Online University and Online Courses in South Africa

Are you considering pursuing a distance education opportunity at an online university in South Africa? Have you decided on which university to attend—the institution at which you plan to take the bulk of your online courses in South Africa? Distance education has become a major part of the educational fabric in South Africa, and is particularly popular among those living in the country’s more rural areas and for people whose full time employment makes it difficult to attend a traditional university. One institution that has earned an outstanding reputation for this mode of educational delivery is the South African Institute for Distance Education, or SAIDA, a university dedicated to transforming education and training in the country by providing greater access to every potential student.

Online University South Africa: About SAIDA

SAIDA was launched in 1992 by a group of prominent South African educators, and has since become renowned throughout Africa, particularly in the south, for its innovative approach and the manner in which it redresses educational, political and economic inequality. SAIDE is not a product of the South African government, but an independent entity based in Johannesburg, the South African capital. The school’s mission since its founding has revolved around contributing to open distance education in all of its forms, including the development and implementation of online courses in South Africa in almost every major academic and career field. This important step affords every South African the prospect of self-improvement through education and ultimately prepares them to take part in the ongoing development of the South African region.

Online Courses in South Africa

Although the majority of online courses in South Africa are designed for higher education students and teacher candidates, SAIDA also works closely with the sectors of Early Childhood Development, adult education at the secondary level and technical training. At the higher-education level, the SAIDA Online University in South Africa offers programs in a wide range of academic disciplines. Students can partake in both undergraduate and graduate programs, leading to degrees in fields such as Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, Management, Education, Languages and a variety of social, physical and life sciences, including Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Biology and Chemistry.

The online university in South Africa is made possible by its dedicated faculty and staff, who are instrumental in the formation of policy, curriculum development and providing the training and resources needed to serve the school’s large and increasingly growing population of students.

As is the case in many areas throughout the world, the number of online courses in South Africa is growing every year, as is the number of students opting to take advantage of these programs. Statistics show that nearly 75 percent of all South African students now take at least one online class a year towards their degree or certificate—a number that’s even higher for students living in rural districts. Programs such as these are not only much more convenient for students, they are often more affordable as well, largely because the extra cost of providing and maintaining a classroom does not apply.