It is with regret that Education South Africa (EduSA) has to announce that, due to operational reasons, Shane Global head office has decided to close its centre in Cape Town.  This has happened with immediate effect.

However, EduSA is pleased to advise that the 23 students, who were studying at Shane Global Cape Town, are completing their studies at another  EduSA member centre.  This was arranged so as to cause as little disruption as possible for the students. 

There were only a small number of agents involved at the time, each of whom has been individually contacted and notified accordingly.

We wish to emphasise that this is not a reflection, in any way, on Cape Town as a destination or the industry in South Africa.  All the other EduSA members continue to carry on with normal day-to-day business.

During the month of November this year EduSA hosted six agents from the Italian Association of Language Consultants and Agents (IALCA) and three journalists for a week.  The agents and journalists had a chance to visit all the participating schools (EC, LAL, IH, Inlingua, Interlink, Eurocentres, Shane Global, Kurus English and Good Hope Studies) during which time they had a question-and-answer session with each of the owners or managers.  The report from all of the centres was that this time was especially beneficial for both the agents and the schools.

The accompanying journalists (one freelance journalist who writes for Corriere della Sera and the other two from Il sole 24 ore and L’Agenzia di Viaggio respectively) were covering not only the language centres in Cape Town, but also Cape Town/South Africa as a travel destination with the focus on language study.

Because part of their visit took place over the weekend, there was plenty of time for our guests to relax and take in the beauty and pleasures of the Mother City and the surrounding area.  Their stay included visits to Table Mountain, the V & A Waterfront, Kirstenbosch and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.  One of the highlights for the Italians was the safari they were taken to on the Sunday, at a game reserve about two hours drive from Cape Town.  Each day was rounded off with a dinner at a popular local restaurant at which the agents and journalists were joined by representatives from each of the language schools mentioned above.

EduSA looks forward not only to hosting similar joint ventures with IALCA again in the future, but also to welcoming many new Italian language students to our shores in the near future!

Education South Africa hosts Familiarization Trip for Turkish agents

In August 2009, member schools of Education South Africa (EduSA) collaborated for the first time in hosting a Turkish Agent FAM Trip.

These schools were: Good Hope Studies; Interlink; Inlingua; EC and Eurocentres.

Eight agents from Turkey visited Cape Town, South Africa, for one week and were taken to the centres who had invited agents in order to visit their premises and meet with the staff there.

There was also time to visit and explore some of the sights in Cape Town, such as taking a guided tour around the city, going up the world-famous Table Mountain by aerial cable car, and visiting the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-western tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Each day was rounded off by a visit to one of Cape Town’s many world-class restaurants, where the cuisine of the Cape and the rest of Africa could be indulged in at leisure.

It was a fantastic opportunity for EduSA to showcase the City of Cape Town and for the schools to present themselves to the agents who were visiting.

The most common comment from the agents was that Cape Town was nothing at all like they expected: The city went beyond their wildest dreams and was one the best places in the world they had ever visited!

EduSA is officially launched in Cape Town

Education South Africa (EduSA), formally known as ELTASA, celebrated its official launch, which was held in Cape Town on 20 October 2009.

There were over 50 people in attendance, representing many different sectors of the industry and beyond:  local govenment, tertiary institutions, regional tourism bodies, the City of Cape Town and other language centres who are not current members of EduSA.

Calvin Gilfillan, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU), gave the keynote address in which he reaffirmed his government department's support for the EFL industry in Cape Town.  He vividly expressed his excitement about the new initiatives being taken by EduSA within the industry, highlighting its important role in Cape Town tourism.  Other speakers were Gavin Eyre, National Chairperson of South African Youth Travel Confederation (SAYTC), and Craig Leith, Chairperson of EduSA.

The community of Cape Town EFL centres and other language centres from as far afield as Jeffrey's Bay and Port Elizabeth, were in attendance to show their support for the organisation, which assists in providing a standardised framework for the accreditation of their centres.

The main aim of this national association of quality English language centres in South Africa is to develop and guide the growth of the English language travel industry and ensure that its members meet or exceed guaranteed minimum standards of professionalism and quality.

Looking ahead EduSA also hopes to become the catalyst in the establishment of language travel tourism and the building of strong relationships within the language industry, tourism bodies and the local, provincial and national government.

Pictured above from left are:

Johannes Kraus, Gavin Eyre, Sue Camillieri, Howard Johnson, Belinda Whittaker, Luanne Mc Callum, Meryl van der Merwe, Angela Pereira, Emre Bilge and Craig Leith

Pictured above from left are:

Craig Leith (EduSA), Gavin Eyre (SAYTC), Calvin Gilfillan (CTRU)