e-commerce space easier to navigate – eliminating rental and salary expenses.
The idea for starting an online education
platform for learners, came after a friend of Nureshka asked her for assistance with their son who was experiencing
much difficulty in learning Afrikaans. This was when she realised that there was a
clear lack of online materials and tools to support and enrich his learning process.
NURESHKA VIRANNA Durban-born tech and e-commerce entrepreneur, Nureshka Viranna,
founded the online education platform, Lit Academy, in 2019. The academy offers online courses to the public,
and uses video and study guides to
digitally assist learners with enhancing
their marks. Lit Academy makes quality education accessible to learners,
lowering traditionally exorbitant tuition costs. “Our aim is to disrupt the
education system in South Africa,” Nureshka. In 2019, she was also
recognised for her achievements in the Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 List.
Nureshka started out as a teacher in 2013. As much as she appreciated
working with kids, she always had a burning passion for
technology. “I was lucky enough to meet an entrepreneur who was in the tech
space and he said something profound:
‘Jump and the net will appear.’ I did just that. I resigned from my 9 to 5 job and co-founded an e-commerce company called ShopLi”, she explains. ShopLi
ON CHALLENGES SHE FACED:
A lot of people are wary of taking their business online because they don’t
know what to expect. The way in which we can address this through education and awareness. The whole world is
moving online and the stats show how
e-commerce is growing. Nobody realises how much harder women work in every field, most things are male dominated. Being a female change maker opens a new pathway to show women that
anything is possible. As a young woman, I’m able to help encourage women to assert themselves and act upon their ideas – to make it happen.
ON EMPOWERING WOMEN IN
Professor Xoliswa Mtose began her journey, in tertiary education, as a
lecturer at Rhodes University back in 1996, which is where she also acted as the co-ordinator of the
Distance and Continuing Education
Programme. Since then she has been climbing up the ranks, and she was
appointed as the Dean at the Faculty of Education at Fort Hare in 2009. Attaining much recognition for her
dedication to the education sector,
Xoliswa moved on to the University of Zululand, which is where she
undertook the role of Dean of the
Faculty of Education. Thereafter, she
was quickly promoted to Deputy Vice-
Chancellor for Teaching and Learning. As a distinguished international
scholar, Professor Mtose has had
many opportunities to study abroad.
Thus, she was able to experience the University of Harvard in the United
States of America, after being granted a South African Scholarship.
ONLINE EDUCATION:
Today, Professor Mtose is a
and have various roles that they play
specialist and psychologist, who
We have great ideas, but an idea is just
Vice-Chancellor appointed at
skills and tools to make it in technology.
Dean, since 1960 when the
Women are multi-faceted individuals
trained educator, higher education
throughout their lives. You can do it all.
has been positioned as the seventh
an idea unless you act on it. We have the
UNIZULU’s Faculty of Education
It’s all about actually making it happen.
University was first established.
EDUCATION
• Bachelor of Education (BEd)
is a specialist e-Commerce company
in Elementary Education and
Africa. The brand’s focus is to grow
Teacher Education
dedicated to helping businesses in
PROFESSOR XOLISWA MTOSE
Teaching, Embury Institute for
smaller businesses by making the
168 STANDARD BANK TO P W O M EN LEADERS
She is the third black female Vice Chancellor that UNIZULU has
had. She also serves as executive
member of the Anti-racism Network in Higher Education. Professor Mtose in known for leading by example in setting goals and
standards of performance. Her