. Ethical lapses, like plagiarism via humanizers, undermine integrity, prompting DHET guidelines urging detection alongside literacy training.

Digital divides persist: only 60 percent of South Africans have reliable internet, per Stats SA, sidelining rural and low-income students. AI biases, trained on non-African data, misgrade accents in speech recognition or overlook indigenous knowledge, as debated in decolonial sessions. Privacy risks loom with sensitive student data, especially disabilities, where AI might automate exclusion if not designed inclusively.

Decolonizing AI: An African Imperative

A recurring motif: AI must reflect African priorities. Prof LenkaBula stressed African universities as knowledge producers, countering "digital colonialism." Sessions on curriculum transformation advocated embedding ubuntu ethics—community over individualism—into algorithms, ensuring tools honor oral traditions and relational learning.

Case in point: Unisa's multilingual AI pilots incorporating Nguni languages, contrasting Western English-centric models. Prof Nokuthula Hlabangane urged rethinking assessment beyond text, integrating video and voice for epistemic justice.

Landmark Partnerships and MoUs

A highlight: Unisa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), penned by Prof LenkaBula and Seliki Tlhabane. It targets capacity building, short courses, resource sharing, research, and high school support—bridging school-to-university transitions via AI-enhanced programs. Dr Angie Magabane called it "a significant step forward."

This echoes DHET-Google MoU for digital skills, signaling national momentum. Conference networking sparked further collaborations, like Unisa-UKZN exchanges on AI ethics.

Trends Across South African and African Universities

South Africa's 26 universities grapple with AI: UCT surveys show 70 percent faculty using it for admin, but only 30 percent for teaching. Continentally, adoption jumps from 66 percent in 2024 to 92 percent student usage in 2026, per recent mappings, yet infrastructure lags—many lack AI policies.

Unisa leads with its AI task team since 2023, informing DHET frameworks. Challenges include faculty upskilling; opportunities, scaling access amid Agenda 2063's human capital goals.

Real-World Case Studies from SA Campuses

Wits University's AI tutors cut query times by 50 percent; UKZN's predictive models boosted throughput 15 percent. Unisa's Ushem platform, despite glitches, teaches ethical AI via simulations. TVET colleges integrate AI for vocational simulations, addressing 40 percent youth unemployment.

Yet pitfalls: UJ's early AI grading faced bias complaints from non-English speakers, underscoring training needs.

Future Outlook: Actionable Pathways Forward

ITLC 2026 charts a roadmap: invest in local AI datasets, mandatory ethics modules, hybrid infrastructure. Policymakers urged national funds for rural connectivity; unis, cross-institutional AI labs.

For educators: step-by-step AI integration—start with low-stakes pilots, train via Unisa-style workshops. Students gain future-proof skills: prompt engineering, bias auditing.

Empowering Stakeholders: Next Steps for SA Higher Ed

Students: embrace AI as collaborator, not crutch—verify outputs, cite ethically. Faculty: redesign assessments for creativity, use analytics for support. Leaders: prioritize equity audits, partnerships like Unisa-DBE.

As Prof LenkaBula concluded, "Higher education institutions across Africa have a responsibility to respond differently." ITLC 2026 ignites that response, heralding an inclusive AI era for African higher education.

Photo by Hennie Stander on Unsplash