Teach360, a classroom learning solutions provider that has partnered with more than 1,000 schools across South Africa, has announced a connected technology environment for 2027 that brings key school processes closer together. The new programmes and integrations are designed to reduce the administrative load on schools, simplify how information and learning materials are managed, and give teachers more time to focus on teaching and learner support.
The new environment brings together book purchasing, school administration, learner and group management, digital-content assignment, and access through the new Optimi app. This connected approach will help school teams manage information and learning resources more seamlessly, reducing the need to switch between systems or repeat the same tasks.
A key part of this approach is the integration of Teach360 with existing school management systems. Through integrations with education data platform Wonde and school management platform d6, participating schools will be able to synchronise learner, class, and group information from supported school systems. This will help keep records up to date across connected platforms, reduce duplicate data capturing and make it easier to ensure that learners are linked to the correct classes, groups, and digital resources. As a result, schools can spend more time on learners and engagement, rather than operations.
“School technology should remove work from teachers and administrators. Schools should not have to capture the same learner information repeatedly or manually match each learner to every digital resource,” says Louise Schoonwinkel, chief commercial officer at Optimi, of which Teach360 is a registered trademark. “By connecting the systems involved, Teach360 aims to give schools back time that can be spent on teaching, learner support and the work that makes a difference in the classroom.”
The connected environment also extends to how schools purchase books and provide learners with access to digital learning materials. The Teach360 by Optimi online store introduced printed books for purchase in 2026 and has now expanded to include both printed books and ebooks in one market. Schools will be able to purchase books in bulk by grade and subject or curate booklists that parents can use to purchase the required books for their children.
Beyond purchasing, these booklists can also help schools manage the allocation of digital learning content. A school can create a booklist for a grade, class or subject group and link it to the relevant learners. Group membership can then help determine which learners should receive specific ebooks or other digital resources.
For example, when a learner joins a class or changes a subject group, updated learner information can help the system identify the appropriate digital resources and support the allocation of the correct ebook licence.
While connecting school processes can improve efficiency, Teach360 recognises that schools differ in their existing systems, resources, and readiness to adopt innovative technology. Schools will be able to manage users and groups directly through the platform, upload information in bulk or synchronise data through supported third-party integrations. This allows schools to use the approach that suits their current systems and internal capacity.
As their needs grow and their systems develop, they can gradually introduce integrations to connect different platforms and make the process more efficient. In this way, schools can benefit from the platform without first investing in advanced technology or making significant changes to their existing systems. They can begin with the tools and processes they already have and build on them over time.
“Schools do not all have the same systems, resources or internal capacity,” says Schoonwinkel. “The new environment must be practical for a smaller school managing information manually and for a larger school that needs data to synchronise with an existing management system.”
Alongside improvements to school management, the technology is designed to make accessing digital learning materials more straightforward for learners. The Optimi app will replace the previous miEbooks reader architecture and give learners a consistent e-reader experience across supported devices. While the connected back-end systems help schools manage learner identities, content licences, user access and school structures.
This separation between the administrative systems and the learner-facing app helps connect the work schools do behind the scenes with the learning experience learners see.
Teach360 is a member of the Optimi Group and provides classroom learning solutions to schools across South Africa. Its offering includes curriculum-aligned printed books and ebooks, CAMI software, assessment resources, classroom support, digital-library services, and coding and robotics solutions. Teach360 is a registered trademark of Optimi Schooling.
