The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina, has welcomed the launch of South Africa's locally developed IRIS AI Humanoid Tutor manufacturing plant and showroom at Dube TradePort in Durban, saying the initiative has the potential to create jobs while transforming teaching and learning.
The launch yesterday marked an important step by BSG and Technologies' founder and CEO, Ms Thando Gumede, to expand into local manufacturing.
Dr Gina said the initiative has the potential to create 20 000 jobs over the next five years, describing the project as a powerful example of how innovation can drive educational advancement, industrial development and economic growth.
"As the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), our mandate is to support science, technology and innovation that address the real conditions of our people," she said, calling for strong collaboration between government and the private sector to support initiatives like these.
"The localisation of IRIS manufacturing will signal the growth of a South African innovation ecosystem that can drive enterprise development, strengthen industrial capability, create opportunities for young people and position the country as a producer, rather than merely a consumer, of advanced technologies," she said.
The Deputy Minister's remarks were delivered on her behalf by Dr Anitha Ramsuran, Manager: Transformation and Innovation for Inclusive Development at the Technology Innovation Agency, an agency of the DSTI.
Dr Gina emphasised that IRIS is intended to support, rather than replace teachers, by providing additional learning assistance, personalised support, learner performance analysis and classroom engagement tools.
"The question is not whether South Africa should participate in the global technological transformation, but whether we will be consumers of technology developed elsewhere or producers of technology designed to solve our own challenges," she said.
The newly launched IRIS Showroom will provide schools, government departments, investors and communities with an opportunity to experience how artificial intelligence and robotics can contribute to education, skills development and the advancement of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
Dube TradePort Corporation's CEO, Mr Hamish Erskine, said the company was proud to have created an environment that attracts and supports innovative, knowledge-driven businesses.
"Through investments in world-class digital infrastructure, we have enabled technology-driven businesses to operate efficiently and compete globally," said Mr Erskine.
Ms Gumede shared her personal journey behind the development of IRIS, explaining that her experience as a teacher exposed her to the immense workload educators face, including lesson preparation, marking and learner performance analysis.
"Teachers spend countless hours beyond the classroom preparing lessons, marking assessments and analysing learner performance data. The workload often extends into our personal time, making work-life balance extremely difficult," said Ms Gumede.
She said the vision behind IRIS was to create a solution that supports teachers, administrators and learners while expanding access to quality education.
"I developed IRIS because I wanted to create a platform that helps teachers, administrators and learners work together more effectively, while improving access to quality education and learning support," she said.
Acknowledging the challenges she faced in developing the technology, she said securing funding and overcoming scepticism had been among the biggest obstacles.
"It took more than seven years of persistence, self-funding and continuous development to reach this stage," she said.
Motivated by these challenges and lacking the resources to hire developers, she taught herself to code and develop software. Her efforts earned national and international recognition, including being crowned Ms Dot Digital South Africa 2022 and Ms Tech Universe 2023.
Looking ahead, Thando outlined an ambitious vision. "Our goal is to see IRIS deployed in all 23 000 schools across South Africa, ensuring that every learner has access to quality educational support regardless of where they live. At the same time, we aim to create 20 000 jobs over the next five years through manufacturing, technical support, training and the growth of the innovation ecosystem," she said.
The next phase would focus on refining the technology, expanding adoption and demonstrating its impact in real learning environments. "We want educators, learners and stakeholders to experience firsthand how this technology can support teaching and learning," she said.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Republic of South Africa.
