Stellenbosch University Carries Out International Student Exchange
As part of its 30-year celebration of internationalisation at Stellenbosch University (SU), SU International introduced a new student exchange programme with the University of St Gallen, Switzerland. The two-part offering started in April 2023 with a ten-day visit to South Africa by 20 students from St Gallen. Later in the year, 13 SU students will reciprocate by traveling to St Gallen.
To enhance internationalisation at home, SU International interns and participants in the Matie Buddy system were invited to join the group on their South African adventure. Their time together included lectures, discourses on global and country-specific issues, cultural activities and sightseeing.
In the lecture component, Prof Nox Makunga from the Department of Biotechnology introduced the students to her work on medicinal plants and the Western Cape’s biodiversity. The academic content was supplemented by a hike to the natural area of Paradyskloof in Stellenbosch, where students were able to touch, smell and taste some of the plants they had learned about.
An introduction to South Africa’s political history spiked interest among the Swiss students, while it also served as an opportunity for their local peers to express their opinions about and hopes for the country. The insightful lecture equipped the group with the knowledge and sensitivity to fully appreciate their subsequent visit to Robben Island.
The lecture on doing business in South Africa included a trip to KWV in Paarl and the Babylonstoren wine estate in Simondium, where Prof Chris Pentz and Anika Berning from the Department of Business Management shared valuable information on the local business landscape. As most of the Swiss students are pursuing studies in the business field, this lecture opened their eyes to business beyond their borders.
The Swiss participants were not the only ones who had their horizons broadened. According to Bradley Grovers, one of the Matie Buddy participants who joined the experience, the programme provided him with “new insightful information and a fresh take on many of our local political and social issues”. The local students agreed that while they had learned a lot about Switzerland, the programme also managed to sensitise them to aspects of South Africa they had never previously considered.