Roeland van de Geer, head of the European Union (EU) delegation to South Africa, highlighted the importance of distance education in transforming the higher education sector. He made this remark during the 2014 Unisa Chancellor’s Calabash Awards dinner.
van de Geer said institutions like Unisa are integral to enabling the country to successfully manage the ongoing transition to democracy.
“Like most of South Africa, Unisa commenced a journey of transformation after 1994 and in 2003 it merged with Technikon Southern Africa and Vudec to form a dedicated distance education institution. How appropriate and relevant your 140th anniversary theme of ‘shaping futures’ was and remains, as Unisa continues to make it possible for ordinary South Africans to achieve their dreams of getting a quality education.”