News item | 11-10-2023 | 12:00
Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister of Education, Culture and Science, will be in South Africa from October 15 to 18, prior to the state visit of the Royal Couple, to lead a knowledge mission. The aim of the knowledge mission is to reinforce equal collaborations between Dutch and South African educational institutions in the field of education and research, to start new collaborations and to strengthen relations between both countries. It is the first knowledge mission in which MBO is also fully involved.
Dijkgraaf: “International cooperation is crucial for the quality and exchange of knowledge. Cooperation in education and research between our continents is especially important to tackle global challenges, such as the energy transition and food security. I look forward to working with 21 institutions and organizations to enable new collaborations between the Netherlands and South Africa.”
Digital exchanges
Together with administrators from six Dutch MBOs, three colleges, six universities and six umbrella organizations, Minister Dijkgraaf will visit Cape Peninsula University for Technology, Northlink TVET College in Cape Town and the Future Africa Campus of the University of Pretoria. Dijkgraaf will also speak to the South African Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Blade Nzimande. The ministers sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on equal cooperation in vocational education, through, among other things, knowledge transfer between governments and institutions, exchanges between teachers and digital exchanges for students. Dijkgraaf also meets students who participate in a skills challenge and gives a speech at the University of the Western Cape.
Focus on vocational education
There have been successful digital partnerships in science and between institutions with South Africa for a long time, for example with the Hague University. What is new about this knowledge mission is that secondary vocational education is fully participating. Minister Dijkgraaf: “I think it is important that we seek more international cooperation, especially in secondary vocational education. The Netherlands is a champion in water management and greenhouse technology. South Africa is interested in this knowledge, in how we teach it, and that also offers opportunities for Dutch companies.” Topics that are central to the knowledge mission are connection to the labor market, equal opportunities and green education.
Commemorating shared past
During the knowledge mission, Dijkgraaf also wants to pay attention to the history that the Netherlands and South Africa share, and the way in which South Africa commemorates this past and gives it a place. Dijkgraaf is the coordinating minister of the Commemoration Year for the History of Slavery and in that capacity has previously visited Saba, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire and Suriname. Dijkgraaf visits, among other things, the Castle of Good Hope, where he talks to a scientist who conducts research into the impact of the past. After the knowledge mission, Minister Dijkgraaf will join the state visit of the Royal Couple, which will also focus on the shared past of South Africa and the Netherlands. Together they will visit the Slave Lodge museum, among other things.
Knowledge hub
The knowledge mission is part of the International Knowledge and Talent Strategy. This plan is intended to strategically organize international cooperation in education and science. South Africa is one of the focus countries within the International Knowledge and Talent Strategy. South Africa is an important knowledge hub in Africa for the Netherlands. South Africa also plays an important role on the world stage, for example, South Africa will chair the G20 in 2025. With the knowledge mission, we invest in the relationship with South Africa, we position the Netherlands as an attractive knowledge partner for both South Africa and the African continent and we seek cooperation on the topics that connect us, such as equal opportunities in education. A good example of scientific cooperation is the Square Kilometer Array Observatory, in which the Netherlands co-finances the construction of large telescopes.