after school programme

When the School Bell Rings, Opportunity Begins: Lights On After School South Africa Returns for its 7th Year 

The 2026 Lights On After School campaign, returns to South Africa for its seventh year under the theme Switched On! Ready to Learn. Ready to Play. Ready to Grow.

The campaign is led by The Learning Trust and YearBeyond, with support from partners across the country, celebrates the people and organisations powering the after-school sector while drawing attention to the wider role these programmes play in creating opportunity.

Our 2025 Annual Report is LIVE!  

A 15-year review on strengthening the organisations, partnerships and systems that support children and young people beyond the classroom.  We’re proud to present our 2025 Annual Report: Building South Africa’s After-School Ecosystem – A 15-Year Review.  As The Learning Trust (TLT) celebrate 15 years of strengthening South Africa’s after-school sector, this report reflects on our journey alongside community-based organisations, … Read more

After School Programmes Are South Africa’s untapped Solution

South Africa’s education system is faced with a myriad of challenges that negatively impact learning and employment outcomes. Studies such as the ThrivebyFive Index show that many learners start Grade 1 already far behind, with only 42% of our children in early learning settings are developmentally “on track”, which is one of the contributing factors to our … Read more

5 Key Lessons from The Learning Trust’s Impact Evaluation Report

Over the past five years, The Learning Trust (TLT) has worked to strengthen After School Programmes (ASPs) across South Africa, ensuring they have the resources, skills and support needed to sustain and scale. This impact report provides a deep dive into the outcomes of our funding and capacity-support model.

Introducing the After School Quality Standards and Quality Assessment Tool (QAT)

The Learning Trust is proud to introduce the After School Quality Standards and Quality Assessment Tool (QAT), a vital tool co-created with in-put from after-school programmes across South Africa to ensure every learner receives the best support possible. What are After School Quality Standards, and Why Do They Matter? The After School Quality Standards are a … Read more

Leveraging Public Employment and After School Programmes to Deliver Multiple Outcomes

In today’s educational landscape, where challenges in learning and youth unemployment intersect After School Programmes (ASPs) emerge as crucial resources for nurturing young minds and addressing societal needs. However, their potential for impact multiplies when coupled with Public Employment Programmes (PEPs), presenting a unique opportunity to leverage government investments for multifaceted outcomes.   Over the past … Read more

Coalitions: Working Together Across Sectors to Scale Up Impact

Written by Charlene Petersen-Voss, Special Projects Manager and Sibongile Khumalo, Executive Director of The Learning Trust  The power of collective action  The world is riddled with daunting and complex challenges that no single person or organisation can claim to know the solutions to. From poverty and food insecurity to climate change and catastrophic pandemics, these … Read more

Khanyisa Dube

#YoungWomenInSTEM: Khanyisa Dube

To celebrate Women’s Month, The Learning Trust shines the spotlight on young women who either study(ied) or work(ed) in any of the STEM disciplines.

STEM Women

#YoungWomenInSTEM: Mapula Motana

To celebrate Women’s Month, The Learning Trust shines the spotlight on young women who either study(ied) or work(ed) in any of the STEM disciplines.

Women's Month

#YoungWomenInSTEM: Sharon Ncube

To celebrate Women’s Month, The Learning Trust shines the spotlight on young women who either study(ied) or work(ed) in any of the STEM disciplines.

Join our mailing list

Sign Up