The team met at our hotel in Pretoria on Sunday night for an orientation meeting prior to our first visits on Monday, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.
Monday morning saw an early start as our visit to the University of Pretoria commenced at 8am (standard working hours in South Africa are earlier than in the UK). We were given a very warm welcome at the university and went straight into a busy programme of meetings that had been organised for us by the staff there. After a brief introduction to the history of the university, which gave us some context for the rest of the day, we were introduced to staff who have particular knowledge about the admissions process and the challenges facing universities in South Africa at the moment. Following this we split into two groups to explore the themes on 'life beyond the classroom' and 'professional development', with a short break for coffee and a chance to chat informally with staff between sessions.
The morning programme finished with a visit from Tshwane University of Technology and an insight into the different challenges faced by the technical universities in South Africa, in particular in relation to employability of graduates and the use of work integrated learning (work placements).
At lunch we were welcomed to the university by the Vice Chancellor and Principal, Professor Cheryl de la Rey, and had the opportunity to mingle informally with staff. We then walked across the campus and took the opportunity to admire a number of buildings, including the chapel, pictured below:
Our day's programme at the University of Pretoria concluded with a presentation on 'Enterprises: University of Pretoria Trust' but we will be returning to the university on Wednesday for a tour of the sports facilities and Client Service Centre.
The last visit for the day was to the Council on Higher Education where we had some wide ranging discussions on the challenges facing higher education in South Africa and some similarities with the UK sector.
All in all we have had a very successful first day and the welcome we have received has been wonderful.
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