Limpopo Man Who Walked Barefoot to School Now Leads Unisa Mathematics Research Chair

• Professor Masilo France Machaba grew up walking nearly 15 kilometres to school barefoot in rural Limpopo village Ga-Maloto
• He has now been appointed Unisa's NRF SARChI Chair in Big Data and Mathematics Education, announced by Minister Nzimande
• Machaba plans to use big data and artificial intelligence to identify struggling learners early and improve mathematics teaching nationwide

A Limpopo-born academic who once walked barefoot to school has been named Unisa’s new research chair in mathematics education. Professor Masilo France Machaba received the NRF SARChI Chair title on 16 April. The appointment came from Minister Blade Nzimande. It marks a major step for South African education research.

From dusty roads to a national chair

Machaba grew up in Ga-Maloto village near Alldays in Limpopo. His school had mud classrooms and leaking iron roofs. Learning resources were scarce, and the walk to school was long. Those early struggles shaped his later career choices. In an exclusive release shared with Briefly News, Machaba said that the hardship built resilience and drive in him. It also gave him insight into disadvantaged learners’ daily challenges.

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Machaba is now an NRF C2-rated researcher at Unisa’s College of Education. He won the 2024 Unisa Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence. His work covers culturally responsive teaching and learning analytics. He also studies how technology can improve mathematics outcomes for learners.

The new chair gives him a bigger platform to expand this research. Machaba wants Unisa to become a global leader in the field. He plans to combine data science with classroom-based teaching methods. His focus is on predicting problems before learners start failing subjects.

He hopes educational data can support teachers directly in classrooms. This means flagging at-risk learners earlier than usual methods allow. Policymakers could also use this data to shape better strategies. Rural and under-resourced schools are a key priority for his research.

Over the next five years, Machaba plans to grow his team at Unisa. He wants postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students under his mentorship. Partnerships with government departments and international experts are also planned. He believes strong evidence should guide every education policy decision made.

For Machaba, success will not be measured by papers alone. He wants his legacy to be real change in classrooms nationwide. Every learner, no matter their background, deserves a fair shot at maths. That belief still drives the boy who once walked barefoot to school.

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Source: Briefly News