Member schools of ELT association Education South Africa are looking to increase their marketing profile this year, following further recovery from the pandemic and a 50 per cent increase in student weeks in 2022.
Headline data: Education South Africa (EduSA) schools welcomed 8,031 international students on English language courses in 2022, an increase of 44.2 per cent compared with the 5,567 students hosted in the previous year, although still below the pre-pandemic total of 10,068 students in 2019.
Student weeks, meanwhile, increased by 50.9 per cent in 2022 to 47,451 weeks – just over 70 per cent of 2019 volumes.
Markets: By student numbers, Saudi Arabia was again the largest source market with 2,145 students, a 70.4 per cent increase compared with 2021, while Brazil returned to the number two position with 1,041 students, more than double the previous year.
The top five was completed by: France (642 students, +7.7 per cent compared with 2021); Yemen (508, +123.8) and Angola (456, +80.9). The total for Yemen exceeded pre-Covid levels.
Asia has been slower to recover for South Africa’s ELT schools, with only 157 students in 2022, an increase of around a third over the previous year, but still only half of typical pre-Covid levels.
Ilse Liebenberg , Chairperson of Education South Africa, told StudyTravel Magazine, “The South African market took a huge knock during the pandemic; a few schools closed and some merged. However, the schools who survived have bounced back with great enthusiasm. We are finding that 2022’s student numbers beat 2019’s in some source markets. Specifically, the Saudi Arabian and African markets.”
She continued, “We have found different markets opening up and previously small markets growing substantially. As a whole, South Africa has definitely become more reliant on the African markets, especially Angola, Gabon [103 students] and Congo [258].”
Growth prospects: Looking ahead, Ilse explained that following the further recovery and a court ruling in the association’s favour in a dispute with the government over visas (see more here), the association will concentrate on branding and promotion of the country’s sector.
“As we managed to successfully put the second court case against our Department of Education behind us, we decided that 2023 will be a year focused on international marketing, rebranding and digital development. We are in the process of making some exciting changes to EduSA as a whole. Our website is getting a complete overhaul, ensuring it will be more user friendly and all schools are given equal opportunity to display themselves.”
Recruitment channels: Overall, agents accounted for 60.5 of students enrolled in 2022 (4,860 students), although the agent recruitment ratio was higher in the Middle East (86.7) and Latin America (73 per cent), but lower in Europe (47.7) and Africa (21.5).
Education South Africa will be focusing on branding and marketing in the year ahead.
Ilse said, “I think awareness of our destination is key. We need to ensure we are educating agents about our stunning country and all it has to offer, meaning we will also be attending various international events this year.”
She concluded, “I’d like to say we are cautiously optimistic that the industry in South Africa is on the up and up, growing and developing fast.”
The EduSA 2022 member data was based on responses from nine member schools: Cape Town School of English; EC English Cape Town; EF Education First Cape Town; English Plus Academy; Good Hope Studies ; International House Cape Town ; LAL Language Centers ; Language Link ; and English Language Centre – University of Cape Town .
By Matthew Knott
News Editor
