At any given time there are more than 3000 students enrolled at the UWC Education Faculty, and now they have a new building to call home. The green building on the southern section of the UWC main campus in Bellville features state-of-the-art classrooms that will set the benchmark for producing educators, and teaching and learning spaces for early childhood development, primary and high school. 

UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, said: “The faculty building was constructed in the 1960s. It was made up of standalone buildings and empty spaces. Now our faculty of education has a new home, one which the Dean is very proud of, but that we as a university are also proud of.” 

The Department of Higher Education and Training provided funding for UWC to offer a Bachelor of Education Foundation phase programme. The first cohort graduated in 2020, and this year in the Autumn Graduation, more than 30 students graduated with the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (FET) Phase Teaching.

Prof Pretorius said: “We appreciate the ministry's faith in us and the many levels of assistance we receive throughout, from funding that allowed for the initial planning to actual construction. It is therefore fitting that you are here today.”

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, not only congratulated UWC management on the opening of the Faculty of Education building, but also lauded the contribution the faculty has made to education over the years. 

“You gave us good policy tools. I remember the debate, the transition from education theory to policy and all those issues. You gave us very good policies. The foundation, in 1994, not least the work done by UWC which also informed the passage of the Higher Education Act in 1997. So you deserve this building,” said Minister Nzimande. 



Scroll through gallery below for event photos by Ruvan Boshoff/UWC Media and Education Building general views by Pure Design Studio.