South Africa launches manufacturing facility to build humanoid IRIS teachers with 23,000 schools targeted

• The South African government has launched a manufacturing facility to build humanoid IRIS teachers, targeting 23,000 schools across the country.
• The IRIS devices are designed to assist teachers with marking, curriculum analysis, and learner results, and can provide personalized support and learning assistance in South Africa's 11 official languages.
• The initiative has the potential to create 20,000 jobs over the next five years, but is also aimed at addressing the country's high teacher vacancy rates, with 27,000 vacant teaching posts as of August 2026.