Dr Anthea Jacobs Image: Supplied

For a University of the Western Cape (UWC) academic, a lifelong passion for education has never been about accolades. It has been about people, possibility and the belief that learning can transform lives.

The culmination of that journey came during the National University Teaching Awards (NUTA), one of the highest recognitions for teaching excellence in South African higher education. During the NUTA adjudication process, Dr Anthea Jacobs, senior lecturer and Learning and Teaching Specialist, was tasked with distilling decades of learning, growth and reflection into a ten-minute presentation. Days later, on 9 September 2026, she received the letter informing her of the commendation. The recognition brought 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.

That commitment was recently recognised when she received her Commendation in 2026.

The Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Prof Michelle Esau, acknowledged the commendation, which will be formally presented at the NUTA Gala Awards Ceremony in Johannesburg on 20 November 2026, marking an important milestone in an already distinguished career. Yet for Dr Jacobs, it is also a reminder that education is ultimately a human endeavour rooted in care, connection and the belief that every person can flourish when given the opportunity.

The national adjudication panel commended Dr 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. The commendation affirms her commitment to scholarly, socially responsive and transformative learning and teaching.

“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, Dr 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.

Reflecting on her journey in a personal narrative titled, The Threads That Brought Me Here: A Small-Town Girl's Story of Education, Care and Becoming, Dr 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 in creating more inclusive learning environments.

Her professional career unfolded across multiple educational settings. She served as a high school teacher, a 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. Over time, her focus expanded from directly supporting learners to helping educators think more deeply about teaching, learning and academic growth.

After completing a master's degree and later a PhD in Education, Dr 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.

And, despite the recognition, she remains characteristically forward-looking, describing herself as a small-town girl who still feels she is "just getting started".