CEPD is a leading research body and think-tank in education, contributing to policy development and knowledge-building both locally and across international boarders. It was established in 1993 during the dying days of apartheid, in order to develop alternative education and training policies that would serve a future democratic South Africa. These policies were aimed at promoting the principles o
f non-racism, equity, democracy, quality education and lifelong learning. These efforts culminated in the ANC’s Policy Framework for Education and Training published in its first edition in early 1994, just months before the first democratic elections. Produced by the CEPD under its first director, Dr Trevor Coombe, this important document drew on the work of over 300 researchers, academics and practitioners, and fed largely into the new government’s first White Paper on Education and Training. Many of the new South Africa’s education and training policies are based on this framework. Now, fourteen years later, the CEPD continues to serve the same goals, albeit in a way that is more in keeping with the changed circumstances in the country and in the Centre itself. It remains one of the leading non-governmental educational organisations in South Africa, working in partnership not only with government, but also with a wide range of other NGO’s and private sector consultancies. In particular, it maintains a close strategic relationship with the five Education Policy Units at the universities of KwaZulu-Natal, Fort Hare, Western Cape and the Witwatersrand.
