For Dr Anthea Jacobs, a lifelong passion for education has never been about accolades. It has been about people, possibility and the belief that learning can transform lives.
That belief was affirmed when the University of the Western Cape (UWC) senior lecturer and Learning and Teaching Specialist received a Commendation at the 2026 National University Teaching Awards (NUTA), one of the highest recognitions for teaching excellence in South African higher education.
Ten minute presentation
During the NUTA adjudication process, Jacobs was tasked with distilling decades of learning, growth and reflection into a ten-minute presentation. Days later, on 9 September, she received the letter informing her of the commendation, bringing her thoughts back to the values she learnt as a child: work hard, remain humble, care for others and create opportunities for those around you.
Prof Michelle Esau, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, acknowledged the commendation, which will be formally presented at the NUTA Gala Awards Ceremony in Johannesburg on 20 November.
The national adjudication panel commended Jacobs for her theoretically informed ethics-of-care teaching philosophy, her transformation-oriented praxis and her significant Scholarship of Teaching and Learning initiatives that contribute to academic development and professional learning.
“To me, this award is a representation of the many people, places and experiences that have shaped my journey as an educator. It is a humbling reminder that the work we do, often quietly and collectively, can have meaning and impact beyond what we sometimes realise,” she said.
While the award acknowledges decades of professional achievement, its roots can be traced to a very different setting: the small mining town of Nababeep in the Northern Cape.
Born into a close-knit family, Jacobs grew up surrounded by hardworking parents, grandparents and a community that instilled the values of faith, responsibility, respect and service. These early lessons would later shape not only her personal outlook but also her professional philosophy as an educator.
In a personal narrative titled The Threads That Brought Me Here: A Small-Town Girl’s Story of Education, Care and Becoming, Jacobs describes how the foundations of her educational philosophy were laid long before she encountered the language of pedagogy, social justice or academic development. She learnt the importance of care through family, community and the example of people who worked tirelessly to create opportunities for others.
Education eventually carried her far beyond the small town where she was born. As a student at Stellenbosch University, she encountered both opportunity and adversity during a period when the realities of exclusion and belonging were starkly evident. Those formative years broadened her understanding of society and deepened her awareness of the transformative role education can play.
Her professional career unfolded across multiple educational settings. She served as a high school and primary school teacher, a deputy principal and a subject adviser before moving into higher education. Each role reinforced her belief that effective teaching is fundamentally about people and relationships.
Academic development
After completing a master’s degree and later a PhD in Education, Jacobs entered the field of academic development, where she discovered a philosophy that continues to guide her work. Rather than viewing academic development as fixing problems, she increasingly saw it as creating spaces for dialogue, collaboration and shared learning.
Central to this approach is a simple but powerful belief: “We rise by lifting others.”
At UWC, that philosophy found fertile ground. Inspired by the institution’s history of transformation and social justice, Dr Jacobs deepened her focus on care, belonging and mattering in higher education.
“The bulk of my work spans professional learning, curriculum development, assessment, student voice initiatives, scholarship and emerging conversations around artificial intelligence in education. Across these diverse areas, a common thread remains for me: a conviction that students and academics alike need to know that they matter,” she said.
Despite the recognition, she remains characteristically forward-looking, describing herself as a small-town girl who still feels she is “just getting started”.
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