ELT association Education South Africa (EduSA) has relaunched as English South Africa, with fresh branding, colour schemes, materials and a new website to accompany the change.
English South Africa said that the new brand name more aptly portrayed the nature of the association and its members.
The association said that a rebrand had been discussed for several years, but was not considered a priority due to a focus on immigration issues and the post-Covid recovery.
Ilse Liebenberg , Chairperson of English South Africa said, “For many years, the name Education South Africa was a misnomer; giving the market the impression that our association represented the greater education industry in South Africa. This is something that we were all too aware of and something which our member centres wanted to address. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic put these plans on hold and, as with the rest of the world, there was uncertainty in terms of the future.”
The association said that the brand identity and name EduSA had previously aligned with the South African Youth and Travel Confederation (SAYTC), which incorporated English language centres, volunteering projects, youth travel and accommodation. SAYTC eventually merged with the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), giving the association scope for a more independent identity and name.
The new logo has been designed to incorporate elements that represent South Africa, including the mountains, the flag, vibrancy and forward momentum.
Ilse said that the South African ELT market has now largely recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic. As previously reported, EduSA members welcomed around 80 per cent of 2019 student volumes last year.
“The post-pandemic period has presented South Africa with new opportunities and our reputation as an English language destination has strengthened during this period. We feel that the time is right to further professionalise, while creating a platform to market and engage the globe with a fresh look and a brand that resonates with what we do.”
The new English South Africa website.
Commenting on the next steps for the newly named English South Africa, Ilse said, “We have launched a modern brand identity, which encapsulates the uniqueness of South Africa, and have launched a new website with exciting functionality which we will build on in future to engage potential students and partners.
“Our digital presence will be the main focus over the next two years, as we explore ways to more efficiently reach the global market online. We anticipate that this renewed focus on digital marketing will give added benefit to our member centres, as well as introduce South Africa to non-traditional markets.”
Click here to access the new English South Africa website and read more about the association, which currently represents 13 ELT schools across the country.
By Matthew Knott
News Editor
