Study South Africa

[Extract from message from Minister of Higher Education, Hon. Naledi Pandor]: It gives me great pleasure to endorse the 7th edition of Study South Africa. The International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) has once again produced a publication that provides valuable insights and information about South African public universities and their place in the global higher education arena I welcome this publication and congratulate IEASA for its hard work in promoting our higher education institutions internationally. Study South Africa gives a comprehensive picture of higher education in our country. At a glance, the enquirer is able to see all that South African higher education has to offer diversity in terms of institutions, the wide range of affordable courses on offer, the international acceptability of South African qualifications as well as the rich multi-cultural experiences of our campuses. In short, the Guide provides a summary of everything that will assist the potential student to actualise his or her full potential. South African higher education is founded on broad social values such as respect for human life and dignity, commitment to equality and human rights, respect for diversity and nonsexism. Our education system seeks to construct citizens who are conscious of these values and therefore aware of their responsibilities in life and in the lives of others. These values are reflected in the diverse offerings by institutions covered in the Guide. In addition, we have specific mechanisms in place to facilitate internationalisation, and our immigration policies have been relaxed to make it easier for international students, academics and other higher education staff to enter the country and stay for the duration of their planned activity. We also subsidise students from the continent in terms of our policy on the state subsidisation of foreign students at higher education institutions. South Africa shares the global concern about the digital and information divide. We are of the view that access to information is empowering and would therefore like to see as many citizens of our country and the continent connected with the rest of the world, both digitally and in terms of knowledge. By staying in touch with the rest of the world through information sharing and exchange programmes, we minimise this information gap. It is for this reason, therefore, that the work of IEASA in the form of this publication is applauded, because it seeks to promote such exchanges and information sharing. There is no question that through internationalisation we can impact on our political, economic, cultural and social transformation. We can also address our skills shortage, build research capacity, enrich curricula and enhance the student experience. Collectively higher education institutions in South Africa offer an impressive array of information and communication technologies, well stocked and interconnected libraries and some scholars who are among the best in the world, making the country a destination of choice for both Africans and students from abroad. We aspire to make all our international partners, students and staff feel at home and content with what our institutions offer them, pleasant living and study or work environments. We want them to be proud of their association with South African higher education and be ambassadors for the system once they leave South Africa