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.
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 |
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4,911,133 |
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4,989,785 |
Secondary |
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Tertiary |
|
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Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Secondary Education |
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109.0% |
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100.4% |
Female |
|
Male |
|
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Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education |
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26.4% |
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18.4% |
Female |
|
Male |
|
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Percentage of female teachers in 1 |
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57.9% |
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n/a |
Secondary (2017) |
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Tertiary |
|
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1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in March 2020 |
Literacy rate (2012)1 |
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92.6% |
|
95.0% |
Adult (15+) literacy rate |
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Adult (15+) literacy rate |
|
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Economic Activity (2010)1 |
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47% |
|
59% |
Adult (15+) economic activity |
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Adult (15+) economic activity |
|
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Political Decision Making (2014)1 |
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42% |
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Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament |
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|
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Life expectancy (2012)1 |
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62 |
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56 |
Female |
|
Male |
|
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1. COL gender country profile April 2015 |
5.4 | 153.3 |
Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 | Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 |
|
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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 |
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1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Eye Country profile, retrieved in March 2020 |
COL’s work in South Africa is in the areas of higher education, open/innovative schooling, teacher education and technology-enabled learning.
COL collaborates with the University of South Africa (UNISA), the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria and the South African Institute for Distance Education (Saide), to develop and share ODL knowledge and resources. South African experts have been commissioned by COL to provide technical advice to institutions, not just in Africa but also in Asia and the Caribbean.
Learn more about COL Higher Education
Learn more about COL Open/Innovative Schooling
Learn more about COL Teacher Education
Learn more about COL Technology-enabled Learning
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's partners in South Africa include: