Darren Neethling
Darren Neethling believes that education is not about content delivery, but about awakening agency. For him, true learning begins when curiosity is sparked, when a child starts to ask “why” and feels empowered to explore. He sees technology not as the centerpiece, but as both a mirror and a map: a tool that reflects a learner’s potential and helps chart new, previously unimagined paths.
He has never viewed technology as a silver bullet. To him, it is more like a scalpel…delicate, precise, and only as effective as the intention behind it. Across his work in schools from South Africa to Germany to Denmark, Darren has consistently used technology to simplify rather than complicate, to empower rather than distract. He emphasizes the need to interrogate the tools we use, question the systems we build, and ensure that equity and purpose remain at the heart of educational innovation.
This philosophy is what drew him to the Technology Readiness Council (TRC). As he puts it, the TRC doesn’t just talk about readiness—it shapes what readiness means. It convenes educators and leaders who believe that schooling must prepare learners not for the world we grew up in, but for the future they are inheriting, one that must be guided by thoughtfulness, not just technology.
