Where Innovation Meets Education - The Story of Limina

At the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute (CTLI), the Professional Development Directorate of the Western Cape Education Department, Christo Davids, then managing the ICT Integration Unit, joined forces with a fellow learning designer, Isabel Tarling, to push the boundaries of teacher development.

Together, they had free rein to design the most forward-thinking courses imaginable, programmes that empowered teachers not just to use technology, but to transform learning with it. From ICT Integration for Foundation Phase classrooms to subject-focused courses for Language and Maths, the initiative quickly grew into a movement.

What started as a handful of pilot courses evolved into a province-wide network of innovation. Early graduates became trainers, scaling the impact across every district of the Western Cape. One trainer could influence 100 teachers a year. Each of those teachers worked with hundreds of learners. Multiply that by 20 trainers, and suddenly you’re looking at more than 180,000 learners whose classroom experiences were richer, more interactive, and more meaningful, all sparked by the simple idea that learning could be active, engaging, and fun.

When the ICT Integration Unit celebrated its 10th anniversary in October 2025, the photo that marked the moment captured more than just the incredible trainers. It captured a philosophy, a belief that real change begins with people who are curious enough to try, playful enough to experiment, and bold enough to share what they learn.

For Dr Tarling, that belief became the heartbeat of something even greater. It became the heartbeat of Limina Education Services.

A Vision Rooted in Research and Driven by Innovation

At the centre of Limina is its founder and CEO, Dr Isabel Tarling, a Learning Science scholar, programme designer, and researcher. Her PhD research laid the foundation for Limina’s creation, transforming theoretical, design-based research findings into real-world impact. Driven by a deep commitment to equity and innovation, Dr Tarling set out to reimagine how learning happens in online spaces.

Her work has shaped national guidelines for teacher professional development, and her publications on transformation continue to influence educational policy and practice across South Africa. Through Limina, she has brought her research to life, building a company that merges evidence-based design, creativity, and African ingenuity to make learning accessible, meaningful, and alive.

Reimagining Learning for a New Generation

Limina emerged from this experience with a clear purpose: to reimagine how professional development and learning design can nurture creativity, innovation, and confidence in educators. We believe in the transformative power of education and in the uniquely African ways we imagine, collaborate, and adapt. Our vision is to make learning accessible, relevant, and rooted in context, so that both educators and learners can thrive in an ever-changing world.

At Limina, our work is guided by four enduring values: Play, Co-create, Learn, and Innovate Change. We see play not as a luxury but as the most natural and effective form of learning: active, engaging, and joyful. Co-creation reminds us that great ideas grow to excellence through collaboration, curiosity, and shared ownership. Learning, for us, is a lifelong journey shaped by experience and reflection. And innovation is not about disruption for its own sake, but about finding grounded, contextual solutions that make life better for communities here and now.

Guided by these values, we continue to develop courses, toolkits, and projects that speak to real needs in classrooms and workplaces. Every course we design is built from evidence, collaboration, and a commitment to impact. We aim to create a ripple effect of learning —one that begins with a single educator or team and spreads outward to touch learners, organisations, and communities.

Africa’s rhythm beats at the centre of Limina’s identity. We believe that innovation on this continent is not imported; it is home-grown, often born from constraint, creativity, and a deep sense of community. Our work is about listening to that drumbeat and translating it into meaningful learning experiences: courses that open doors, ignite imagination, and honour the resilience of our educators and learners alike.

Today, Limina stands as both a company and a collective of people who believe that education can change everything when it is approached with curiosity, compassion, and courage. Our journey began in one provincial training unit, but our vision stretches across classrooms, offices, and communities—everywhere learning happens. Our roots remain the same: play, co-creation, lifelong learning, and the courage to innovate change, one person, one classroom, and one idea at a time.

If you believe learning should feel alive — not locked in policy documents or left in theory — you’re our kind of people. Whether you’re a teacher, a college, an NGO, a government department, or a corporate organisation building skills for the future, we’d love to work with you.

Start something transformative with us. Reach out to Limina, and let’s design learning that is relevant, joyful, and built for real impact for the future we’re all responsible for.

By Chantal Tarling