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South Africa

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South Africa is located in the southernmost tip of Africa and has a population of almost 60 million (World Bank, 2022). As a major donor, South Africa holds a seat on COL’s Board of Governors.

COL’s work in South Africa is in the areas of Higher Education, Teacher Education, and Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL), and benefits from programmes offered by COL’s regional centre, the Southern African Development Community Centre for Distance Education (SADC-CDE). Learners from South Africa also participate in COL’s free online courses and can access other openly available resources.

Highlights

  • In March 2026, SADC-CDE convened 21 stakeholders from 10 Commonwealth countries, including South Africa, in Johannesburg for a regional workshop on OER Development, Implementation, and Practices in the Age of AI.
  • In December 2024, the Wits School of Education, with COL support, convened 22 stakeholders from Botswana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa for a session on creating, adapting, and using OER.
  • Through the C-DELTA programme, SchoolNet South Africa is collaborating with COL to equip learners with essential digital education skills. In June 2024, 54 teachers successfully completed a training of trainers course, strengthening teacher and learners’ capacity to participate in digital learning environments.
  • In 2023, SchoolNet South Africa, with COL support, strengthened the digital literacy skills of 1,000 out-of-school women and girls, expanding their employment prospects and entrepreneurial income opportunities.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in South Africa include:

  • Department of Higher Education and Training
  • Distance Education Association of Southern Africa
  • National Association of Distance Education and Open Learning in South Africa
  • SchoolNet South Africa
  • Siyafunda Community Technology Centre
  • South African Council for Educators
  • University of Cape Town
  • University of Fort Hare
  • University of Pretoria
  • University of South Africa
  • University of Witwatersand

Key Contacts

Board of Governors

Honourable Dr Mimmy Gondwe
Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training

Focal Point

Ms Trudi van Wyk
Chief Director: Social Inclusion, Equity, Access and Quality
Department of Higher Education and Training

Notable Mention

The late Professor Narend Baijnath, former Chair, COL Board of Governors

The late Professor Jenny Glennie, COL Honorary Fellow and former member of COL Board of Governors

The late Professor Daniel Kgwadi, former member of COL Board of Governors

Professor Mandla Makhanya, COL Honorary Fellow

Professor Mpine Makoe, COL Chair (Institute for Open and Distance Learning, University of South Africa)

Professor Veronica McKay, former Honorary COL Adviser

Dr Evelyn Nonyongo, COL Honorary Fellow

The Honourable Naledi Pandor, COL Honorary Fellow

Professor N. Barney Pityana, COL Honorary Fellow

Dr Ihron L. Rensburg, former member of COL Board of Governors

Mr John Samuel, former member of COL Board of Governors

Professor Vincent Tenebe, former COL Chair

More Information

News

Reports

Publications and Resources

Country Data Sources