Vis Naidoo

Background

About Vis Naidoo

Vis Naidoo has spent much of the past 20 years involved in NPO & institutional development, promoting education across all sectors, leveraging technology and distance learning and building partnerships to drive social and economic development of people and communities. His work has been both in South Africa (SA), Canada and internationally, including as Vice-President at the Commonwealth of Learning in Vancouver, Canada. Born in South Africa, Vis was Education Specialist for Educational Technology Policy and Planning at COL from to 2005, focusing on the school & post-school sectors. He moved back to SA to head Mindset Network, a NPO that creates, sources and distributes digital educational content on a mass scale across Southern Africa using satellite and broadcast technology. Vis then joined Microsoft SA and led the company's social responsibility programs focusing on supporting students and youth in SA, Swaziland and Lesotho. He led strategy processes, built organizational capabilities and managed implementation of programs and projects. Prior to joining COL in Vis was the Director of the Centre for Educational Technology and Distance Education, Department of Education, SA during the period of Nelson Mandela’s presidency. As Director, he was instrumental in shaping the policy environment in the area of distance education, educational broadcasting and technology-enhanced learning. Vis Naidoo is a Board Member of Education without Borders, a Canadian NPO, with programs in South Africa and British Columbia. He has served on a number of Education Boards in SA and Africa and is currently a Fellow of the Institute for Public Education - British Columbia. Vis was involved in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa during the 1980s and 90s, mobilizing the youth and civic organizations against human rights violations. Vis continues to be an advocate for human rights and social development.