South Africa is located in the southernmost tip of Africa and has a population of approximately 56 million. As a major donor, South Africa holds a seat on the Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL) Board of Governors.

 

School-age Population by Education Level1

4,911,133

 

4,989,785

Secondary

 

Tertiary

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Secondary Education
for the school year ending 20181

104%

 

97%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education
for the school year ending 20181

28%

 

19%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Percentage of female teachers in 1

57.9%

 

n/a

Secondary (2017)

 

Tertiary

 

 

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in June 2021

 

Literacy rate (2012)1

92.6%

 

95.0%

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Female

 

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Male

 

 

Economic Activity (2010)1

47%

 

59%

Adult (15+) economic activity
Female

 

Adult (15+) economic activity
Male

 

 

Political Decision Making (2014)1

42%

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

 

 

Life expectancy (2012)1

62

 

56

Female

 

Male

 

 

1. COL gender country profile April 2015 

 

5.4 153.3
Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
2.4 76
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
21.9 56.2
Households with a computer (%)1 Individuals using the internet (%)1

 

 

1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Eye Country profile, retrieved in March 2020

 

Highlights

COL’s current work in South Africa is primarily in the areas of higher education, teacher education, and technology-enabled learning. Learners from South Africa have also benefited from COL’s open online courses and other resources. 

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
  • SchoolNet South Africa
  • University of Cape Town
  • University of Fort Hare
  • University of Pretoria
  • University of South Africa