Another accolade for celebrated ‘teacher of the nation’
RHODES University will this week honour television educator William Smith at its virtual graduation.
On Wednesday, Rhodes University will confer a degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) (honoris causa) on its alumnus and notable educator Smith, who, over the years, has reached many young people in South Africa and beyond, with his televised lessons, for some the only quality instruction they received in mathematics and science.
Vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela said: “Thanks to his exceptional teaching skills and compassion, for almost two decades, the Learning Channel became an indispensable platform for young people of our country to receive interactive TV education in mathematics and science. In this way, he became a teacher for the entire South African nation.”
After matriculating, Smith completed his BSc and BSc (Hons) – both with distinction – at Rhodes University. His parents JLB Smith, who discovered the coelacanth, and Margaret Smith, ichthyologist and accomplished fish illustrator, both had deeprooted ties with the university and Makhanda (then Grahamstown).
In 1962, Smith completed his MSc, in seven months, at the University of Natal.
Although his initial journey was into the world of business, working at African Explosives and Chemical Industries (AECI) and Afrox, he soon realised he would not be content unless he followed his passion for teaching.
His first project in the education sector was establishing “Star Schools” to provide value-for-money education, with top-class teachers.
Over the next 25 years, Smith became famous throughout the country and his schools have taught almost a million pupils of all races. He received many accolades for his innovations in teaching, including the highly prestigious Teacher of the Year award.
In 1990, Smith began producing
The Learning Channel’s educational television programmes, with the financial backing of Hylton Appelbaum,
then executive director of the Liberty Life Foundation.
As a result of his work on this programme, Smith was voted one of the top three presenters on South African television in 1998.
Besides his education programmes, Smith appeared – along with Jeremy Mansfield – in the popular South African television quiz show A Word or 2.
Smith was voted 86th in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004. In 2019, he was awarded the Order of the Baobab (silver), in recognition of his services to teaching and the “demystification of mathematics and science”.
The National Orders are the highest awards South Africans can receive.
Smith is also a renowned conservationist and owned the Featherbed Nature Reserve in Knysna, where he lived until the sale of the land and the company in 2004.
He was also the owner of Rivercat Ferries, which has several crafts cruising the Knysna lagoon and out to sea.